Posts Tagged ‘underwear inspired’
Whilst some would argue that underwear belongs underneath your clothes and not on show, there has, over the last decade, been a constant theme of underwear inspired clothes that are both delicate, feminine and sexy. Back in the nineties, Jean Paul Gaultier designer that cone bra for Madonna for her Blond Ambition tour. There were various other designs by Jean Paul Gaultier and many others which were inspired by lingerie including Calvin Klein’s delicate and minimalist slip dresses. Since 2008, these underwear inspired pieces have been beginning to make a come back with corsets, big knickers (worn as shorts) and delicate lacy camisole dresses being key features.
For spring summer 2010, there were plenty of catwalk collections joining in with this trend. At Bottega Veneta, a cream bustier with white edging along the seams, worn with cream cropped trousers and a cardigan. At John Paul Gaultier, Dolce & Gabbana and Dior corsets were all teamed with silky and Lacy lingerie pieces. At Chistopher Kane sheer layers revealed white bras and at Just Cavalli a pink satin bra was layered over a mesh vest. At Marc Jacobs a blue satin bra worn over the top of a jacket with a pair of knicker like shorts and a Loewe, a bright orange bra was worn with a neutral skirt and coat. Vintage lingerie was also a key inspiration at many of the shows with plenty of lace and nude, neutral tones.
There is no doubt about it the underwear trend is a bit risque and is designed to catch peoples attention and push boundaries. It is also very desirable in many ways including the way that it can enhance the shape and is very delicate and feminine. There are two main threads to this trend, the very fitted corset and bra style of clothes and the looser more romantic camisole and slip styles.
Whilst you may be thinking to yourself, there is no way that I would go outside the house with my undies on show, there are ways to wear this trend that don’t look trashy or cheap. Evening wear for example often has some corset shape to it. You can sometimes find very gorgeous camisole tops that are just too beautiful to wear underneath your clothes and would look great as everyday tops worn with jeans or under a suit jacket. There are also plenty of lace embellished camisole and vest tops that have the feel of a beautiful piece of lingerie but are not too revealing.
A few simple pieces of advice when wearing underwear as outerwear or underwear inspired pieces:
- Avoid see through clothes. This does not leave anything to the imagination!
- If a piece looks too much (or too little) on its own, try layering it under a shirt, jacket or over blouse.
- select what you wear carefully, it should be subtle, pretty and feminine rather than full on sexy.
- If in doubt, have a good look in the mirror or ask a friend to assess if it is suitable and tasteful.
- You can often get away with underwear inspired pieces more in the evening than daytime.
This spring and summer there will be two very strong but contrasting trends. Bold, bright and busy including all of those tribal, floral and abstract prints sometimes all mixed together in clashing eclectic outfits. On the other hand there is an abundance of minimalist, neutral and pastel shades for spring. Which ever camp you fall into there is plenty of choice in all sorts of different styles to suit all shapes and sizes. Perhaps you will follow both trends by mixing some of the seasons neutrals with some full on patterns.
This seasons neutrals come in a variety of hues ranging from white, cream and beige to warmer pink, peach and rose tones. There is also a great palette of cool pastels to choose from. Ice Cream, sherbet or candy colours are all great descriptions of these colours. They are sweet but not sickly sweet. Cute but not too cute. Perfect for those who want to look feminine but in a sophisticated way.
You can take inspiration from how these neutral and pastel tones were worn on the catwalk. There were plenty of both military and safari influences with crisply tailored jacketsin shades of beige, camel and stone. From Celine to Oscar De La Renta safari shorts, utility trousers and tailored jackets were all hot looks.
At Jil Sander, the master of minimalism clean lines and tailoring in unbleached shades of hessian and hemp had unfinished edges for a raw, earthy feel. At Chanel the neutral colours were balanced by textured fabrics in classic Chanel style.
From Calvin Klein to Dior, Versace and Tommy Hilfiger to name but a few there were sheer and floaty creations in sugary pastel shades. Baby blues, pastel pinks, pale yellow, spearmint and lilacs all gave a very sweet and feminine feel which was balance by thigh skimming skirts and splits. There were also plenty of frothy and frou frou dresses in shades of cream, white and rose. The swirls of ruffle and tiers of pleats seen at the catwalk shows of Valentino, Gianfranco Ferre, Roksanda Ilincic, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Fendi and Chloe (the list goes on) were as romantic and feminine as it gets but carefully balanced by their neutral colours for a fairytale frock heaven.
Then there were the underwear inspirations. Flesh coloured and cream corsets were very visible at Bottega Veneta, Dolce and Gabbana, John Paul Gaultier, Louise Goldin and Just Cavalli. Wearing ones underwear on the outside seems to be all the rage. But if this look is too much for you a delicate satin camisole or corset top worn with a jacket is a far more wearable way to work this trend.
Finally, we couldn’t talk about neutrals without mentioning the ever popular trench or rain coatsas seen on the catwalks for spring and summer at Charles Anastase, Pringle, Burberry Prorsum, Sportsmax, Dior and Marc by Marc Jacobs. Each version had its own slightly different features. The Burberry Prorsum mini trench worn with a short skirt and socks and sandals may well be one of the biggest looks for the summer.
A great way to wear this trend for a really relaxed look is to combine neutral stone and beige tones with pastel and baby blues and tan leather accessories. Most of us will look good in some sort of neutral, but you may need to try a few before finding the perfect shade to suit your skin tone.