Fashion Island

[Pooka]

Seen any outrageous styles lately? Any cross-country or cultural differences? Wish they'd do without certain clothing items in fashion magazines? *

Rants and raves about fashion...




* Men, that question does not beckon a smarta*se answer.

[Crusoe]

I’m not sure that you were really after song lyrics, but here are some of Billy Bragg’s, anyway:-

The busy girl buys beauty
The pretty girl buys style
And the simple girl buys
What she's told to buy
And sees her world
Through the brightly lit eyes
Of the glossy romance of fashion
Where she can learn...
Top tips for the gas cook
Successful secrets of a sexual kind
The daily drill for beautiful hair
And the truth about pain

What was Anna Ford wearing?
What did Angela Rippon say?
What will you do
When you wake up one morning
To find that God's made you plain
In a beautiful person's world?
And all those quick recipes
Have let you down
And you're 20½ and not yet engaged
Will you go look for the boy who says
I love you let's get married and have kids

The busy girl buys beauty
The pretty girl buys style
And the simple girl buys
What she's told to buy
Through the brightly lit eyes
Of the glossy romance of fashion
Where she can learn...
Top tips for the gas cook
Successful secrets of a sexual kind
The daily drill for beautiful hair
In a mail order paradise...



Seen any outrageous styles? How about this:-

puka said:

Wish they'd do without certain clothing items in fashion magazines? *
* Men, that question does not beckon a smarta*se answer.

Shame. Not that it matters. “Playboy” is a fashion magazine, isn’t it?

[Nurse Duckett]

I don't read magazines Pooks, but here's some fashions which seem absolutely too too dreadful for words dahling.



and

[Pooka]

Alright, those jeans/overalls... we get that in the States as well. Those suede lambskin boots? Well, the right gals can pull that off sometimes. I can't! The sandals are widely-used in the States. And, is that a tiger wearing trousers?



I certainly notice quite a cross-country difference between the US and the UK. In the UK, it seems people are either overly outrageous (glitter, sequins, half-a-skirt, hot pink fluff-trimmed socks), or they're very nicely/casually or professionally-dressed. In the US, you find mixtures on all levels. There's a lot of style in the UK, and for the most part, it's done well.

I certainly like the sporty-European look. Some people pull that off nicely. But what I cannot get over is how 'cute' schoolkids dress... the boys wear ties! You'd never find that in the States.

[Pooka]

webb said:

I’m not sure that you were really after song lyrics...

Very much enjoyed the lyrics! And I think Playboy can be a fashion magazine for women. I don't think too many men would be looking to buy any of the skimpy ensembles in there...

... at least I'd hope!


I surely cannot bragg too much about US styles, L.A. in particular. You find many folks walking the rhodes wearing white 'trainers' and jeans, which are either too small or too big. (Sizes are for a reason, you know.)


Oh, and if Playboy is a fashion magazine for women, it's an expensive one. Amazing how much a small triangle or two of material costs.

[Nurse Duckett]

puka said:

And, is that a tiger wearing trousers?

Nah. It was some Conservative politician making a speech. Her shoes got her into the papers next day, not the speech. Tells you all you need to know really.

But what I cannot get over is how 'cute' schoolkids dress... the boys wear ties! You'd never find that in the States.

Which schools you been looking at, Doll? Proper schools still enforce the uniform code here as I'm sure they do in the US? (somehow?)

School uniforms Good. Slummocking around in baggy jeans and exposed midriffs instead of school uniforms Bad. IMHO. But no doubt I'm very old fashioned on this one.

[Pooka]

nurseduckett said:

Her shoes got her into the papers next day, not the speech. Tells you all you need to know really.

Oh my... how very sad!

Which schools you been looking at, Doll? Proper schools still enforce the uniform code here...

Don't know if I could tell you the name of the school in particular - I simply recognize that they're schoolkids.

... as I'm sure they do in the US? (somehow?)

