Fashionista Files
FLORALS 2021- THE SPRING MUST-HAVES
(Full on resisting urge to drop a Miranda Priestly reference)…Although florals aren’t so groundbreaking for spring, (oop did it) there’s nothing like the fresh look of gorgeous flowery blossoms after a particularly brutal winter, be it in a box on the windowsill or adorning your True Fashionista spring wardrobe. Let’s take a quick look at what’s hot in florals for 2021, as we more than figuratively emerge from our cocoons, ready to take on the world. Floral fashion trends this spring are leaning toward boho-style prints in pink and pastel colors or dark and understated, reports Eve Dawes for fashion site GlamourandGains.com.
FOCUS ON CLASSICS
Trends come and go, but classics stay forever. You’ve heard it, you know it, you live it. However, just in case you’ve been questioning your collection and what remains on the floor post-purge for eventual designer consignment (shameless self-promotion moment, and proud of it), we’ll help with a refresher on some True Fashionista must-haves that have only grown finer with time. Having a knowledge of which items have the highest resale value is a must, as well as the ability to recognize the fickle nature of trends and the importance of investing in solid, trusted pieces to round out your collection. Here is a solid checklist from which to start:
CAPES – A SPRING THING
This spring, designers are bringing to the forefront that trusty fashion piece that has remained a True Fashionistastaple through the centuries: the cape. Thanks in no small part to the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, capes are once again fully on the radar, appearing all over the recent Paris digital Spring 2021 Fashion Week runways. Today’s designers, however, have been flexing their creative muscle, and their modern cape creations are a far cry from the simple shoulder-hugging garment of days of yore, least of all the ones worn by fictitious superheroes.
DO WINTER FABRICS MATTER ANYMORE?
We Floridians ask ourselves questions like the following on a regular basis: Is it really that important to hold onto that True Fashionista Balenciaga wool sweater we bought a couple years ago, wore twice and stored away for the next time temps dip down to the frigid 60s? Those up north, however, face a deeper set of seasonal wardrobe rules that include the infamous “no white after Labor Day” deal.
DOWNSIZING YOUR KITCHEN
It’s the new year and fresh beginnings mean taking a good, hard look at the most frequented room in the house for a do-over. No, not the bathroom, silly. Time to dig through your kitchen and decide which might be the most True Fashionistathings to keep, then sell the rest at your local luxury home consignment store (hint, smile and bow). Whether or not you choose to use the Marie Kondo method of dumping everything on the floor for this particular project is up to you.
BACK INTO BLACK FOR SPRING
The endearing color of cool is poised to maintain right into spring. Granted, black is as True Fashionista a color as ever. However, in the face of our ongoing pandemic situation, emphasis on black makes that statement of commitment toward the fight that continues in the US and worldwide.
REMEMBERING PIERRE CARDIN
French designer and household name Pierre Cardin passed away December 29, 2020 at age 98. We pause to give reverence to a True Fashionista visionary in men’s and women’s fashion whose decades-long career had many notable successes. He pioneered the now common practice of designer licensing by putting his name not just on his ready-to-wear clothes but also on luggage, carpets, kitchen appliances, watches, sunglasses and much more. He was also the first French designer to create a ready-to-wear line of clothing rather than custom-order clothing in 1954. A decade later he became the first women’s designer to launch a collection for men with his famous necktie, eventually expanding to a full line. Cardin was also the first French couturier to break into the Asian and Soviet fashion markets, staging the first French couture fashion show in Beijing in 1979.
WHAT TO FLUSH FROM YOUR FASHION RADAR IN 2021
Yes, we know you’re hardly going out and there’s not really anything going on at the moment STILL. However, we choose to look on the positive side knowing there’s better to come, so you might as well be ready to emerge from your proverbial curfew cocoon bedecked in the latest styles. In other words, it’s time to ditch what’s SO 2020 in order to present your best True Fashionista looks for the New Year. Don’t forget your matching face mask (cue eyeroll).
HISTORY OF DIANA VREELAND
We just love our True Fashionista cultural icons. Let’s see what Wikipedia knows first about Diana Vreeland. A creative force at both Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, Vreeland built a reputation as an accurate forecaster of The Next Big Thing for a good chunk of the 20th century before capping her career as special consultant to the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER
You know you own one. You’ve Konmari’d your closet, probably more than once over the last few months, retrieving the spark-inducing items from the floor. As you held this particular item to decide, warm memories of gingerbread-filled holiday get-togethers at Grandma’s house enticed you to once again store it away for next season. Yes, we’re talking about the infamous Ugly Christmas Sweater. But is there a way to rock it in proper True Fashionista style?