Forms of Flattery
What ever happened to pretty clothes? It seems a silly question, but women are asking it--seriously. After years of designer labels inspired by street fashions--from oversize hip-hop jeans to grunge wear tied up in plaid flannel shirts--tracking down a foolproof, flattering outfit may be the hardest thing to do.
“Even I can’t find anything,” says California designer Elliette Ellis, who makes special occasion dresses under her Miss Elliette label. “Most women are dying to buy something new, and they have the money. But they’re frustrated because they don’t see anything beautiful that they really want to own.”
Ellis, who started her business in 1947, adds: “I’m from the old school. To me, pretty means soft, flowing clothes, not hard leather with nailheads, and not denim.”
A lot of women in their 30s and 40s might well agree. Just because they may have the body to dress like a 22-year-old doesn’t mean they have a mind to. Waifish dresses that look like lingerie and “baby” T-shirts that bare everything from midriff to hips aren’t exactly what a mother of three might want to wear to the market.
Yet, women who wish for something more flattering could have a problem. It’s been so long since anybody even mentioned pretty in relation to clothes, it’s hard to say what pretty clothes means.
One thing is certain: It doesn’t mean what it once did. Think of the women who set the standard, back when pretty got more respect. It wasn’t that long ago. For Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner, pretty meant waist-squeezing dresses, stockings and high heels, girdles, full slips, short white gloves.
“Most women today want to be less done-up,” notes fashion director Denise C. Scher of the California Mart. “Maybe their interpretation of pretty is simplified. It doesn’t necessarily mean fluff.”
As part of her job, Scher coordinates fashion shows that capture the California style. She says contemporary California designers known for their feminine collections rely on two key ingredients: relaxed shapes and soft colors.
Los Angeles designer David Dart says Calvin Klein set the modern standard with unusual colors and clean shapes. “Color has changed the definition of pretty. Casual is important. Anything contrived isn’t pretty.”
Among famous examples of classically pretty women, Sharon Stone and Michelle Pfeiffer stand out because they dress the part. And they make it modern. Pfeiffer practically lives in pastel Giorgio Armani pantsuits and flat-heel shoes. Stone has a closet filled with Valentino evening dresses. No ruffles; she wears graceful, fluid shapes.
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The dearth of pretty has to do with a long forgotten fact. As women began steaming toward the top in the business world, they often decided that dressing pretty didn’t work in their favor. That was the ‘70s and ‘80s, but the thinking still holds. “Women in business don’t want to be considered pretty--they want to be seen as competent,” says Joan Kaner, fashion director of Neiman Marcus. Particularly among younger women, she finds, “pretty isn’t uppermost in their minds.”
What is?
“Getting ahead.”
In other words, updating the idea of how to dress pretty requires getting past the days when fewer working women aimed at the executive heights. Most women have figured it out: Dressing like a man doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the respect a man gets.
If soft shapes and soft colors are the winning combination now, fabric can only help get the message across. Fluid chiffon, silk crepe and wool jersey are most designers’ top choices for pretty clothing. Floral prints, brocades and glimmering satins also achieve the look. Their built-in softness contradicts the thicker, harder-finished menswear fabrics so prevalent in women’s fashion for the past 10 years.
Fabrics are the real foundation of dressing pretty, Shauna Stein says. In her Los Angeles boutique, she carries designer labels along with her own small collection. Stein’s spring line features pastel-print chiffon dresses and shirts, as well as skirts with lace insets.
“I started my store with pretty clothes as my concept,” she says. “I find you can pull a pretty look together, no matter what’s out there.” The latest trends haven’t made it easy, she admits: “Sporty clothes don’t fit into the pretty category. And tractor-tread shoes kill the look.”
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No matter where the fads and trends take fashion, women can always count on certain items if dressing pretty is the goal.
Stein offers jackets and suits in curvaceous shapes, and bias-cut skirts that wrap the body and flare at the hem, for a flow not found in straight cuts. Mixing a structured suit with a soft blouse or a delicate shoe can redirect a wardrobe, from harder-edged chic toward flat-out feminine. “Just one item can make an outfit pretty,” Stein says.
We aren’t headed back toward dressing the way Grace and Ava did. “But I do think we’re going back to femininity,” Kaner says. “And feminine emphasizes all of a women’s positives.”
Isn’t that what it’s really all about?
