PARIS: It used to be pants that were cut in different shapes and styles. Or skirts, as they varied from pencil silhouette to pleats. Even coats came in abundant varied versions before warm winters downgraded their importance.
But now, if you want to find delirious diversity, the subject is the dress. A harbinger of summer from the time of Jane Austen, the dress has come back into its own. And, yes, you can find just that innocent high-waisted look of Anne Hathaway in "Becoming Jane" - as long as you chop of the hemline.
Dresses for all reasons and seasons were originally inspired by the revival of the Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress, although the designer herself pumped up the volume for the summer season. The wrap - as simple, but shapelier, than a pull-on T-dress - underscores the appeal of this fashion genre: for morning or evening, with one easy piece, you're done.
The resuscitation of print has collided with the return of the dress to bring a sense of summer into every main street store. Prints Pucci-esque, floral or graphic give a bold touch or just a drizzle of romance. Patterns in muted shades seem more appropriate to work and city life, with black and white prints showing up on the fashion radar.
Then there is the smock. If you are looking for a forgiving shape (which the wrap dress is not) there are any number of voluminous dresses that might suggest a baby in the works and would be pretty if you were pregnant. Chloé was the instigator of these girly smocks in white lace and broderie anglaise, plucking the look from an Edwardian childhood and making it into high fashion. The square dress, cut loose from T-shaped bodice and in substantial cotton, is a tougher version with an edge of workwear.
But now, if you want to find delirious diversity, the subject is the dress. A harbinger of summer from the time of Jane Austen, the dress has come back into its own. And, yes, you can find just that innocent high-waisted look of Anne Hathaway in "Becoming Jane" - as long as you chop of the hemline.
Dresses for all reasons and seasons were originally inspired by the revival of the Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress, although the designer herself pumped up the volume for the summer season. The wrap - as simple, but shapelier, than a pull-on T-dress - underscores the appeal of this fashion genre: for morning or evening, with one easy piece, you're done.
The resuscitation of print has collided with the return of the dress to bring a sense of summer into every main street store. Prints Pucci-esque, floral or graphic give a bold touch or just a drizzle of romance. Patterns in muted shades seem more appropriate to work and city life, with black and white prints showing up on the fashion radar.
Then there is the smock. If you are looking for a forgiving shape (which the wrap dress is not) there are any number of voluminous dresses that might suggest a baby in the works and would be pretty if you were pregnant. Chloé was the instigator of these girly smocks in white lace and broderie anglaise, plucking the look from an Edwardian childhood and making it into high fashion. The square dress, cut loose from T-shaped bodice and in substantial cotton, is a tougher version with an edge of workwear.
At the opposite end of the volume chart is the wasp waistline. Shirt dresses belted tight above full skirts were a surprisingly grown-up look when presented with sumptuous accessories at Bottega Veneta. A hefty leather belt and similarly bold bag are a typical way of bringing into the fashion arena the classic shirt dress that stops just below the knee.
Slimmer dresses, cut shorter and straighter, rather than with a gathered skirt, also come belted, either with a deep cummerbund, a narrow belt or even a sash at a raised waist. Those women who want - for reasons of authority or frigid air conditioning - to add a jacket will find this style the easiest to work with tailoring.
The long-sleeved dress is a rare occurrence, but the vogue of cut-away backs and bra tops is on the wane, except as party clothes. Instead, designers are paying attention to the shoulder line, building the old-fashion cap sleeve into something more substantial. Pockets are another area where controlled volume is added, giving a casual feel that harks back to those distant Claire McCardle years of early American sportswear.
How you wear your dress also determines the impression created. With platform soled shoes the effect is inevitably quite different than with thong sandals. Generally, anchoring a dress with substantial footwear looks the most modern.
So does the dress-over-pants thing that is becoming a defining style of the 2000s. Many of the summer dresses have super-short hemlines. But treated like a tunic, worn over narrow pants, the dress takes on different proportions. Whether the idea is to create a summer outfit for a chilly spring - as in a cotton dress worn over a sweat top and jeans - or a more sophisticated meld of cropped leggings and geometric dress, the combination has been taken up with alacrity on the streets.
The pairing also offers versatility, treating the dress as part of a wider mix, as seen too when a sweater dress is worn like a pinafore over tank or T-shirt. Since fashion now is all in the mix, that strategy applies also to color and texture. The plain surface of a dress can be broken up with different shades for top and bottom halves, as seen at Marni, or with varied materials bringing matte or shiny effects.
And watch out for the autumn season, when a fashion stranger returns. Both Alber Elbaz at Lanvin and Raf Simons at Jil Sander have brought back the dart - a fold of fabric, essential in the 1950s and beloved by paper pattern users. It is designed to put shape and sensuality into the simplest dress and make it follow the body line.
Slimmer dresses, cut shorter and straighter, rather than with a gathered skirt, also come belted, either with a deep cummerbund, a narrow belt or even a sash at a raised waist. Those women who want - for reasons of authority or frigid air conditioning - to add a jacket will find this style the easiest to work with tailoring.
The long-sleeved dress is a rare occurrence, but the vogue of cut-away backs and bra tops is on the wane, except as party clothes. Instead, designers are paying attention to the shoulder line, building the old-fashion cap sleeve into something more substantial. Pockets are another area where controlled volume is added, giving a casual feel that harks back to those distant Claire McCardle years of early American sportswear.
How you wear your dress also determines the impression created. With platform soled shoes the effect is inevitably quite different than with thong sandals. Generally, anchoring a dress with substantial footwear looks the most modern.
So does the dress-over-pants thing that is becoming a defining style of the 2000s. Many of the summer dresses have super-short hemlines. But treated like a tunic, worn over narrow pants, the dress takes on different proportions. Whether the idea is to create a summer outfit for a chilly spring - as in a cotton dress worn over a sweat top and jeans - or a more sophisticated meld of cropped leggings and geometric dress, the combination has been taken up with alacrity on the streets.
The pairing also offers versatility, treating the dress as part of a wider mix, as seen too when a sweater dress is worn like a pinafore over tank or T-shirt. Since fashion now is all in the mix, that strategy applies also to color and texture. The plain surface of a dress can be broken up with different shades for top and bottom halves, as seen at Marni, or with varied materials bringing matte or shiny effects.
And watch out for the autumn season, when a fashion stranger returns. Both Alber Elbaz at Lanvin and Raf Simons at Jil Sander have brought back the dart - a fold of fabric, essential in the 1950s and beloved by paper pattern users. It is designed to put shape and sensuality into the simplest dress and make it follow the body line.
By Suzy Menkes
Published: April 9, 2007
Published: April 9, 2007
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