For several seasons now the dress has reigned supreme. And, I have to admit, there is something alluringly easy about slipping into a dress, putting on some shoes, and running out the door. But what you gain in speed does tend to be lost when it comes to individuality and flexibility. After all there are only so many ways to wear a dress. After that it becomes a case of “there’s Jane in that fabulous dress…again”.
It’s not so much the death of the dress as a wealth of new options for those days when we want to mix-and-match. And what a plethora of choice there is; trousers varied from the eighties banana pants at Yves Saint Laurent and United Bamboo to Balmain’s plaid, zebra, or Dhoti styles.
In between there were narrow leather pants at Christopher Kane and pajama-patterned, Grunge-y styles at Rachel Comey.
Skirt lovers had a similarly large selection to choose from; be it Prada’s see-through lace, Rodarte’s dirndl’s, Balenciaga’s sexily slashed secretary skirts or Staerk’s mid-calf pencil skirts in patterns or jewel-toned velvet.
And although trousers didn’t become prevalent until the 16th century, they made up for lost time to become a wardrobe staple. So, even though a dress initially seems like a cost-effective purchase, you’ll find that you get the most bang for your buck from a well chosen selection of separates that allow you to mix-and-match for whatever the occasion. The same skirt can, after all, see you through a variety of work or social engagements depending on what it is paired with.
The possibilities are endless; the limits, your imagination.
Images courtesy of the Fashion Spot forums.