School uniforms Good. Slummocking around in baggy jeans and exposed midriffs instead of school uniforms Bad. IMHO. But no doubt I'm very old fashioned on this one.

Yes, uniforms are a very good thing, and they are required in the States at most 'private' schools. They just seem simpler, I guess? At my elementary school, girls wore a blue plaid skirt or jumper and a white blouse. The boys wore a light blue uniform shirt with navy blue trousers.

Then in high school, the girls were required to wear a solid-coloured, pleated uniform skirt or trouser and any colour button-up blouse of their choosing; it had to have at least three buttons, but the styles varied tremendously.

What's the sense on calling them uniforms in that case?

[Captain Nudnick]

Ugg boots are well named... Ugg-lee! Sandals are OK, so long as they are worn without socks.
I had to wear school uniform in the forties, and came to loathe it... What are they trying to do? Stamp out little clones?

[Nurse Duckett]

Well here's a few arguments in favour of school uniforms.

They stop any competitiveness among the pupils about who has the most "fashionable" kit. Those from poorer households with many children probably cannot afford to keep up.

It saves the children wondering what to wear each school day morning.

It saves their leisure clothing for just that.

It identifies which school they attend, when outside.

There are probably more: what are the arguments against?

[Captain Nudnick]

Any kid at my schools who showed the slightest interest in 'fashion' would have been duffed up a treat... As to wondering what to wear... why give them a choice?

I thinkh the most hated article was the cap - and the poor pupils at our sister girls school had a juliet cap with a tassel - forever being pulled (the tassel) by the lads...

Quite a nice badge, though...

[Billy Oldfield]

Rants and Raves? Always study the collars (high neckline etc) with blouses and dresses. My best friend is an ex-airline hostess, stunningly beautiful - and obsessed with fashion!! She bought a dress once with a huge petal-like collar (hee-hee looked like that outfit worn by Peter Gabriel when he was with Genesis!) and really did look the bees knees in it. Colour (color) is also something that I love and I like it (in a female) when the colour of clothing enhances the hair (and vice-versa). Sheila – my best friend – is a natural blonde and she bought a honey coloured tweed jacket from Oxfam about a year ago and it suited her perfectly. Love studying coats on females and I think it’s one of those items that it’s worth paying a good price for. As a kid – about 11 or twelve – I thought mini skirts were out of this world, but I suspect that was just a case of awakening evolutionary forces. I loved both the midi and maxi skirt and I like skirts that flow, coupled with appealing colours (blue/greens etc). Black is a colour that I also like – a female wearing a black suit in the working environment does stand out. I went out with a female on a blind date once and she was wearing an expensive ‘little black dress’ and it really was a dress that one couldn’t take one’s eyes off.

Concerning shoes, I hated the clumpy/platform shoes of the 70s/80’s and prefer medium sized heels, red being my favourite colour. However I love it when a female can carry it off wearing white high heels! My late mother used to hit the roof if she saw a woman wearing white stilettos and would inevitably write her off as ‘common’. Woman’s Hour presented a feature about 18 months ago concerning shoes with adjustable heels, but I don’t know if they’re gaining popularity. I don’t understand women who wear boots (the long ones) during relatively mild weather. A couple of women I know do this and also tuck their trousers down the side of the boots. It looks quite nice, but can’t be comfortable.

I think trousers have been an absolute revolution for women, especially in the working environment. Female bus conductors used to be very common when I was a child and it must have been painful in the extreme wearing a skirt on a bus with an open platform on a cold winters day. I think trousers should be worn for comfort, so no preference here, although I didn’t like the Bay City Rollers style with the short leg lengths. I also don’t like really tight jeans that couldn’t possibly be comfortable.

Love hats, but not enough time/room to write about this issue! Not sure, though, about baseball caps. Most men look silly in them, but I have seen a few women who look most attractive in them.

