Bias Cut (4-3-08)

Tuesday’s warm weather and occasional sunshine had me feeling like spring break might have followed us all the way back to Ithaca. (I will keep my fingers crossed for your sake that the random sophomore you met at the University of Oregon isn’t close behind.)
In any case, although you can safely pack up those sandy bathing suits for the time being, it does seem fitting to adjust our collective mindset from those North Faces and scarves towards lighter spring ’08 attire. It’s a new month, a new season and a new life — free of those fake bags that were bogging you down. So let’s celebrate the buds on the trees and think about all the fun events we can look forward to get dressed up for.
Since most students aren’t on a jetsetter’s budget, we should make sure to carefully select those few trendy extras for the season. With finals coming up and plenty of library time ahead, you’ll be able to get good use out of these items without being caught in facebook pictures for having worn them out too frequently. Trendy pieces and ensembles for spring ‘08 include Safari-esque, tie-dyed patterns that resemble upholstery fabrics, a number of lingerie-inspired pieces and, of course, this year’s chosen color themes: bold and neon.
My first reaction to some of the spring ’08 fashion trends was amazement. Tie-dye? Really? I know. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and similar ’80s classics, though they are enormously entertaining, definitely don’t inspire us to imitate Sarah Jessica Parker’s fashion sensibilities from her awkward stage. (Although I believe I was a very well-dressed young boy, the male equivalent to Suri, I too did not escape the 1980s without adorning more than one piece sprayed by tie-dye.) So, needless to say, I found myself amazed when I saw tie-dye as a top trend in a number of magazines and blogs in recent weeks. I mean, really, the knee jerk reaction is pretty much “WTF?”
However, Adam Lippes, a Cornell graduate and fashion designer, recently made me very proud. His use of tie-dye was simple enough that it was tasteful and didn’t have an expiration date of May 15th 2008. (Side note: according to a recent study run by the Martin Thomas Ambrose Estimations Bureau, 75 percent of all clothes have very strict expiration dates.) Adam’s clothing piece used three shades of the color purple and separated them in blocks, keeping the garment edgy enough to stand out, but not edgy enough to make someone look like a walking piñata. Tie-dye with scattered shades and colors everywhere should be avoided at all cost. Clean is key.
Garments that look like furniture upholstery are rarely easy to pull off and are also, not surprisingly, not always in fashion. Although our good friend Scarlett O’Hara gets away with wearing her living room curtains, it’s not something most people should try at home. So buy only one piece and make sure that it works with your whole outfit. Although many people buy and wear garments just to pick up on a certain trend, some of these upholstery-looking dresses and shirts are expensive and can only be reused in ten years if they look stunning on you. But if you can find the right piece that works for you, such fabrics might be good in dresses for your sorority/fraternity formals.
Safari trends can look cute as well; they are simple and easy to match up. A safari collared-and-belted shirt might just be the perfect thing for a day event you might have, or a barbeque or date to get smashed at the tables outside of CTB, but please don’t bring back the trend of tops that could be easily mistaken for a nightgown. Keep that Victoria’s Secret-type stuff behind closed doors, thank you.