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It’s Fun Being a Girl Again
So, I’m in the check-out aisle at Publix and spot a fashion magazine and begin to browse while the fellows in front of me unload their cart of copious amounts of booze and Count Chocula cereal (I’m in a resort town and do not judge). This August issue has both summer fashion and highlights of what’s trendy for Fall – double bonus! OK … I’m an older gal, I don’t live in a big city, and I’m no longer in the corporate world, but I do love to keep up on current trends. I’ll never submit to stuffy pantsuits or short grey hair and no make-up – too vain – no … too self-conscious and refuse to get old – hell – I’m a Baby Boomer – I broke ground burning bras – why stop now?
Inspired by beautiful Melania’s cool dress in Poland, I pour a glass of wine and hit the porch to scan the new styles for summer and what’s coming. I didn’t get far. OMG! Why does Chanel and others keep running ads of two women closely embracing, this one with boobs hanging out of her fall sweater? Michael Kors ads have improved. His models don’t look like they’re on death row and the clothes are actually flattering – instead of concentration camp chic – improvement.
New Loreal Paris Hair color Products – hmmm … pink, purple, peach and teal …”lumagrothe is modeling the teal, Natasha has mermaid hair … moving on. Maybelline’s new SuperStay Ink Matte lip color. I’ve seen this dark blood red, black or purple on several spokespersons from the Democratic Party on TV – they look like vampires … moving on.
Why do all the eyebrow ads make women look evil? What’s wrong with natural? So I get to the True Match makeup ad, again by Loreal – they must spend a fortune – It’s a “powder that stays true to you.” Apparently it blends with your natural color – except there’s a guy in the ad. I guess C8 is a color match for him … ugh. Moving on.
I’ve barely creased the cover. There’s a pair of ripped up patched “re-done” frayed jeans for $314, and thigh-high crystal embellished boots for … price upon request. A lovely tiger bracelet caught my eye with gold, emeralds and onyx goes for only $31,600. It’s Cartier, so get over it! Pretty feminine floral dresses for summer and … Hold on. I have to get the microwavable Chicken Tikki Marsala and Stouffer’s Meat Lover’s Lasagna out of the oven and fix my husband a LimeRita – I worked today so no mood to cook … I’ll be right back.
Where was I? Good news! Fashion is pretty again. Fall is showing paper bag waist-pants, the baggy waist-high style of 1940s glamour starlets, Fair Aisle Sweaters reminiscent of 1950s Colorado ski slopes sipping a cognac by a roaring fire, ’70s slouchy suede boots. Ok – we can’t escape the ’70s but I can dig it! Does anyone still say that? Help me out here @rightangles!
Old is new again – blue reflective aviator sunglasses, bare face with a rosy “natural” blush from an off color joke (ok – that’s a stretch), pink lip color like you just bit into a fresh cherry, adventure, mystery, uneven eyebrows, think Lauren Bacall … or … the old Banana Republic with the cargo pants, cabbage rose print vest – a personal favorite, the old Jeep in the store and the fake dog, where you could imagine yourself heading to exotic Africa on a non-violent, non-lion killing safari, before they became metrosexual Euro-trash boring club clothes.
Fall Fashion 2017 is Amelia Earhart – herringbone tweed, distressed leather jacket, soft white blouses with a tie – finally – no more ghouls – women look like women again – thank you Melania and Ivanka! Ok – throw Donald a bone – New fashion trend …The American flag pin – no global G20 pins here … that look like the symbol from Star Trek. Make a statement! It’s ok to be patriotic again! One more thing @rightangles … Tell me that damn anti-wrinkle cream brand or else! Here’s to Making Women Look Great again!
Published in General
.Hold on. I have to get the microwavable Chicken Tikki Marsala and Stouffer’s Meat Lover’s Lasagna out of the oven and fix my husband a LimeRita – I worked today so no mood to cook…I’ll be right back.
OMG You are so funny! Unfortunately, the best wrinkle cream is don’t smoke, don’t drink, and don’t go out in the sun. Ha. Walking the dog. Be right back. What a fun thread
there’s a group for this (so the fun doesn’t have to end when the post gets pushed to page 2)!
Okay I’m back. I’ve seen some lamentable looks as well as some hopeful signs. First the bad news – this terrible look by Phoebe Philo for Céline – the model looks like she wants to throttle Phoebe:
But also, one new must-have for 2017 is a lace blouse:
Or a lace dress:
Of course it can be hard to wear lace without looking like a tablecloth, but I myself own a lace top that I liked so much I got it in three different colors.
I think Melania will have a very good impact on style.
What a fun read: thank you!
Melania with a lace hem:
Melanie looks great in below the knee dresses and suits. Everything doesn’t have to be tight and above the knee to be sexy . But I’m sure she looks great in those also.
