tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post6471792194491460261..comments2024-03-16T13:04:56.689-04:00Comments on Passage des Perles: Is coordination a relic?Duchessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-87041933397653693112013-02-04T13:52:53.380-05:002013-02-04T13:52:53.380-05:00Anon@12:12: I see a difference in degree and stanc...Anon@12:12: I see a difference in degree and stance between pattern (or fabric)cmixing like Little or Koos and the first Jenna shot. <br /><br />They usually had a colourway that, if not coordinated, at least was complementary, in the pattern mix. The key technique, especially for Koos, was patchwork, and piecing is a very different mood than top-and-bottom mismatching. <br /><br />I had a major crush on those boho clothes in the 70s and early 80s, wore Koos, Little, Diane Frès, Thea Porter, all that riot-of-pattern... but would not have put a menswear striped button front shirt with those plus silk flowered pants.<br /><br />Yes, haphazard is the word- and these pieces were not made to be mixed, unlike some of the designers we remember. Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-59552930507388719722013-02-04T12:12:11.553-05:002013-02-04T12:12:11.553-05:00This mixing of very unrelated patterns does seem t...This mixing of very unrelated patterns does seem to be a new fashion, and like all new fashion it looks "wrong" to us at first. I have discovered that my eye is very slow to adjust to new looks. However, I do not think I would ever see that blue stripe shirt as harmonious with the silk pants, ever. Change one element...make the shirt match to the purple flower say; then a stripe shirt and the silk pants might be a happy if daring look. Not one I would wear, but then I am 70, and I have no desire to be seen as "mutton dressed as lamb". I would pair the silk pants with a pink silk shirt, and throw on a bright yellow scarf (since both those colors are echoed in the print) and I would feel very daring indeed. Print mixing can work, but not in the haphazard way it is being done today. Think Koos van der Low or vintage Carole Little.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-80306823152932638562013-02-04T08:10:16.735-05:002013-02-04T08:10:16.735-05:00Lisbeth:
While 17 years age difference is not a ge...Lisbeth:<br />While 17 years age difference is not a generation, I sense it is, in terms of aesthetics. My friends and I would have gently asked the girl with no earrings (but pierced ears) if she had been asleep when she got dressed.<br /><br />We were conformist even when trying to be unconventional. When we became hippie chicks we just traded uniforms. Seventeen or so years before you were reaching for irony, we would not have read your artful omission.<br /><br />Eventually some of us built that eye but when I go back to my home turf I still see the girl fairly often, now an elder, co-ordinated and usually quite coiffed.<br /><br />Eleanorjane: Sometimes I see a young woman in such a look, down to the penny loafers and cabled tights, but she is usually (in Montreal) wearing it ironically, with one of those undercut hairstyles.<br /><br /> Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-83655966210934964322013-02-04T05:31:32.123-05:002013-02-04T05:31:32.123-05:00Yup, that first outfit is a big 'no' from ...Yup, that first outfit is a big 'no' from me and I'm in my mid 30s. As you say, if the shirt picked up one of the colours in the trousers it would be fine, or was even in a complimentary colour...<br /><br />I do actually like those 60s outfits (partly because they look warm!) but you can find similar examples of matching in current outfits if you look. Eleanorjanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01126430006941758135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-1481328251953563312013-02-03T23:12:51.063-05:002013-02-03T23:12:51.063-05:00Chere Duchesse,
I'm 48.
