I'm very happy to announce, though it was not entirely my decision, that fall is here (not officially, you Season Police, but if December can mean winter then September can mean fall, that's just Aristotelian logic for you, thanks college). To celebrate, I am headed off to San Francisco next week and will of course take a lot of pictures of espresso cups and other charming things for you, but now is the time for a fashion report.
This year, something new and very exciting was brought to my attention. That thing was the OPI Muppets Nail Polish Collection for Holiday 2011. Yet another thing was British fashion designer Margaret Howell, whom I hereby proclaim the Heroine of Loveliness. I found her fall designs on some hip blog written by someone who wears stripes all day and bikes around Brooklyn and doesn't seem to have a job (?), and I almost choked on my Pirate's Booty. I'm in lurve!
Her collection is menswear-influenced (heavy, clunky, exquisitely-tailored), but the silhouettes are darling and the fabrics and colors are quite feminine. That is, tomboy feminine, which is the new regular feminine as far as the internet is concerned these days.
Now as I struggle to still my beating heart I'm going to talk about my favorite types of tomboys, and Margaret Howell covers them all!
The Coco Chanel: Tomboys look particularly glamorous and Chanel-like if they have a long flowy mane of wavy locks. I have been growing my hair out for 8 months and it turns out that your hair doesn't automatically look shiny and curly and beautiful just because it's longer, so I spend a lot of time whining about how my hair is boring and basically a dud. My boyfriend loves hearing me complain about my hair!!
The good news is, everyone can add a hat to her head and instantly look like Blossom! Err...Coco.
I love to wear hats, almost as much as I love making expressions that convey annoyance and/or hatred.
This girl shares my love for both things.
The Katharine Hepburn: This is clearly all about the pants involved. Wide-leg slacks say "Hello world, I'm my own woman! I am also headstrong!"
My grandma models for us an adorable, casual take on The KH. She is the one on the right below, wearing floofy pants with heeled Oxfords and a plain shirt jazzed up with a fetching scarf. Brilliant!
I'm not sure why this picture turned out so crazy. What I am sure about is that I love my new denim trousers. They are wide and comfortable and make me feel like I'm a feisty dame whose nickname is something really spunky like Scooter or Zippy, or Flipper.
The Vassar Student: This one is rather difficult to pull off because it walks a fine line between schoolgirl (yeesh) and equestrian (guh). When done well, the look is strong, ambitious, and interesting.
And the boys like it too!
Loafers, belts, plaid, and wool are the key ingredients.
My only contribution to incorporating this style into my wardrobe are these new suede color-blocked loafers that I want to frame and mount above my mantle, when I'm not wearing them with trouser socks and my beloved corduroy skirt. They also look really good under fluorescent light in the foreground of office carpet, I thought.
A lot of people mess up this whole style by adding a tie.
If you want a tie-like accessory but you don't want to look like an idiot, I recommend a long scarf tied in a knot. Same effect but you can keep your self-respect!
The Cluttered Tomboy: This is the one that effortlessly mixes fabrics and patterns (Official Fall Patterns: hounds tooth, plaid, herringbone, and corduroy) to create an autumnal layered look that says "I am creative, and also cozy!"
It is basically the outfit version of the Weasley Burrow.
I feel most myself in cluttered outfits, which may explain why the entire contents of my closet fell on my cat yesterday as I tried to stuff a new plaid shirt into the middle of it.
This little girl is the ultimate Cluttered Tomboy (compliment). I tried to dress like her the other day and ended up looking like a suburban housewife newsboy. I have no regrets.
This girl also nails it. Except that big glasses should probably stop existing now.
The Tough Girl: This outfit tells the world that you are hardworking, unapologetic, and, in the case below, a factory worker.
My tough Texan grandma knows that toughness is a state of mind.
I know this woman below has a name but I forgot what it is. She is dressed in another category of Tough Girl Tomboy which is called Seattle in 1992 Tomboy. I'm secretly hoping this is stylish only because it is not beneath me to wear sweatshirts tied around my waist that I've had since elementary school.
The Men's Warehouse: If you really want to go all out Tomboy, you are allowed to wear some men's clothing. You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it.
This coat and hat combo reminds me of my stylish dad, but the cropped pants add a crisp, modern, womanly touch. GEEZ could someone just for once in my life describe one of my outfits as "crisp, modern, and womanly?" And throw in an ice cream sandwich??
Here's Grandma Andrew again; she shows that masculine pieces can toughen up a ladylike flowered dress like nobody's business.
The 1998 Yuppie: When I saw this outfit below, I OBVIOUSLY had only one thought...
Kathleen Kelly, duh. During her reign as America's Cutie Wooty, Meg Ryan and her concert of characters perfected the 90s yuppie (accessories: Starbucks cappucino with chocolate shavings, black Macintosh laptop) along with the adorable pleated trousers (you didn't think those three words went together, did you!) and turtleneck combo which Tom Hanks couldn't help but go gaga over.
EmersonMade gives us similar designs, but updated for those of us who have traded our black Macintoshes for iPads! Or those of us who have traded our desktops for 6-year-old Dell laptops that can't function while the battery's in it!
You will fit right in at the farmers market with that giant flower! By which I mean you will fit in among the bouquets of flowers.
Okay well now you're all set to dress like my grandma this fall!
1 comments:
I still dress like gutter punk meets lazy house wife meets escaped mental patient, but the mental patient quality comes with the territory of the shaved head.
Mari. Which of these styles pairs best with a shaved head, and curves? Because I think the boyish look is darling, but I cannot imagine executing it well.
Post a Comment