So when does our future get here?

09/08/2009

0 Comments

 
Picture
From practically the dawn of the cartoon and film world, our future selves have always worn a version of simple spandex unitards, or long flowing robes. Apparently, at some future point we universally declare "We're over it!" where fashion is concerned and opt for simple in the extreme.  It also seems we have no weight problems at that point as well.  Maybe perfect figures are worth the price of a fashion void. 

But when does our future get here?  Or will it always be Trends vs Trek?
Picture
The artists of two centuries ago drawing 100 years in the future certainly didn't depict what was actually worn in the late 18- and 1900's.  And we obviously aren't wearing what the artists predicted for the new millennium.
We keep having cycles of trends instead of Trek-like simplicity.  The future of clothing may never arrive.  Looking back at my school days I wish I'd had a uniform.  It would have made dressing so much simpler.  And I know, folks who had uniforms often tell me they wished they'd had "normal" clothes.  The grass is always greener...  The uniforms we may or may not wear in the "future" will certainly make dressing easy.  But where's the fun in that?  How do I express my love of retro nipped waistlines and full-skirts in an adult onesie?
Picture
You must admit, if we were to walk the street like this (and this was from a fairly recent collection) the first public assumption would be that we were headed to a sci-fi convention.

I don't mind cycling trends.  Ones I like always come around again. (Harem pants are not one of them!  Oy!  How did those ever resurface?)  And the near infinite variety of clothing lets us express our individuality as well as our common ground.  And you guessed it, in the upcoming posts we will be discussing the fall trends.  Which ones work, which ones to ignore or even run from.  If, like me, the fall weather hasn't hit your area yet it's only a matter of weeks.  And every new season is a reason to assess your style and tweak where necessary, even if you don't buy a single new item.
Picture
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS!  Comment below with your answer to "Why do we have trends?"
Add Comment
 

Summertime Snafu

06/16/2009

2 Comments

 

Ah, summertime.  Undeniably the most difficult shopping and dressing time for the Modern Mormon Woman.  Stores and streets abound with tank tops, mini skirts, short shorts, strappy dresses and bikinis.  How do we find our place in this season?
I did a little research recently that may or may not surprise you. 

I looked at the easiest option for summer style – the dress!  Throw it on with a pair of sandals and you’re good to go errand running; with a pair of heels and you’re set for church; keep the heels, switch up the accessories and you’re ready for date night!  One good dress is practically a weeks worth of outfits so I searched all the offerings on several different popular store websites.   I counted as appropriate only those dresses needing no more alteration than perhaps a camisole for a too-low neckline.  The dreaded “Under-T-under-straps” combo shown below was NOT an option.

What did I find?
Ann Taylor:  8 out of 71 dresses would be appropriate
Ann Taylor Loft:  4 of 50
J. Crew: 3 of 89
(and that was excluding the wedding dress options, which, by the way were 0 of 32)
Banana Republic: 8 of 41
Gap: 0 of 30 (that’s right – zero!)
Anthropologie: 0 of 107
Brooks Brothers: 5 of 15
White House/Black Market: 0 of 50
Nordstrom had far too many dresses to count but a cursory search of the first few pages yielded many excellent options!  I even searched Victoria’s Secret.  26 of 255 would be appropriate.
Many of these stores are standard shopping suggestions from Image Interpreters.  Goes to show the season’s aren’t all created equal!  It certainly won’t be an easy search, but appropriate, summer weight dresses are out there.  My personal favorite is the lightweight jersey wrap dress.  Seasonless, with the addition of hosiery and boots, and one of the most flattering and smart wardrobe investments any woman can make.

But what if you already have strappy or strapless items in your closet that you really want to keep wearing?  The key is striking a more deliberate contrast! 

I’m a big fan of the new fitted undershirts that have hit the market in recent years.  They lend a very helpful hand to anyone wanting to maintain modesty and avoid frumpy.  But the look can be taken too far.  (Am I bursting bubbles here?)  I don’t believe they were ever meant to allow us to wear ANY dress or top out there.  (Any undertee maker who says otherwise is just trying to sell more!)  Are they perfect under slightly sheer tops and dresses?  Absolutely! The best for covering gaping under-arm holes? You bet!  Excellent for filling in low necklines and covering "flesh belts"?  Sure thing! Good looking under tank or halter style tops? Um... negatory. 
 
So how does this translate? 
  • Try a longer sleeve T instead of the cap sleeve option.
  • Try more than 2 layers.  The other day I saw this combo: cap-sleeve underT, sheer, fitted, short-sleeve shirt (worn quite open to reveal the color contrasting underT), very low scoop neck, floaty, tunic-length ruffle tank (spaghetti straps, not thick) on top.  All with jeans and sandals.  It was more funky than my personal style but I loved that it was clever and creative!
  • Work your button-downs instead! A light weight button-down shirt is much more unexpected under strappy or strapless items.  It says, "I meant to put together this brilliant combo."  Instead of, "Please look at the halter dress and ignore the flesh-colored undershirt glaring out from under it."  Check out some of the outfit options below.
  • As for those strappy maxi dresses?  Take a cue from decades ago and employ a version of the shirt-as-jacket option.  Slip a light button-down shirt OVER your dress, roll up the sleeves if they're long, do up just a few buttons at your breastbone (unless more are needed for cleavage coverage) and then knot the shirt just under your rib cage.  Adorable, sexy and innocent all at the same time!  It'll create very slimming lines as well, with the knot high at the narrowest part of your torso.
2 Comments
 
Forward >>