Bisous!Chere Duchesse, <br /><br />I'm 48. <br /><br />Bisous!Lisbethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-81725723061570109162013-02-02T19:29:21.395-05:002013-02-02T19:29:21.395-05:00Lisbeth: Still, how old are you? I am willing to b...Lisbeth: Still, how old are you? I am willing to bet a deliberately chipped enamel bangle, under 40.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-77549749946142085242013-02-02T18:27:29.055-05:002013-02-02T18:27:29.055-05:00I'm charmed, Duchesse, that you seem to read a...I'm charmed, Duchesse, that you seem to read all the comments. So here's my deux centimes: J. Crew for ages has highlighted this insouciant, semi-glamourous, semi-"oh-no-I-wasn't-really-trying" look. The unbrushed, uncoiffed hair, the face that's not made up but sports a slash of intense lipstick. The lack of earrings, pierced lobes notwithstanding. <br /><br />It conveys to me a continuation of what my friend Greta called the "poor chic" style of her beloved Bennington classmates -- wrinkled, torn clothes, worn with a shiny Rolex. <br /><br />From my earliest adult years, my instinct was to "cut" a look, i.e., to omit something expected, or wear one thing of contrasting tenor. It was a mostly subconscious desire to convey confidence, to avoid looking like I'd bought into something hook, line, & sinker. My aversion was how my sorority sisters dressed, but my cautionary mental image was Julie Kavner as Rhoda Morgenstern's apprehensive sister, fretting over her bag not matching her shoes. Today, we'd say I wanted to convey irony.<br /><br />To see this ultimately reflected in J. Crew's pages was at first mystifying, and turned increasingly fun, as they moved from contrasting just pattern and color (like melon chinos with a faded navy shirt), to grafting texture, mood and level of style, as in the first Jenna pic. I bite exuberantly into the luscious peach of such freedom-in-glamour. <br /><br />For many reasons, I have never found room in my wardrobe for garments a la those glittery silk floral pants, but I find every one of the pictures you've selected fabulous. (Except for the third one of the divine Jenna. And that's probably because the skinny pants thing mystifies me.) <br /><br />Thanks for the opportunity to think this through, which has me concluding that our individual style lenses are borne not of age, but of the style influences we came from. <br />Lisbethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-25035193857490424932013-02-02T06:21:58.807-05:002013-02-02T06:21:58.807-05:00Great post. I am a fan of the current trend of pat...Great post. I am a fan of the current trend of pattern-mixing, but the best ones to me still have coordination going on, be it in colors or fabrications or styles. <br />The more extreme pattern clashing, particularly in the first photo, does not work for my mid-40s eyes. Kristenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06166689210558948213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-77320134574054345042013-01-31T12:46:20.502-05:002013-01-31T12:46:20.502-05:00sisty: The shirt is definitely striped, clearly vi...sisty: The shirt is definitely striped, clearly visible in the NYT Sunday Styles section; blame my screen shot. This is a definite "nothing matches" look.<br /><br />Anon@10:19: Thank you for the much-appreciated pearl support :)<br /><br />LPC: I see it on 20-sometings but it's a 'street' look, not business. My age bracket risks looking like the cataract surgery was unsuccessful.<br /><br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-141107451889478452013-01-31T11:01:10.024-05:002013-01-31T11:01:10.024-05:00I have done some mixing, in the past year. In prev...I have done some mixing, in the past year. In previous decades? Never. I think good is going to have its extreme points that are not so good. I've also, as you point out, gotten sick of the extremes. This approach makes for good outfit photos, however, so there's more driving the trend that how we all want to dress on the street.<br /><br />I don't see so many actual people who dress like Jenna:).LPChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18209861350905135093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-33745206131337179762013-01-31T10:19:53.262-05:002013-01-31T10:19:53.262-05:00I quite like the second outfit, and wish I had the...I quite like the second outfit, and wish I had the chutzpah, and the figure to pull it off! I am a lady approaching that certain age, and certainly appreciate all of the sage advice you dispense. I am 43, and hopefully can still pull off some "younger" looks, thanks to good genes, and a great pair of jeans! Pearls are crucial obviously, and I wear them with pretty much everything.