I’ve just been seeing these skirts Everywhere. Department stores, chain stores, boutiques, and most importantly—on people. Kind of reminds me of that time when Everybody and their mother was wearing a peasant blouse.
Tiered skirts are one of the latest takes on the Full Skirt phenomenon that’s hitting the stores this season. And while they are fun, I feel responsible for telling you that they won’t be around forever—I predict they’ll be around for the next year and a half, maybe two. Wear them now, have your fun, and then be done with them until the fashion people decide that they’re “the thing to wear†again in ten years, plus or minus a few.
The plus side to the tiered skirt is that its full shape can be forgiving to many figure types. If you happen to have big hips or ample thighs, go for a slightly draped cut that skims your figure. If you’re petite, steer clear of ankle-length ball-gown-esque skirts: they’ll only make you look shorter than you are. Instead, try a skirt that ends at the knee. Another note for petite girls: avoid skirts with loud, large patterns. There’s a very real chance that those skirts will wear you, instead of the other way around.
A few tiered skirts worth mentioning:
The Urban Outfitters skirt looks like a shorter version of an ankle-length dip dyed skirt by Candela. You can find the Candela version for $150 at Girlshop.com.
April 9th, 2005
White on white looks especially fresh this Spring. However, a plain white outfit can feel monotonous. To mix things up in a monochromatic outfit, try adding texture through embellishments (e.g. beading, sequins, embroidery) and/or fabric treatments (e.g. pleating, smocking, etc). Or try an unusual silhouette with features like asymmetry or cutouts.
Some items worth mentioning:
Pleated Dress | $118 at Kenneth ColeA gorgeous, classic shape embellished with small pleats.
Pleated Top | $89 at Kenneth Cole
A shorter, more versatile version of the above dress.
Cutout Dress | $148 at Banana Republic
Jersey dress with a sophisticated back cutout.
Robert Rodriguez Crystal Tank | $143 at Shopbop.comTank top with crystal trim at neckline.
Marc Jacobs Top | $188 at Shopbop.com
Eyelet camisole with ruffle trim.
April 6th, 2005
Just when you thought that the style landscape for this season was complicated enough, here I am telling you what you’ll be seeing in stores Next year. How’s that for getting ahead of the fashion curve?
Here’s the scoop from a presentation from Promostyl, a leading fashion trend reporting company. Coming to stores near you, in Spring/Summer 06:
Bohemia
We’ll be seeing hippie-folk items: think of a 21st Century revision of the 1970s. You’ll see embellished items, tiered prairie skirts, and an explosion of prints on voluminous proportioned tops, skirts, and even pants. Think flowy airy tops, long voluminous skirts, and wide-legged (and even pleated!) pants. Men’s suiting will take a bohemian turn as it blends with folk-inspired silhouettes, in the season’s spirit of contradiction.
Look for cool violet colors matched with blended brights, reminiscent of the colors of a parrot. Be on the lookout for orange and yellow, in particular. Saturated pastel colors will continue to be stylish, as will the color white. So hold on to your white items from this year—they’ll work nicely with the clothes you’ll see in stores next year!
Eastern European Avant Garde
The trend is strict, graphic, and tailored. Picture industrial Berlin, with its dynamic graphic influences and focus on efficiency. It’s a tough underground look that’s simple and streamlined. Uniform-looking clothing will be seen, along with severe looking suits and shirtdresses. A standout item in my eyes: a tank top updated with a men’s tie. Look for graphic shapes and architectural lines, both in colorblocking and seaming.
Colors will be gray-based shades, but fuchsia and green, reminiscent of the 1980s, are standout colors.
Refined Nostalgia
This is a delicate, elegant trend that blends today’s tastes with those of the past, particularly the 1940s and 1950s. The feeling is ladylike chic with a slight country feel. Detailing on clothing will include sleeves puffed at the shoulder, lingerie touches, and the use of boudoir fabrics. Fabrics will be pintucked, smocked, and shirred. One interesting silhouette involved tops with open backs—these shirts fastened at the top near the neck. These tops can be worn alone or layered over another shirt.
Colors include scarlet, ochre, and watered down pastels.
Fantasy Refuge
The Fantasy Refuge style is a trend that revolves around emotion and the want for escape from reality. Youthful, naïve looks feature, though the glamour factor is turned up. Look for empire waists, stylized waistlines with belts, shrunken jackets in unexpected materials (e.g. terrycloth), and an emphasis on softness, volume, and transparency. A convergence between activewear and sportswear will also be seen: think of the Adidas/Stella McCartney collaboration.
The color palette for Fantasy Refuge combines strident, acid brights with innocent pastels. Think: cotton candy pink, rosy pink, red, lime, spring green, and sky blue. Neutrals combine with pastels, and the pink/grey combination I mentioned last week in Style Q&A will still be seen.
Now go impress your friends with your insider style knowledge!
April 5th, 2005
On the radar: a natural extension of the textured embellishment trend I discussed last week. Hardware trims such as zippers and metal snaps are turning up as utilitarian embellishments on clothes for both men and women. I love the contrast of the hard details on a soft piece of clothing, especially when done with a subtle hand.
I saw a couple of nice examples while trendscouting at Armani Exchange:
For Men: Zipper Placket on a Raglan Sleeve Knit Shirt.
$49.99 at A|X.
For Women: Snap detailing on a scoopneck tee.
$38.00 at A|X.
FYI–I’m taking a long weekend in LA for a mini-break and a fabric show (*sighs of happiness*). Expect a report on fabrics/colors for Spring/Summer 06 when I’m back on Tuesday!
April 1st, 2005
Seen while malling: a particularly interesting example (at least, for a mall-based chain store) illustrating the Textured Embellishment trend. I appreciate the abstractness of the tee, along with the unusual color combination: chocolate brown, teal, yellow brown, and off-white. The combination of the somewhat matte embroidery texture with the shiny metallic sequins drew me in. You can find the tee at Abercrombie & Fitch for $49.50.
If you appreciate this trend as much as I do, keep an eye out for items with embellishments like glass and resin beads, pearls, etched patterns, ribbons, frayed and fringed yarns, and fabric cutouts, in addition to embroidery and sequins. To temper this trend for the workplace, look for items using embellishment sparingly—such as around the neckline or shirt hem. Or keep the embellishments in the same color family as the garment for a subtly stylish look. For a fun evening or weekend look, however, feel free to go all out!
March 24th, 2005
