March is a strange month for several reasons; here are 5:
It’s no longer the “new year”, so what’s your excuse for still writing 2009 on things?
The weather is moody but you can count on two things – the wet and the cold.
The little biological clock inside of your body can’t stop thinking about Spring so you find yourself fantasizing about activities and outfits that are completely impractical. Yes – it’s much too early for sundresses and afternoons spent lazily in the park.
Even the cutest rain boots are no fun to wear in the club… or any other indoor venue.
Word up to one of my favorite places to eat – Royal Indian (93 1st ave @ 6th street/the spot downstairs!). Best ambiance in the city. When the weather is warm ask to sit in the tent out back. Then thank me.
In August, I posted about Mihara Yasuhiro and how much I love his design aesthetic; he makes clothing that any stylish adventurer would be proud to wear. If I had the body of a long&lean man and an impressive discretionary income, I would insist on buying a trench and boots from Miharayasuhiro every season. I would also become a jet pilot.
Yasuhiro is known for designing collections that are meant for the “post-apocalyptic urban nomad”and that idea definitely comes across in his F/W 2010 effort. Only it seems as though The Nomad now has business meetings to attend and possibly an after-work rock concert. Personally, I think that’s pretty awesome. I’d even like to believe that even after the apocalypse,and it’s coming ya’ll, there will still be plenty of ways to express our personal style through our clothing. Perhaps with a bit of sophistication too.
CUFFS & SHADES OF GRAY:
Putting aside the slimming effects of black, the color of choice for Yasuhiro’s Spring 2010 collection, gray is my favorite neutral. For whatever reason it just looks modern, and perhaps even a little futuristic, in a way that other shades don’t to me. I’m starting to have a preference for blue-grays, which look new for Fall 2010. A note on styling – I love how the pants were not uniformly rolled/cuffed and instead ranged from neat hems to pegged ankle cuffs and the more extreme tall cuff seen on the left. Each style has its own charm.
PRINTS & TEXTURE:
Lord knows that I love to see mixed prints. Yasuhiro has taken plaid and applied gradient techniques to make the print appear more graphic than lumberjack; this is nice to see because if the plaid trend is still going strong, we should at should at least be creative about it. I like that Yasuhiro is simultaneously playing with color, print, and texture in a way that he hasn’t for the the last couple of seasons.
DENIM:
I have vowed never to wear light wash denim on my lower half ever again. It’s a personal choice that I felt good about making until I remembered denim skirts. So I made an amendment about that. I’ll never wear light wash denim on my lower half, ever again, unless it’s skirt. But- Yasuhiro tempts me. Maybe in the post-apocalyptic age, I won’t mind if light wash denim makes my thighs look bigger, I’ll just be glad to have pants. Pants that remind me of Will Smith in Independence Day; you know… the scene where he’s walking through the desert, with his jumpsuit tied off around his waist, dragging an alien behind him in a parachute. Yeah…
Also, how cool does that denim shirt look tucked into those suit pants?
Last night while riding the L-train, I saw a woman wearing a wonderful vintage coat with a fur stole pinned around her neck, a little like the Ralph Lauren look (left). I found myself starring at her and contemplating whether or not I could reasonably work a fur stole [vintage or faux - of course] into my wardrobe. The stole seems like it could be a bit cumbersome – it would drive me wild if the thing didn’t sit perfectly. A compromise, if it needs to be called such, seems to be lapels covered in fur.
Oscar de la Renta had a wonderful series of colorful coats for F/W 2010. I think the unnaturally dyed fur makes the look come across as playful and not so stuffy. After all, what do you really think of when you imagine a fur stole – I’m guessing an older white woman from the UES, yeah? Band of Outsiders had a quirkier version of this trend with a fur trimmed blazer that upon further consideration makes the model look like she has a fox draped over her shoulders (kind of awesome if it’s faux…but it isn’t, so maybe that’s kind of creepy). And finally there is 3.1 Phillip Lim which went for the casual “sheerling lined” look; I’ve already seen a bit of this style in the city and it’s pretty good looking.
Trendology is the case study of a fashion obsessed Gemini living on a fixed income in NYC. To contact, please e-mail Jillian [trendology.blog (at) gmail.com].
disclaimer:
Please keep in mind that this is a personal blog and all opinions expressed here are solely mine and do not represent that of my employer or any other organization.