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-59809688242114206752013-01-30T21:12:43.643-05:002013-01-30T21:12:43.643-05:00The line of Rodin's skirt echoes the grooming ...The line of Rodin's skirt echoes the grooming on her poodle's legs, which I found silly and amusing. She has skinny calves, and so do I, so I am making a mental note to wear more skirts. <br /><br />As for Jenna Lyons' first outfit, I'm in the minority, but I don't find it all that jarring. The blue shirt reads as a solid, so it looks ok to me. On the other hand, the second outfitm with the rugby stripes, is heinous.<br /><br />I'm not convinced of the conspiracy theory. Deliberate mis-matching is a style that conveys a certain free-spiritedness, but which requires pretty strict parameters to pull off. This doesn't mean you'd need to look beyond your own closet, though.sistyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09053105066815670135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-25085555790825224682013-01-30T18:08:07.061-05:002013-01-30T18:08:07.061-05:00Anon@5:48: I don't think that's a secret; ...Anon@5:48: I don't think that's a secret; anyone with the ability to check the swimsuit section sees what the target market is. The real secret was outed by Drexler recently: how much brands depend on outlet stores- which often carry merch made exclusively for those stores.<br /> His remarks are here:<br />http://blogs.ft.com/material-world/2013/01/16/j-crews-mickey-drexler-on-the-elephant-lurking-in-the-luxury-industry-room/?Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-67427611299461698932013-01-30T17:48:11.595-05:002013-01-30T17:48:11.595-05:00The reason marketing a separate line for mature wo...The reason marketing a separate line for mature women won't work is because the dirty little secret is J Crew doesn't want to be associated with the older crowd. It's the kiss of death left over from the days when people were pigeonholed into wearing certain clothes depending on their age and status in life. You would have to create a whole separate store to go along with the line and marketers still haven't clued in that older women have more money to spend. What we don't want to spend it on is cheaply made stuff and that's what most clothing is morphing to.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-80693873315062711102013-01-30T17:37:49.348-05:002013-01-30T17:37:49.348-05:00Artful: Guess you responded to the thinness and th...Artful: Guess you responded to the thinness and the poodle? Funny, I've been admiring photos of Rodin but generally find SJP overstyled. Rodin has a much more restrained aesthetic. You sound pretty cool to me! Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-4715354132052516622013-01-30T16:33:53.025-05:002013-01-30T16:33:53.025-05:00Upon third viewing, I still cannot believe that th...Upon third viewing, I still cannot believe that the last photo is Linda Rodin, and not Sarah Jessica Parker from a SATC shot, so I guess I don't really like the outfit (though props for not being as screamingly awful as the Lyons outfits). Guess I'm a 43 year old fogey. Not "matchy matchy" but also not "I am so cool that it will take you all day to figure out my cool outfit."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10207346299129996890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-86293312931610447012013-01-30T14:56:35.869-05:002013-01-30T14:56:35.869-05:00Gretchen: Pink Tartan goes to 14 but definitely a ...Gretchen: Pink Tartan goes to 14 but definitely a narrow/short 14, and why not offer a few sizes up? The clothes are classic enough to appeal to women of several generations, and well made.<br /><br />Rhiannon: You are very welcome here; it always heartens me to see younger readers @ blog written for women past 50 and their voice is an addition I appreciate. <br /><br />Rubi: Is that yardarm or keel ;) ?<br /><br />Anon: We tend to forget what the world was like before a woman in the middle of nowhere could get Italian silk flowered pants delivered to her door. <br /><br />I keep hearing that the quality is uneven but the few things I've bought bought in the past 5 yrs have been acceptable. Not disagreeing, just trying to sort out the plus and minus of JC. I do like their revival of heritage brands like Red Wing and the wedding dresses that cost hundreds, not thousands.<br /><br />Swissy: We do look at them longer, as we scratch our heads... but cannot get myself to want to try this look no matter how much nerve I could muster.