Spring 2011--Shop Your Closet

Yippee!!  Spring rebirth and rejuvenation are just around the corner, but the fashion theme this year seems to be--wear what you wore last year…and the year before that…. 

I leafed through pages and pages of fashion blogs and magazines, reading the breathless editorials listing everything a woman needs to be on trend this summer.  Problem is, although I liked the trends, I saw very little that was new or fresh. 

My perennial favorites were trotted out (maxi dresses, utilitarian chic, denim, white shirts, ethnic prints), and some traditions have been tweaked, such as the “new” high-rise jean (with waists reaching the belly button) from labels such as Derek Lam and Citizens of Humanity.  Seventies-style bell bottom pants that will recall Lauren Hutton’s long-legged stride, Bianca Jagger’s smoldering glow or Pam Grier’s high kicks are also hot, as is the preppy cardi, and animal prints.

For the trendier reader the newest look in skirts is the “tail hem.”  According to Fashioning.com tail hems, “…fill the void between mini and midi and midi and maxi.” Basically it’s a asymmetrical hem with the back being longer than the front. Think of a shirttail hem and you’ve got the picture.  Is it booty-flattering?  The jury is still out on this one.  But before you slap your plastic on the counter, check out tail hem designs from Etro, Dennis Basso, or Topshop Unique. The longer styles are probably easier to wear than the minis.

Accessories for the season include 70s-style sky high clogs, sophisticated kitten heels, and glam cat eye sunglasses.  Do you see what I mean about the season of nothing new?  So, steam the wrinkles out of your lovely 2009 and 2010 togs, and freshen up your look with a sexy new pair of wedgies or adorable and comfy ballet flats. 

Better yet, bypass the trends and create your own timeless look.  Make Keds classic canvas sneakers your go-to shoe for fleet footed comfort.  They come in great colors and look sleek with skinny jeans, leggings, or slim fitting capris. Wrap your pretty head with an African print fabric. Wear a sari to an evening event.  Brighten your Colgate smile with a femme fatale red lipstick--and make that color your signature. 

My best advice--wear vintage!

Hat Trick

I'm addicted to old movies. Love the melodrama, the larger-than-life personalities, the fabulous fashions. I adore glamor on the silver screen as conceived by early to mid-20th century design luminaries such as Edith Head, Orry-Kelly, and Adrian. 

The appropriately-named golden age of cinema shows us an era in which men (and women) always wore hats in public. Hats were standard items of clothing for rich and poor, and whether you were a gangster, reporter, preacher, or bookie, you never left home without le chapeau.

Some blame the demise of men's hats on JFK, who was topless at his 1961 inauguration. Trendspotters, however, have noticed a slow return to hats as style statements for men.  Chalk it up to the Mad Men influence on contemporary fashion, but I've gotta admit, a man in a fedora can be pretty damn sexy.  A cockeyed oversized baseball cap just doesn't compare.

Check out this slide show from the NY Times. Some of the head coverings are ridiculous, but each one makes a unique statement that will be noticed.