Me-Made-March, Day 18Wore this thing today… had a lovely lunch and a very fun time with some girlfriends… and viewed a fashion parade (think, very high end Australian designer, hint, CD…). Get this, this was a swisho lunch at a very upper-crust hotel restaurant in Perth, and the clothes were all in the category of either very very short, very tight or very midriff baring outfits (you thought my skirt was short? this dress was granny-length by comparison, believe me…). Additionally, all in the most exquisite and expensive fabrics, either heavily beaded, or embroidered, eyelet, cut-away embroidery, delicate laces, really the most exquisite array of fabrics to make a dedicated fabric lover to positively drool… and priced accordingly.
At a gathering of mostly over thirty year olds, we were all collectively wondering about the designer’s wisdom behind the continuing habit of parading such stuff to us no-longer-teens? The entire audience consisted of mature women, with taste and money.
The fashion, whilst sartorially well suited to the under 20 age group, was naturally way too expensive for that age-group. There were the aforementioned little dresses and teeny skirts and corset tops, crafted in the most exquisite beaded and gilded silks and laces… beautifully constructed and utterly lovely, but not for the likes of …well, anybody we could think of!
In fact we all agreed that the only souls in the rooms able to wear the clothes were the late teens modelling them, and only then if they had very well heeled parents, and even then we imagined the girls would only consent to wear them if they were inexplicably not into grunge-y beachwear like all their peers here.
The whole thing was kind of strange and ridiculous…
I came out and immediately donated some money to a Japanese tsunami/earthquake relief fund.
Details:
Dress; Vogue 1104, printed silk, close-up details and a review of this pattern here
Shoes; Sandler, found in an op shop
Your version of Anna Sui's sundress looks great- certainly not too young for you! My thoughts are on the people in Japan too. It's very disturbing to see these dignified, disciplined and patient people starving and cold.
Fashion is weird the way it does that – clothes that older women can afford but that only suit younger women who, yes, don't want to dress like that either. I've started to notice it even in the more expensive chain stores too – priced for women with decent incomes, designed for leggy teenagers! Luckily we can sew.
These events in Japan are tragic. I saw a woman interviewed as she looked at the ruins of the house she'd grown up in: she noted it looked more like they'd been bombed than suffered a tsunami (which they'd experienced before), and she hadn't been able to find any of her family members. She kept her emotions back but it was heart-wrenching.
Our local art gallery puts on a fashion show every year. I stopped going quite a while ago for the exact reasons you mentioned. The fashions had absolutely nothing to do with the age range and life style of the audience. At least you had a fun lunch with friends. That's worth it. Ours was sit in rows, not even free water, pay for your wine after paying for your ticket. LOL – even more discouraging.
A very lovely dress. I like a lot of Anna Sui designs, but I'm not quite sure that they're "me". I've only made one so far(appropriately lengthened, of course).
Don't you think by now these designers would get that the demographic of the population of women is older than 35 years ago and that it is this demographic that has money for fashion these days. Not the 20-somethings. Please show me a model that is my age….well, at least within relative proximity to that large number!
You look so comfortable and stunning in this beautiful silk dress.
More gorgeousness. I have no idea who that designer might be, but it sounds like you had lots of fun!
Love this dress.
Yikes, is that a jellyfish?!
Sometimes the fashion industry is strange like that – any other business would really struggle if they marketed their product in that way.
Your dress is just beautiful.
I know what you talking about, but not so rare, some ladies with too much money are simply obsessed with looking slimmer and younger. It is their only obsession …
What an excellent way to deal with the disconnect between the designers styles and the prices.
That turned out fantastic! I really want to make that dress for my daughter. I even bought a serger to do all the nice rolled hems.