Fashion cycles – another (conspiracy) theory

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Having an event coming up has tuned me into current fashion styles. I’m set on wearing my funeral dress (no, it’s not a funeral function – people in my family die in the dead of winter so technically you can go naked if you keep your black coat on). I like to keep an open mind in case I see something with more spring flare to it. (That’s in color, not in ruffles. This girl don’t do ruffles!)

Yikes! No, SUPER YIKES! The prints are eye dazzling (and reminiscent of my Mom’s drapes). Some are ok but some are over the top. Way over the top. Retail store inventory doesn’t look any different from the stretchy clothing I looked at with friends last week.

I like classic. I like colorful but not over the top. The hem has to be closer to my knees than my butt. I like some sort of sleeve (not to cover my floppy arms but because I get cold!). Not a fan of those short jacket-y things unless it’s an integral part of the outfit. No ruffles, no waist pleats (seriously who looks good in those?). Not much to ask for is it?

There are some really beautiful new colors out this year. I love the soft pink. It’s not a girly pink but not exactly the dull blush of old. Everything with this color had other colors that overwhelmed it.

Navy blue is in! Love that color. The thing about navy is that I like to match the shoes to it. My new shoes (yes, I bought them) are black. They are available in a nude blush (makes my tiny feet look like elephant trunks) but I don’t like them as much.

The navy dress wasn’t available in my size. It had pink roses (yep that pretty pink) sprawled all over. Not quite like drapes but….well, it’s a drapes sort of year.

I have this theory. Drapes have gotten simpler in both style and color. Manufacturers needed to sell all that left over busy floral and geometric fabric. They opened their warehouses (and served wine – lots of wine). Poof! Lots of sales.

I blame it on the wine.

Since I’m taking my coat off, I’m back to my funeral dress.

 

 

63 thoughts on “Fashion cycles – another (conspiracy) theory”

  2. Stick to the classics, they are a win/win in the fashion world. Happy you bought the shoes, not that too much arm twisting was necessary.
    Aside from the bold prints, what the hell is up with the open shoulders … for all shapes, sizes and ages?

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  3. Spring dresses remind me of Easters past. My mom wasn’t much of a church goer, but she was religious about our Easter clothes. She made us cotton dresses and matching dusters. (Do you remember dusters?) Funny how easy it was to find suitable fabric and patterns for young girls. I remember that pink and navy blue were popular. Dotted Swiss was nice too. Ruffles were no problem for our girlish figures. We finished the outfit off with a straw hat and white shoes.

    I have a list at least as long as yours of all my requirements for a dress for my granddaughter’s college graduation. I hope I find something I like by June.

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    • We also did a new Easter outfit. Couldn’t wait to wear it. I loved dotted Swiss and seersucker. The prints were so garish back then (or I wasn’t as conservative about them). My mom sewed clothes for me until I was a teenager, then I sewed my own. Now I wouldn’t even think about it. I remember my first pair of bone patent leather shoes. It was for Easter. Oh yes, matching hats. Always.
      Good luck with your dress shopping. I sense a blog post in there.

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  5. Oh dear! Now I’m worried. I have a wedding this summer and I need to begin thinking about what I will wear. I haven’t shopped for a thing since I retired last July. Thank you for the warning. Your references to drapery materials has me quite concerned!

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  6. Ha! You will hit the right tone with the funeral dress but don’t bring a coat. This hilarious story kept reminding me of how smashing Scarlet O’Hara looked in drapes. Check out the fabric stores for velveteen in springtime green. 🙂

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  7. I think you are right about the funeral dress. You will feel good in it. You won’t feel good in one of those loud prints. I like navy, but not in shoes, purses, etc. Just in clothes. But then I have so much black that I am forced to wear navy with black ;).

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  9. I can’t do black – with my coloring, I look like the guest of honor at the funeral. Navy is my “neutral” – I usually wear navy, silver (not bright silver), or nude shoes with it, but I’ve gotten a bit bolder lately and wear contrasting shoes now and then. I really dislike the girlie stuff out now: over-the-top florals, ruffles, gathers, etc. I’ve always been a more classic (solids, and if I feel really crazy, stripes) dresser.

    The big question for me these days, if I wear a dress for a more formal occasion (which is hardly ever), hose or no hose?

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    • For me it’s definitely hose. I find it more comfortable with dress shoes. The other reason is that I’m sparkling white at this time of year. Haven’t done any of the self-tanner so people would be startled by my glowing paleness.

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  11. Around here the only store that sold clothes for women my age went out of business, so I’m stuck with Walmart, and if they have any dresses at all, they are made of that thin knit junk. I’m not as skinny as I used to be (That’s code for I’ve gotten fat.), and if I wear one of those I look like fifty pounds of potatoes stuffed in a spandex bag. Not an attractive sight!

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  14. I think I marched down more than one aisle as a bridesmaid humming “The Sound of Music.” Custom-made dresses were the worst, probably because the bride went for cheap, floral fabric. (You have a point on curtain fabric — all of mine are a single color. Not a print in sight.)

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  17. Maybe you can get a bright scarf to transform winter funeral dress into spring wedding attire?

    My closet is full of solids ~ black, white, navy, pink, purple, red, orange, yellow, green, khaki, ivory, etc. I have a few print skirts and a few print tops, but not many. Mix & Match = ME!

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    • No scarf. I’m not big on scarves. They get in my way. It’s a print (jewel tones and muted). It’s a perfectly good dress. I was just feeling like a lighter color springy thing. A few trips into stores and it will go away. I won’t buy anything I don’t love because I don’t need it. Much of my stuff is solid except for tee-shirts and some other tops. Definitely solid on bottom. I have one pair of floral drapey pants that I wear during the summer. Love them. They have a nice black background. Sort of a tropical feel to the fabric. Margarita anyone?

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  18. You can always bring your spring color to the black dress with jewelry. Get a bold necklace and/or bracelet in your favorite color. I don’t do belts but that would be another option if you do. How about a fascinator?

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    • I had to look up fascinator! 🙂 If I go funeral dress, I will dress it up with pearls. It’s not black but a muted jewel print. No belts here either. I just need to suppress the urge to buy or find something I truly love more than my funeral dress (which I do love but it has a more fall feel).

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  22. Yep, peplums only look good on the tall and rail thin or little girls (who can do perky cute without thinking) I think you answered my question about why I’ve been seeing so many wallpaper and drape patterns recently…better for house retro, not for clothing.
    (Did that color used to be called “dusty rose”? Richer colors are better than many brights…and linger longer across fashion trends and seasons?)
    Basic classic works. (“they only see your smile anyway” – that’s what mom used to say when I hated my dress…)

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