Spring 2000 is shaping up to be the season when clothes simultaneously grow up and lighten up, and the muse of the season is unabashedly feminine. She has flair and she has strength. She’s a girl in the very best sense of the word, and the season’s blouses, skirts and small structured handbags suit her perfectly.
“This spring is less about dressing to look cool and more about dressing to look pretty,” says Jane Hamill, the Chicago designer whose self-titled boutique on Armitage Avenue has long been a haven for seekers of all things feminine.
The ladylike look is made of several classic elements, with some of them, like blouses, presented in familiar incarnations and others, such as scarves, tweaked to the point of newness.
The news is that when assembling a look, the lady makes sure everything works together as an outfit, which is the opposite of the eclectic, tossed-together ensembles of the past few seasons. This is not to say that you should strive for matchy-matchy Garanimals precision, but it is no longer a sartorial faux pas to show that you’ve put some thought into your clothes.
A knee-length skirt cut with a slight A-line is the ideal piece to build a ladylike look around. Whether you choose a seasonless wool or a feather-weight chiffon, the knee-length looks proper but has an element of flirtation to it.
Try topping your skirt with a blouse. A blouse is a very grown-up item because it glides over the body in a way that crisp white shirts and prim twinsets can’t, and it highlights womanly features like a graceful neck, a sculpted collarbone and, when cut and twisted into halter shapes, sexy shoulders. The alternative to a blouse is a trim turtleneck made of a very thin knit. Either piece gives a pulled-together look, especially when accessorized with a great shoe and bag as well as such refugees from style Siberia as scarves, belts and hosiery.
Scarves always have been the province of the well-put-together woman, but this season they have been rethought and reshaped into halters, bias-cut skirts and fun little dresses. These pieces have a breezy, tongue-in-cheek feel to them that has nothing to do with a tasteful square knotted tightly around the neck. Instead, status prints and whimsical souvenir travelscapes are the next generation of scarf chic. Think of Cate Blanchett in “The Talented Mr. Ripley” strolling across a Roman square with a scarf tied over her hair looking refined and beautiful.
Belts and nylons have been absent from the runways for so long that one is almost tempted to ignore them, but Nena Ivon, special events director for Saks Fifth Avenue, says they complete a look like few other things can.
“Dressing should be fun, so why not use all of the available options?” she says.
Some great hosiery options are nudes and sheer pinks, almost like foundation and blush for the legs. Or try layering glamorous fish-nets over sheers to create interest through pattern.
Bags seem to be in a transitional period from logo-ridden ego boosters to true status bags that are less easily recognized, but more personal, and purchased with an eye toward years of use rather than as a one-season wonder.
Look for a structured shape, with bonus points awarded if your pick can be worn over the arm in the style of the Queen Mum. More bonus points can be gained by coordinating your bag with your shoes. Don’t worry about an exact match, but it does create a very special look when they’re in the same color family or the strap on your bag picks up on something similar in your shoes.
Isaac Mizrahi said years ago that the best way to look young is to really get dressed, but fashion wasn’t quite ready for adulthood until now.
