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Posts Tagged ‘over-the-knee boots’

Do They Dress Differently There?

November 30th, 2009

Back from a week in Paris where I spent a good deal of time just people watching and looking at what the Parisians were wearing. I enjoy street fashion more than runway fashion because it varies from region to region. The people in a particular area put their own spin on what designers are producing. I think it’s an expression of the mood of people.

Here’s what stood out for me this past week in Paris as different from what I see daily in the US:

Catherine Malandrino at Shopbop

1. Coats with belts that didn’t look like the belt came with the coat. In some cases, it couldn’t possibly. I even saw a few down-feather coats (ala North Face) belted. Sometimes it looked great, sometimes not so much. Some women chose to match their belt to the rest of the outfit, making the coat look like it was paired with the outfit.
2. Speaking of matching the accessories, there was a serious matchy-matchy thing going on in Paris. The hats matched the coats, or the shoes matched the bag, etc. It looked like they were headed to a time past when your grandmother’s rules applied.
3. As far as boots went, there was a noticeable absence of over-the-knee boots. Most of the boots were the riding style – low heel, tall boots. Functional and ready for the serious walking done in the city.
4. So on to functionality. Everything seemed to be more practical these days. Gone were stilettos and large handheld designer bags. Returning were flat shoes or low heels, shoulder bags or messenger bags and – gasp – the backpack (note: I do not like the back pack look on anyone that is not a full-time student).

Black Patent Furla Bag with Tan Accents

5. The colors were interesting, nothing bright but not too much black either. Most accessories were brown – sandal or saddle. The browns were blended with grays and blacks. There didn’t seem to be any concern of mixing the neutrals with the primaries.
6. The biggest surprise was the amount of leather I saw being worn in the daytime. Leather pants and leather leggings. And on everyday people. I even saw a few men in leather pants and these were businessmen not hipsters.

So which of these trends will take hold in the US?
Will we start to accessorize outerwear with our own accessories or stick to the belt that came with the coat? Will we return to matching our hats, shoes, and gloves? Will we become more comfortable blending browns with blacks? Will Americans grab on to the leather trend? I have seen a few women in the US look fabulous in leather, but it still usually reserved for the very fashionable.
We are already onboard with riding boots and we are warming up to the messenger bag. As for the others, some trends translate and some don’t – they are like expressions that way. It’s up to us to determine.
But that’s what makes us unique, non?

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Posted in Accessories, Fashion, Handbags, Jewelry, Leather, Shoes, gloves

Tags: Accessories Belts Boots gloves hats Leather over-the-knee boots Paris Street Fashion

Waiting for sales to start?

November 4th, 2009

When the fall shopping season started, I read the articles that said shoppers shouldn’t expect the same deep discounts they found last year. I thought that was good, last year was excessive. Many retailers went out of business because of the steep markdowns. I felt guilty at some of the prices I paid.

But I also don’t want to be the one poor sap that pays full price when waiting a couple of weeks would get me the item I love at 30% cheaper.

Stuart Weitzman 50/50 OTK Boots

Now we are approaching the sale season. Stores are starting, or getting ready to start, their fall markdowns – many have already been doing “special” promotions here and there. But inventories are running thin. I know in my store, we are out of a few of the season’s most coveted pieces.

Then a hard lesson for myself – the one item that I had my heart set on for the season was a pair of Stuart Weitzman 50/50 over-the-knee boots. These boots are at Zappos, Shopbop, Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdales, etc. The problem for me is that every store is sold out of my size. Yes, if I were a size 5 ½ I could still get those lovelies. But as it stands now, I’m out of luck because I didn’t want to be the one that paid full price unnecessarily. My fault, I know. They were the subject of so much attention, I should have known better.

The truth in retail is that fashion pieces are bought early. Those of us that want the best items are going to have to pay full price. So if there is something that you love, you want, but you are waiting for it to go on sale, know that you risk losing it. There is a price for getting exactly what we want – and sometimes it’s full.

So maybe retail is on the comeback after all and that is worth losing my boots over.

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Posted in Shoes

Tags: Boots Nordstrom OTK over-the-knee boots Sale Shopbop Stuart Weitzman Zappos

What Trends Should be Skipped?

October 28th, 2009

If you’ve spent time on SocialStylists you know that we don’t just talk about things we like. We also try to stop friends from making what we think will be fashion mistakes. So let’s talk trends to skip.

Each of us has probably realized that not every trend should be worn by us. And some trends shouldn’t be worn by anyone. Every season there is one trend that is so awful it’s almost unbelievable that editors are promoting it or celebrities are wearing it.

Denim Leggings

The current trend nightmare in my opinion is denim leggings. I’m telling my friends that if they try to sport these, they will regret it. It will be like the high-waist jeans editors wrote glowingly about a few seasons ago.

Two reasons these are bad: they take away the whole reason the wear leggings and it’s hard to tell if they are intentional or accidental.

The whole concept of leggings is that they are thin enough to be worn under a skirt but are warmer than tights. But the denim version is not thin enough to go under a skirt without disrupting how the material lays.

The other great way to wear leggings is just with a longer shirt. But then it’s difficult to tell if the denim styles are “leggings” or jeans. As someone wrote on our Trend Talk page, “They look like way too tight skinny jeans.”

The upcoming trend to skip: garter belts worn as accessories.

Yes, exposed bras will be big for next season. This past summer in Camden Town London, there were exposed neon bras on every 3rd person. Some girls actually pulled it off quite well. Now reports say its being shown on the runway. The garter-as-an-accessory trend might have been started by those who didn’t think that went far enough. (I’m thinking that it may be the lingerie industry promoting itself kind of like the greeting card industry with “Sweetest Day”).

Other questionable trends:
Harem pants – even MC Hammer is probably embarrassed that he wore these.
Super short skirt – think practicality here.
Thigh high boots – careful of thigh-spillage. (But I do adore the over-the-knee version).

Then again, I could be wrong and these trends may end up with staying power.

What trends do you think are so silly that you can’t believe someone is willing to wear them?