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Why Did You Wear That: Private (School) Party

By admin|September 4th, 2014|Why Did You Wear That?|

Move over Blair Waldorf, this fall preppy plaid and tailored blazers are having a moment lasting longer than your reign as prom queen. But this isn’t a buttoned up and uptight renaissance. Think of the girls in school who skipped class, spent lunch smoking in the hidden back parking lot, and unabashedly flirted with the cute English teacher. Okay, I didn’t do any of those things in school, but I did manage to find each and every loophole in the dress code. I was reprimanded more than once for having rolled my skirt or wearing shoes that weren’t deemed appropriate. Many feel that a school uniform stunts a child’s ability to express him or herself, but I contest that belief as it takes a lot more creativity to own the look. Plus, basically already knowing what you’re going to wear every morning gives you much more time to spend straightening your hair. Iron on labels can help you keep your school cloth well organized. The only downside was that I didn’t wear thong underwear on a daily basis until I graduated as our ancient stairwells were a peeping Tom’s dream realized.

Can we take a moment and relish in the irony that my highschool had a “best dressed” superlative?

For fall, be at the head of the class by pairing an updated plaid or pleated skirt with an oversized blazer or varsity jacket and don’t forget to finish it off with a pair of absolutely inappropriate shoes. See you in detention.

(In case you are wondering about these illustrious photos, the one on the left is from either my sophomore or junior year of school- clearly when I discovered bleach and the one on the right is my first day of ninth grade. And yes, those are Doc Martens).

1. A.P.C. Burnou Zippe Coat, 2. SMYTHE Three Button Schoolboy Blazer, 3. Roseanna Tommy Sherpa Lined Jacket, 4. J. Crew Schoolboy Blazer, 5. Opening Ceremony Tristan Wool Classic OC Varsity Jacket, 6. Sea Two Pleat Skirt, 7. Marissa Webb Paige Gerrit Plaid Skirt, 8. GETTING BACK TO SQUARE ONE Plaid Miniskirt, 9. BB Dakota Corvin Pleated Skirt, 10. JOA Checked Pencil Skirt, 11. Manolo Blahnik Rorita Oxfords, 12. Walter Steiger Lug Sole Patent Leather Loafers, 13. Studio Pollini Loafers, 14. J. Crew Kiltie Monk Strap Loafers, 15. Zimmermann Tie Up Ballerina Flats

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Spring 2014: Style Cheat Sheet

By Kirsten|February 25th, 2014|Why Did You Wear That?|

Although it was fifty degrees over the weekend and snow flurrying today, we really are in the home stretch of winter. Just hang in there, pretty birds, relief is on the way. While we wait for the last frost of the season to cease, let us refresh ourselves on the clothing that is just waiting to make itself quite comfortable in our closets come spring. Since each fashion week presents collections a solid six months in advance of when we can actually get our greedy little hands on it, it’s easy to forget what we need to start scoping for and what to relegate to the back of our wardrobes for the time being. The fashion elite may be a bit clairvoyant perhaps predicting the dreadfully long winter we’ve endured as the spring collections did not shy away from color, bold patterns, and plenty of shiny embellishment. Though black and white were ever present, it’s time to drop the dull all black uniform and have a little bit of fun.

While florals are really nothing new for spring, this season’s are a bit bolder and less feminine incorporating the trend of black and white as well as darker tones as opposed to the predictable pastel colorways. Speaking of which, Easter egg colors abound and are best done head to toe, but if that has you feeling apprehensive of emulating Great Aunt Ida, the presence of a pastel leather jacket or clutch will do the trick.

Along with bold graphics that will have even the biggest globetrotters giddy, art aficionados rejoice. Patterns for spring give a nod to pop art using brights that make them downright framable. Wearable art, if you will.

Embellishment was big and came in the form of fringe, 3D embellishments and gilded golds, bronze, and silver. An alternative to shine in the form of straightforward metallics is presented in the option of iridescence.

And to those who attempted a croptop intervention on me… bad news: the croptop (which will live on through Fall 2014) is stronger than ever for spring. Might I suggest enrolling in a Pilates class, like last week? Though tops are shrinking bottoms get a bit of volume in the form of wide leg trousers and full skirts seen prevalently in the midi length.

Most notably to me was that all of the various trends seem to work together quite seamlessly and in some cases there’s quite a bit of overlap. Full metallic skirts, crop tops with sheer panels, and boldy printed wide leg trousers make hitting a few trends at once a spring breeze.