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-43240511582618564282013-01-30T14:43:07.600-05:002013-01-30T14:43:07.600-05:00Really a timely post for me. I thought I might be...Really a timely post for me. I thought I might be alone. I like some pattern mixing (must be discreet and scaled-down for my smallish size), but these combos are not attractive to me. Not only the patterns, but also the colors, weight, texture and proportion seem wrong to my eye. The matchy ensembles--yes, I remember them well.Swissyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07401962870620859831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-82572826509655128982013-01-30T13:21:20.109-05:002013-01-30T13:21:20.109-05:00WAs I asleep when J Crew bcame the "go-to&quo...WAs I asleep when J Crew bcame the "go-to"in retailing. I find them woldly overpriced with amazingly poor workmanship to boot! They must be paying their PR person a ton! SInce we grey hairs have the buying power, it seems to me that it shouldn't be too long before some bright young things figure it out and design and market well made and non dowdy. And maybe as Duchesse wonders could J Crew do it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-67048940179560786112013-01-30T08:13:25.638-05:002013-01-30T08:13:25.638-05:00I lived through the "let's just get up an...I lived through the "let's just get up and get dressed in whatever" look when I first moved to Madrid in the mid-80s. (I was briefly in thrall to the Movida and sometimes stayed out so late that I had to teach my morning class not hung over but still slightly under the influence.)<br /><br />So, after that soupçon of oversharing, I'll say that I'd consider myself a harmonious dresser. Shocking for shocking's sake is, in my opinion, not the province of those of us on the far side of the yardarm. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-84149586287233580642013-01-29T23:45:14.574-05:002013-01-29T23:45:14.574-05:00I am trying without success to get the first pictu...I am trying without success to get the first picture out of my head, while chuckling over the comments! I do believe, like Deja Pseu says, that it is simply the next "thing" and really, there is no end to the terrible combinations one could make :)<br /><br />First time commenting although I have been enjoying your blog for a few weeks now.jenny_ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15475480579733466963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-89383567434963681452013-01-29T22:13:42.815-05:002013-01-29T22:13:42.815-05:00The top outfit doesn't work because of its sca...The top outfit doesn't work because of its scale, not because it doesn't coordinate. <br /><br />I'm in my early thirties and I firmly believe in coordination. Not Matchy Matchy, but a certain togetherness that conveys purposeful dressing. I'm a woman with purpose, why should I dress like my breakfast includes a bowl of oatmeal, a cup of tea and a sturdy lick off one of those psychotropic frogs?<br /><br />It's the same thing with hair that looks messy on purpose. I'm all for casually tousled, and never regretted missing out on the once a week wash-and-set but I like to carry myself with a bit more polish than a "I overslept and brushed my hair with a toaster strudel" look can afford.<br /><br />BTW, I'm new to your blog and just adore it, and not just because I'm rarely seen without pearls. Thanks for writing such fun posts.Rhiannon at After Plumcakehttp://www.afterplumcake.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-76728264051505357212013-01-29T21:12:27.296-05:002013-01-29T21:12:27.296-05:00Now that would be a brilliant marketing strategy -...Now that would be a brilliant marketing strategy - and such a nice option for those of us who are on the long side of the J Crew target. Why not something similar to Lafayette 148 or a bit of Pink Tartan, at a slightly lower price point? I'd bet they'd clean up. They could skip the ugly orange lipstick, though. No one looks good in that colour, no matter what age.Gretchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01924951632694536923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-22806297231366168212013-01-29T20:06:12.551-05:002013-01-29T20:06:12.551-05:00Gretchen: This is indeed the offer; younger women ...Gretchen: This is indeed the offer; younger women may step up but women in my age cohort pause, puzzled. We have, according to marketing studies, equal or slightly more buying power. I believe J Crew should launch or acquire a second line. They offer kids' clothes, why not a line for mature women?<br /><br />Their quality varies, but whose, apart from higher end lines like Stella McCartney's, is not?<br /><br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-59423918400548039692013-01-29T19:55:56.309-05:002013-01-29T19:55:56.309-05:00Anon@2:11: Thank you, sincerely- whoever you are-f...Anon@2:11: Thank you, sincerely- whoever you are-for transporting me to heady patchoul-scented days when I threw on whatever, usually finished by a crocheted purple tasseled shawl- in which I was eventually married. (Briefly, 1970.)<br /><br />Gauss: Agree about vast middle ground... and think as I age it contracts.<br /><br />MMeLà-Bas: Not a look for short/curvy but neither is a good deal of J Crew. Their cut is close; fit model must be an 18 yr old vegan.<br /><br />Kathy: Love the jeweled/jeans effect; you GO!<br /><br />materfamilias: Well, this IS a tempest in a teapot, and the world has many other matters to which to attend! <br /><br />JillAnn: It's thestre, no? So we might buy a piece and feel raffish even if we don't bend it like Lyons.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.com