Taking It Easy
A still from Let The Right One In? No, not quite.
Spring/Summer 2011
A sense of nonchalance and ease in the clothing one is wearing is often cited as a prerequisite for that most confusing of terms, "good style". I for one have never been comfortable with such a description, for I believe it is more important to be happy in what you are wearing, regardless of whether it is done so with a visual sense of nonchalance or carefully thought out detail. Yet the idea of being physically comfortable in your clothing interests me. The mantra that you need to suffer for fashion, for example, has always puzzled me, for it seems to be directed most often to people who are pushed into discomfort above and beyond what they would normally be willing to endure for the sake of looking good.
I think feeling physically comfortable is important, for the less one is aware of garments pulling here or pinching there, that is to say, the more natural ones clothing feels against the body, the better one tends to look. Whether it be through wearing a sweater of soft cashmere, or a highly constructed jacket that works well against your body, feeling comfortable is not necessarily translatable into a standardized visual aesthetic. There is no monolithic design for the creation of comfortable clothing. However, looking at a collection such as this Spring 2011 collection from Endovanera, the impression I get is one of physical comfort. It is most certainly an aesthetic which speaks to that physicality, with the soft and worn fabrics, the gentle drapery, and the wide and easy silhouettes.
I think the androgyny of the pieces also lends itself to the feeling of ease and comfort. It is not a forced or highly structured sense of androgyny, as can often be the case, but rather a highly romantic vision of androgyny, based around women adapting oversize menswear to their bodies. It is a vision of the couple on the morning after. This is made all the more fascinating by the fact that although menswear being oversize on a female frame tends to be taken for granted (although I have long since resigned myself to the fact that most women would probably not find my clothing all that baggy...if at all), the clothing is oversize on the men in the first place. It evokes for me the sense of wrapping up, which as you know, I am so enamored by when it comes to the colder months.
I must say that I am rather keen on the idea of playing the draped and wide silhouette of the upper against, say, a pair of knitted leggings tucked into chunky boots (indeed, as shown in one of the photographs above) - a simple play with proportion, which would make for quite an interesting visual impact. Although I do find myself rather taken by this collection, I can not quite shake the feeling that it is somewhat disjointed. There seem to be lots of elements which try to evoke a similar feeling and idea, however it does not seem so coherent in practice. A variety of ideas is by no means a bad thing, but I do feel like it could have been distilled further to make a stronger statement.
Now please do excuse me whilst I go borrow a women's oversize chunky knit cardigan to wrap up over my semi-sheer long sleeve and return to bed. Oh yes, I totally reversed the image. Once again it is about fragility and protection, that most intriguing of juxtapositions when it comes to dress.
Currently playing: The Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco
xxxx