Nursie’s comment about exposed midriffs interested me, because it’s a subject that we discuss quite a lot on the shopfloor of the factory in which I work. One of the females always has an exposed midriff and she admits that she does this because she wants the males to look at her. However she is a very keen runner and swimmer and does possess a very flat stomach, so it does tend to be eye catching. Strangely, I find the belts that she wears more interesting and I always study these.

On male fashion, I’m not really fashionable and don’t own either a suit or tie. IMO, there’s nothing worse than observing a male wearing a dirty old suit, coupled with horrible greasy hair! I’m a veggie, so have to spend quite a lot of money on veggie friendly shoes. Own some very expensive pullovers and an expensive coat if I happen to be in an environment where my duffle coat wouldn’t be regarded as acceptable (hee-hee!!). I think Jon Snow wears extremely colourful and appealing ties.

Like other contributors here, I also had to wear school uniform. The only resentment I had was having to wear knitted trousers, with knitted braces (suspenders) when I was 4. I liked the challenge of brinkmanship in respect of violating the uniform regulations – wearing one’s V-neck pullover back-to-front or not threading the tie through the final knot of one’s tie. Wearing the school scarf in Bob Dylan style was also really cool and annoyed the teachers. Not too keen on school caps either, so would wear mine either back-to-front or with the peak bent up like a jockey. Girls were really lucky with their headgear, because some of it looked really cool – tassels etc School bag fashion was also important.

P.S. Forgot to mention the fab. hats that air hosties are wearing these days. I also love their little trucks that they tow around the airports.

[Captain Nudnick]

One of the females always has an exposed midriff and she admits that she does this because she wants the males to look at her.

Why does she think that will work?

In my darker moments I attribute the breakdown of my second marriage to my wife's continual wearing of slacks*... with legs like hers it was a crime against nature... ex-Tiller girl, show dancer at the Talk of the Town and many another low West End dive...

Still, at least no tattoos, and no piercings, then at any rate.

*Only a contributory factor, really...

[Pooka]

Mr. Oldfield, I certainly enjoyed your contribution on fashion! I must agree with you on most every point. I think black is a great colour (if it's considered one) and sharpens up just about anyone's look, both male and female. But the styles must be chosen right, otherwise you might be mistaken for a gothic underground worshipper or something of that sort.

I also appreciated your comments on comfort. It's true, that some trousers are more comfortable than some skirts. I mean, those pencil skirts that give your feet hardly 6 inches of stride, they're not the most comfortable. (Neither are stiff and tight jeans, you're right.) Perhaps that's why skirts have become shorter, to allow for normal strides? I don't think skirts that are too short look good. I prefer longer, more flowing skirts myself; the looser fit seems more elegant.

I agree that men look a bit funny in baseball caps, but it's very commonplace in the States. And women who pull off wearing hats, hats off to 'em! Scarves happen to be a favourite of mine, and they can become addicting to wear and fun to colour-coordinate! Oh, and speaking of which, I like the mention of hair vs. dress colour. Amazing you take note to so many little details, which many men do not notice. Very much enjoyed, Mr. Billy!



Midriffs... he he. Well, I guess I don't necessarily appreciate women beckoning the attention of men by their dress, but most I've seen is done 'sleazily' anyway. Captain, interesting point about your ex-wife. But isn't it odd, having other men staring at your 'gal' because of how she's dressed? Well, I wouldn't know, but...

[lil tiger]

This thread has been most revealing.

Pooka, men are strange beasts! But no more so than our own gender.

[Captain Nudnick]

puka said:

Captain, interesting point about your ex-wife. But isn't it odd, having other men staring at your 'gal' because of how she's dressed? Well, I wouldn't know, but...

Not at all! Very pleasurable...

I've never understood the 'are you lookin' at my bird?' thing... if you have a good-looking 'gal' then the more men look at her the more puffed up my chest becomes. Talking in the past tense here, of course... Besides, when you are accustomed to being surrounded by the girls in the show in various stages of deshabillé you don't really notice such things.