FashBlog.com

Browsing through a fashion magazine the other day, I noticed two spreads on pairings of clothing that, to me, seemed a bit strange. You may not, however, and you may actually find them refreshing. I’ll describe them and you can decide for yourselves.

The first is based on the concept of taking a straight, short, dressy dress with spaghetti straps-in a slinky nylon, silk, polyester or chiffon type material-and wearing it over a short sleeved, cotton or rayon t-shirt. A belt is added, occasionally under the bust.

Personally, I don’t get it. First, even the pretty models appear to have grabbed the only clean things in their closets. Second, the different materials simply clash, both in appearance and relativity. It’s really hard to see what cotton has in common with silk, although both are natural fabrics. The one is considered casual, working-gal fabric while the other is fancy, night-time cloth. Third, I don’t like how this changes the cleanness and shape of the female line: narrow straps and a straight bodice are usually streamlined and figure hugging. Sticking a t-shirt underneath will balloon out the top part, probably create a horizontal ridge where it ends, and the short sleeves sticking out at the sides of the arms aren’t flattering. Fourth, the belts which match the dresses look fine, but when chunky, wide leather ones are used, I think they conflict with the elegant fragileness of the dresses. The copy states that such pairings give the dresses a “downtown quality” of casual polish, but I see only juxtaposition. Is the gal dressing for an office meeting or a wedding? There are times that when one tries to “serve two masters”, they fail at each. To me, this is one of those times where it’s best to have a clear focus and aim for a specific look, instead of trying to match what was never meant to be related in the first place.

The other pairings concern doubling up vests, and wearing two at a time. This look involves wearing another short sleeved t-shirt under a vest that’s hip length or longer, topped by another shorter vest, with all of it cinched in by a narrow belt and worn with high heels... Actually, the look itself isn’t unattractive (if the colors are thought out and coordinated with simple, straight pants) but it seems to be another case of women being expected to wear something uncomfortable and bulky. I also think that wearing the belt high (as suggested in the ad for a shrunken, cut-away vest) would make things even worse, but, again that’s just an opinion based on my comfort level. But I do admit some good things about this style: a smaller-chested woman could get away with just wearing a camisole, a thick-waisted gal can appear to have more of an hourglass shape, wider derrieres or hips can be camouflaged, and it does pack more punch than a simple top and pants. But I, for one, couldn’t wait to get home and whip off that belt and both vests, and kick off those heels.

As expected, the items in the glossy publication are far beyond what the average woman will spend for casual clothes. In my circle of reality, I don’t know any woman who spends over $100 for a cotton T-shirt, $300 for a belt, or $800 for a pair of skinny pants. However, to give credit where credit is due, they also have included a Gap shirt for $13, and couple of vests for under $100.

So that I don’t appear totally negative I’ll add a few examples of unlikely pairings that seem to be intriguing: “Genie” pants with high heeled, open toed, ankle strapped heels do seem to work. The same kind of shoes, but with flower petals adorning the heels, seem fun and whimsical without too much silliness, and bright yellow shoes and purses with black and white ensembles are very striking.

Have fun with mixing and matching, but remember that it’s hard to determine how pieces complement the other until you actually try them all on together. You want to be sure that the look is just as special once it’s on your body. Good luck!