mameleh

[mameleh]

Dressing with a Wink and a "Touch of Mink"

We all need a laugh track lately.

Life is pretty maudlin and if there is anything that can cheer up a less than sanguine disposition it's a stunning, elegant old film where everyone is dressed to the nines and the plot is a little silly, the characters have smart mouths and the moral message smarts a little. Because life is about learning and yes, so is fashion. The reason I love fashion is though most deny that at a time as macabre as such that fashion can thrive I actually believe it can thrive and in fact in some of the darkest eras in history Fashion flourished and took new shape, new form.

Moschino is always cheeky but its rarely wholesome. Its been extremely wholesome in a 'Green Acres is the place to be' type of genre and yet it also feels surreal and futuristic. The book "Valley of the Dolls" was as prescient as it was a book of the era. Most things of cultural value in the '50s and '60s had a futuristic bent it was a time of space travel dreams and farm travel realities. Though neither Eva nor Zsa Zsa Gabor modeled the clothes on the 21-22 runways they totally could have and I for one think the starlets of that era need a rennaisance because they symbolized an immortal, larger than life incandescence that was as much about humor as it was about style. We Really Really need humor right now. And we know it too. We all scroll for funny videos, favorite sitcoms that feel like home, old films that made us belly laugh, witty European cinema that makes us smirk. We need irony, humor, wit, cloud-spun silliness to get us through what seems like dystopia and the designers understood that this season with ultra glamorous ultra vintage collections that felt super out of touch with the current cultural reality and yet totally on point with what the cultural zeitgeist could be in a year or even months. Or at least they try to sway the collective cultural tone to feel cozy, homey and a bit Maahvelous dahlink. Because when life isn't marvelous our clothing should be.

Carolina Herrera show was good. The clothing was better. The scenery was incredible and the vibe was 1960s futuristic glamor with classic appeal. The vibes were modern its hopeful its trying to recapture a glamor that hopefully the city will have again soon and it did it with incredible deftness of subject and perfectly highlighted the perfect dresses. Its no coincidence that soft pink was a very popular shade in the runways. It was also a popular shade in the '60s and late '50s think Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face and Doris Day in almost every movie including my favorite film of hers "a touch of mink"

And though there was no Henry Mancini score to the runway shows, and though neither Doris Day the clothing could have been straight from the films runway show at a delightfully vintage Bergdorf Goodman and much like the film the clothes just makes you want to smile.

[mameleh]

Post Covid fashion in my opinion should make people smile but also remember a cozier, happier time. Though this Moschino runway show is from last season it still makes me smile so much. I LOVE miniatures and the pieces are fanciful and exquisite and I honestly wish I had ever single piece in this collection and Lily my daughter wishes she had every piece in the collection for her Babie dolls.

[mameleh]

A Turtleneck and a Swan Song:

Why wearing a Turtleneck is always Chic.

Turtlenecks are a bit mod, they are modest and they connote an era that we have eclipsed in almost all advances except style.

Turtlenecks are a bit vintage and every bit sophisticated.

If you choose one in a shade of pink youre channeling a '60s film star either from a French Goddard Film or a British mod film or a Doris Day movie with an adorable plot and many reasons to smile.

Life right now is a bit macabre and if you can't smile about your clothing what can you smile about?

The age of covid isn't about dressing to impress its about dressing to uplift better to be cheeky than chic.

If you won't take my word for it read the wsj style articles layered take on the sharp wardrobe