Post-Katrina Fashion
Whoa. One enduring lesson of the devastation that was Katrina: When you want to take stock of a soul-testing national crisis, New York media is pretty much the LAST place you want to turn. Here is the New York Sun's Pia Catton, on the eve of the Big Apple's Fashion Week, mulling the pesky fashion dilemmas posed by thousands upon thousands of homeless and dead poor people:
After the chaos on the Gulf Coast, it's time for order in the world: modesty, linear shapes, and direct, womanly style. Up until last week, this fall could have been dominated by any number of the looks featured in the fall fashion magazines. But something has to guide your hand when you put together outfits or shop for new pieces. Something in the zeitgeist leads us to certain styles and away from others.
After a second look through the magazines this weekend, I found that what seems right for the moment are the black suits, classic silhouettes, and buttoned-up style. If not for the news, this look might have seemed too severe or too much of a contrast from summer's flowing skirts and bright colors. But now, out of all the various looks that designers produced and editors selected, sobriety feels right.
I dunno, I sorta think you might want to go with a sleek, burnished pillory, or stock. Or just a simple-yet-elegant balled-up sock in the mouth.-- HOLLY MARTINS
Play It Straight [New York Sun]