The top picture is a great idea in a pinch – put your husband or boyfriend’s shirt on backwards, pair with a skirt and go! Thanks Celine! (maybe go back to singing in Vegas?)
Melania would make a burlap sack and horse feed bag hat look good!
I was just in Tokyo and saw lots of palazzo pants, which–I’ll admit–I really like. That’s the 70s, right? (They can definitely be kind for certain shapes like mine, so I was… YES.)
I’ve always loved lace, so I think it’s awesome that’s a “thing” again.
When looking at that blue monstrosity by Phoebe, I wonder why fashion runways are often home to the absurd rather than the wearable. Even Melania would have a hard time pulling that one off, though she probably wore things like that when she was a model.
Thanks, FSC. This was really fun! It was like trying to decipher a foreign language for me. I defer to you and @rightangles to make the fashion critiques. It’s all a mystery to me!
This First Lady really has made clothes and dressing up lighthearted and fun again. I don’t know why she so much has that effect on me but she does. There’s almost a feeling of recovered memory in the effect she has.
You are not supposed to notice those runway “models”, just the apparel. Well, I do, and they are disgusting. They always frown, and they get some of the most horrible accessories too. Maybe it would be less expensive to put the clothes on robots, and program them how to walk down the runway and back, then all you’d see would be the clothes.
I have never been much of a fashionista. I don’t wear any makeup (and at 68 I have almost no wrinkles), and most of my clothes would have been in fashion 20 years ago, and still are today.
@rightangles didn’t really frown in her modeling days – but she made staring look great! You are right – I guess they’re told to look blank so you’ll look at clothes?
I saw that ad too. My immediate reaction? First I laughed, then I started thinking about whiskers and shaving — and powder? Then the ad just seemed more silly. As you said, moving on.
The classics never die! And I’ve only seen you in pictures, but it’s obvious you have really good skin.
I’m kind of hoping for the return of cargo pants. I love cargo pants. I wear them for work, of course, only they’re called BDUs or FDUs. Fabulous with boots and body armor. or a simple, elegant Personal Floatation Device…
At home, I’m partial to what my husband calls Nun Clothes. Take that anyway you like.
I have oily skin, never sunbathe, never smoked. My mother, on the other hand, was a heavy smoker and tanner, and her wrinkles rivaled the Grand Canyon.
The one fashion item I want and can never find is a simple wool or corduroy blazer, like the ubiquitous men’s sport-jacket. Why don’t more manufacturers make these for women in the same variety of color and fabric? When you can find them, they are limited in size and color.
You might not be far off from a nun (compliment) but care to elaborate??! I love cargo pants too – the ones that zip off to make shorts.
It’s true you’re only supposed to notice the clothes. On a set, the model is like a chair. They talk about you in the third person as if you weren’t even there. “Look how big her feet are, can’t we hide them?” etc. And they call our shoulders “hangers.” As to the facial expressions on a runway, I didn’t do much of that (it doesn’t pay very well), but on the big-time runways of Paris and Milan, I think it’s just some kind of thing that’s supposed to be cool. I think they’re shooting for nonchalant, but some of them just convey anger or hostility.
I like that………..sit up straight – your hangers are slouching……
I’m actually a big fan of the lace look as well as the random-cutouts look.
Every picture I see of her, she just radiates sophistication.
I love this thread! Back later with my list of fashion favorites. Melanie and Ivanka are both magnificent and fashionable.
Melania
You were saying something?
It’s not “Melanie;” it’s Melania with an ‘a’
I went to Nordstrom a couple of weeks ago in search of something sophisticated and up-to-the-minute to wear to a special dinner. What a disappointment it was to discover mannequins adorned in jeans covered in holes or wearing leggings with tops I could have worn when pregnant years ago. In fact, most of the things I saw looked like something you could expect to see on some homeless woman or a teenager trying to look trendy. A very small area in the store had beautiful, classic clothes. It’s no wonder Nordstrom is in trouble.
I’ll bet Melania will make elegant trendy again instead of street grunge?
You know, for a thread that starts out with bra burning and boobs spilling out of sweaters, I’d not have expected to be the first guy to post.
And since we’re on the subject of bra burning, did anyone ever file an environmental impact statement on that? All that burning rubber can’t be good for the air and it definitely raises the temperature in the room.
If Melania and Ivanka between them can influence fashion to get rid of the faded, ripped, holey jeans, I will be forever grateful. This fad has vastly overstayed its welcome, if it ever had one. Why on earth would anyone want to go around intentionally looking like what my grandmother would term a “ragamuffin”? I keep complaining about them to anyone who will listen at women’s clothing stores. Surely I’m not the only one.
I doubt that the very elegant Melania and Ivanka would ever wear ripped, holey jeans.