June 2008

Yesterday was my mother’s birthday. (Happy Birthday Mom!) She is a lady of many talents- she can skunk you at cards, turn out a perfect meal for 30 guests and finish the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle. (She’s even been known to overnight birthday cakes- reason enough to stay on her good side!) Style wise, my mother taught me to have fun with fashion and to always keep it in perspective.

My mother tells a story about her sister, Meri, buying a used raccoon fur coat that was full of holes. Their father was horrified by the cost and condition, until Meri finally cried “But Dad, I paid extra for the holes!” So go ahead- wear the piece you think is borderline ridiculous. Fashion should have a sense of humor.

“Nipples are not appropriate for every situation.” That is a direct quote from my mother to me at 19. And she’s right. Invest in undergarments. Find a lingerie boutique or department that you like, get fitted and start developing your lingerie wardrobe. You need something nude, something black and something with convertible straps.

Proper ironing can make an inexpensive item look couture. Either have your clothes laundered or invest in a good iron. Here’s a cheater trick from my mom- if you’re going to keep your sweater or jacket on all day, you only have to iron the cuffs and collar.

Pea coats. Trench coats. Trapeze dresses. Safari chic. Pants. They are all part of Yves Saint Laurent legacy. He brought feminism, pop art and multiculturalism to fashion. He was the last of the great designers and his death on Sunday marks the official end of an era. No other designer had a long enough career to have so many renaissances. Lucky for us, his influence lives on in almost every fashion line today.

The sack dress evolved into the shift dress and St. Laurent saw the planarity of the silhouette as a perfect modern canvas for Mondrian’s geometric painting. The genius of his craftsmanship is that the dresses aren’t printed. Each color is a separate piece and the dresses are shaped through the black grid of seams.

If you have ever worn black pants to an evening event, you can thank YSL. Pants never really took off (outside weekend wear and factory work during WWII) until he debuted Le Smoking in 1966. The female tuxedo was an instant sensation, and pant suits became all the rage.

Yves Saint Laurent with Betty Catroux and Loulou de la Falaise, all in his designs, outside his new London boutique in 1969. If you open any fashion magazine you’ll see A-line skirts, safari jackets, crazy prints, platform shoes and flowing dresses. It’s all there and it’s all him.