What difference would it make in your wardrobe planning if you were able to forecast fashion trends yourself? Well, maybe you can.
According to author and wardrobe expert Suzie Woodward (who blogs at Suzie’s Haute Line), there is and has been throughout history a predictable cycle of three silhouettes and their accompanying characteristics. From her 1984 book Susie Woodward’s Wardrobe Strategy, which I picked up at a thrift store a long time ago and recently pulled out again, the three cycles are:
- Town and Country (which I am sorely tempted to rename “separates”)
- Sophisticate
- Gamin (can you say “saucy”?)
Once upon a time, a person would live his or her entire life within one of these cycles. Or generations would clash, as when Anne insisted she must have puffed sleeves and Marilla just couldn’t see it. By the 1960s, due primarily to the influence of TV, cycles had settled in to about every five years, with regional and generational variation.
Next up, according to the professional website of Suzie Woodward, now Morris, is the sophisticate cycle (see examples of the silhouette). In my mind, I think this chic shape resembles a lightning bolt more than a V or a Y. I’ve always loved it. Or at least since the late 80s.
I have to add, though, with the advent of the internet and increased globalization, it’s my opinion that we probably see every shape pretty much all the time. In other words, the cycles have blurred. Which is both a good thing (more options) and a bad thing (more confusion).
And a confession: until I found her website, I had thought we were moving from a Sophisticate cycle into Saucy.
What are you craving in the way of fresh looks?
ok, i’ll go first: bigger jewelry, fun prints, and dresses!
It’s hard for me to be tactful about Suzie’s web site, and her advice in the “How 2B Haute” section is quite, um ‘original’:
Would a denim collar on your sheer, flowered blouse make it more interesting, more wearable, “haute”?
Would an old blouse be more fun if the ruffles and cuffs were removed and sewed onto a dress you wore when you had a job?
Would last year’s jeans look “springy” if you cropped them?
If you answered “YES” to all of the above you are HAUTE!”
The above advice is intended to help women look as if their clothes are haute couture. Poor YSL must be rolling in his grave.
This is not the question you asked, but since I trawled her site I am too preoccupied to consider it.
I’m craving wear to work looks that are crisp, professional, feminine, and fun. Well-designed suits with fun/feminine details that don’t look cheap. Dresses that don’t fall into the frumpy or immodest categories. Jackets that don’t look masculine or too casual.
I’m in the market for long, sheer scarves; anything turquoise; and–maybe!–a pair of high wedge, peep-toe shoes or sandals. I passed on a pair of aqua wedges at my favorite thrift store a few weeks ago–at $7, they struck me as a little too dear–and I have been kicking myself ever since!
Duchesse – I noticed that too. *?*?* Sometimes tact is overrated. lol
Beth & Sheri – the things both of you mentioned, which resonate with me also, both fit the profile of moving into a sophisticate cycle. My brain hurts from trying to identify how the cycles fit into history. But this concept can still be useful in a “big picture” way. More on that later.
Sheri, I’ve been wondering about making scarves. Have we talked about that before? It seems like the time commitment to make one would be much less than to find it by shopping, but is there something else I’m not thinking of? I have finally started to warm up to scarves – long ones are, in my memory, the only ones that really work. I remember my mom using square ones, but I’ve never been able to.
One other thing, my hero chuckled when he read this post and I said I’d always liked the lightning bolt silhouette. It reminded him of the previous post about people who have “always loved” whatever is just becoming popular. Which made me question 1) my sincerity (which I think is genuine) and 2) why I haven’t been wearing that silhouette non-stop since. And #2 is probably related to the fact that shoulder pads have been so dreadfully out of style.
I confess, while I want to have my own individual style, I am not willing to wear stuff that’s out of style. That’s just how shallow I am. 😉
honestly, Rebecca, out of style is only avant garde. 😀 If you want to wear something out of style (and roundly mocked) then look to runway and experimental and you won’t have to wait long to spot it coming toward you.
I used to be an all-separates person but now I’m starting to want a smoother line to camouflage post-twin belly–despite having an aversion to shoulder pads I can see the advantage of emphasizing the shoulders, which are about the only body part not affected. 😉 Or maybe one-piece clothes just seem more enticing because I can’t wear them until the babies are weaned.
I used to wear small, square scarves knotted around my neck often, when I first worked in an office in the mid-90s. I have a drawer full of beautiful silk ones–bought at full price back then (shudder!)–which I hardly ever use anymore. The problem is my, ahem, increasingly MATURE neck. The little scarves just draw too much attention to that area.
I am loving long scarves lately, though. I have found four or five really great ones at thrift stores this year, and I am using them a lot. My favorites: a silk leopard print and a red silk chiffon with Italianate-looking cherubs! 🙂 I paid $1-4 for each of them.
My mother and I used to make wool scarves out of wool fabric; I gave them to many friends as Christmas gifts. We would cut an appropriate-sized strip (9×58, say), and then sew a straight row of stitching along the long edge and about one inch from each short edge, fraying up to the seams. We could get four of these out of a yard of 60″ wide wool (or we used scrap fabric).
I’m not sure about more delicate fabrics. Why don’t you try it and let us know! 🙂
Vildy – for some reason, this “cycle of silhouettes” concept makes it easier for me to imagine myself wearing something out of style with the confidence to make it avant garde. Actually, the moment I understood it (although I had read it before), I got dressed for a MOPS park day in an outfit I probably would have wanted to wear, but would have chickened out. And your comment only strengthens my confidence! 🙂
QOC – just don’t be enticed by jumpsuits. 😉
Sheri – if nothing else, they could be nice gifts! 🙂
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