The Return of "Cool" Ugly Colors

[mishalak]

My local paper proclaimed "drab is out" last week in response to the looks unveiled by designers at Fashion Week (warning, the link is somewhat slow even on DSL) showing of collections for Spring 2005. That may be overstating the trend just a tad. Also a large number of the "non-drab" colors and looks the paper featured were just plain ugly. They made it seem like it was the second coming of the colors and patterns that were popular in the late 1960s into the 1970s. Now I'm all for experimentation and men wearing things that are bolder than the standard men's pallet of white to black with blues and browns thrown in. But my initial response to was, "What are they thinking???" Lime green linen blazers? Even if Tommy Hilfiger were not a gay bashing bigot I would never buy that! (Though the dark green suit with light green pinstripes it was paired with was an intriguing idea, though not very visible in this pic.) And oh have mercy, an orange and white ascot with shiny orange shirt and another guy wearing a jacket straight out of The Prisoner. (And there are even more fashion don't on his Website if you want to look.) Now onto Kenneth Cole's big mistake with pale orange (Cantaloupe) shirts paired with muddy orange trousers. Orange looks good on maybe a quarter of the population; before wearing it make sure you ask a friend if wearing orange makes you look jaundiced (yellow skinned). Duckie Brown also had orange and this throw back shirt with a brown and white octagonal pattern that looked to be straight out of 1975.

Gentlemen all I can say is that anything this ugly will only be in fashion for about as long as grunge was (That was, what? About six weeks in 1995?). Look for these items to show up at TJ Max when they don't move very well in the boutiques. As always, wear what you like, what I'm saying about this isn't true for everyone. I've been known to wear orange myself (though I only go with a rich yellow-orange like aspen leaves). However I never pair it up with more orange or brown since I think that looks goofy. Maybe I'm out of what passes for my mind.

But don't worry about having nothing but orange to choose from, most of the pictures I've been able to locate show clothes with the usual men's pallet. In fact if anything the predominant color was white. I'm not sure if this is normal or not since I just started paying attention to fashion shows recently. I do want to get a pair of white jeans, but I am hesitant because they don't stay looking so wonderfully pure for long.

I did like some of the shades of pink I saw elsewhere, they were pale rather than being shockingly pink and paired with blue suits. And there was purple as well, not mentioned by my local paper's style section. White with stark black tulip design sports jacket (that won't stay looking nice long I suspect, but it looks charming on the model wearing all white trousers and shirt). The Duckie Brown shirt that comes up past the wrist was futuristically cool. I'm not sure what to make of this. I've never heard of Costume National before and I don't know if there stuff is available locally. I shall have to take a look and hope they're not light-years of out my price range.

More sometime soon.

Comments

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting the link. After twenty minutes browsing through it all, my main impression is more of the same, with louder fabrics. There are always a handful of really interesting experimental pieces, and everything else is rehashed.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I just found a cache of photoes of Duckie Brown (http://newyorkmetro.com/fashion/fashionshows/05/spring/runway/duckiebrown/) items. You're assesment holds true for for him in spades. Not much new there except very loud fabrics. Though the strange strech hoodie thing (http://newyorkmetro.com/images/fashion/fashionshows/05/spring/runway/duckiebrown/14.jpg) was at least somewhat different. Some of items there are weraable, but many were paired up in very weird ways.

I've come to the conclusion that if I want really daring items in non-ugly fabrics I'll have to become competent enough to tailor my own or rich enough to hire someone.

[aiglet.livejournal.com]

So basically he's showing women's clothing from two seasons ago? (Okay, I don't have a link, but the "hoodie with a low neckline" thing was shown in women's fashion a while ago.)

Also, you can get the "long cuffs" effect by buying a wool or cotton sweater and wearing it tied around your waist for a while (or pulling on the cuffs while you wear it).

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I guess... This is what I get for not paying enough attention to women's fashion. I don't see much of it in real life because this is Denver. Nobody wears cutting edge here. Two years ago? Well I might start to see them now. Maybe.

Actually I was thinking it would be fun to have a long sleaved item end in a strap to go between the thumb and fingers. I mistakenly thought one of Duckie's long sleaved items did that because of a poor picture. I thought about it and decided that would be ultra-Blade Runner and so I'm going to see about modifying or creating such a thing.

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm learning to sew for this exact reason. I am a big fan of the "style over fashion" thing, which for me means settling into about 1957 and not coming out except to buy new fabrics.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I like fashion because eventually an idea can get tired, like trite phrases. But one can have an excess of fashion as well. Moderation in everything, especially moderation. <grin> But yes, the knowledge that some things are classics and will always be in style is very comforting. Let's hear it for the black dress and the tuxedo! Blue jeans and clean white tee shirts.

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

Amen. Black sneakers, motorcycle gear, pearls.

Okay, the truth is, I'll drop into 1957 for a few years and then rethink.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

Green, orange, and yellow are the hardest colors to wear. If you've got any undertones at all they'll make you look awful. (I'm pure pink luckily, so I get to buy all those colors on sale.) There were a lot of those colors in that slide show. However, there were also black, white, blue, and red which are much easier for the population at large. Of course, most of these things are not aimed at the population at large...

MKK

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I've never had any trouble with green, but then I'm pale (and strange) and I only wear darker greens.

It's true these things are not generally aimed at the population at large, but in theory the things we see on the runway now will be in target in about two or three years in some dumbed down form. If they take.

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

I'm the only person in America who can wear certain greens, which is a blessing.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I wonder what odd colors I can wear that no one else can/shoud get away with. I'm very pale, so probably not certain greens. I might be able to get away with more oranges than most people, but there are some I won't wear. I know, bright yellow. I've not got a hint of yellow in my skin so I'd probably be fine where most people would not. Yellow tees and black jeans for the insane beekeeper look. <laugh>

[feonixrift.livejournal.com]

I saw Prisoner coats in the mall the other day, it was disturbing. Very disturbing.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if I don't like them because of my association of them with the mods of the 1960s or if they're just objectively wrong. But I'd never wear one either way.