Archive for the ‘Skirts’ Category
Today is a day of great importance: it is 9/02/10. Understandably, anyone alive during the early 90s (or the five teenagers who watch the remake) are in a tizzy over this. Even the city of Beverly Hills is going all-out, with a celebration the likes of which has only been seen in the Math club on Pi Day.
True story: the year was 1994. I was at an all-girls camp on the east coast, and we had to send three letters a week home in order to get Candy Canteen. My counselor confiscated my letters and refused to let me have my weekly sugar fix because – and I quote – “90210 is not a real zip code.”
I had to have the head of the camp show her my records as proof that yes, it was a real zip code.
I guess it’s fitting that the 90s have come back with a vengeance in the past year, just in time for such an iconic date. Walking into Wet Seal has become a surreal experience; much of their stock looks the same as when I first shopped there.
All it’s missing are some ripped tights and a pair of Docs. That would have been my dream outfit when I was 8.
Yup. Seeing them still fills me with a juvenile giddiness that I can only describe as “Oh my god, Snick is starting!”
The 90s are everywhere. It’s hard to escape the shoulder pads and high-waist pants that we all thought had been laid to rest with the advent of low-rise jeans and LFO’s anti-Chinese food diatribe, “Summer Girls.” But the 90s are back, and have been for a while. It’s a truth that must be accepted – the 90s are not just an era any more, they’re an industry.
Tell me you wouldn’t have seen this outfit on an extra in a “Blossom” episode. Pair it with a giant hat, and I think you’ve got a hell of a Halloween costume on your hands.
This 90s resurgence – because this is all about me – makes me feel old. Like, crazy old. The best movie ever made is 15 years old – which means that the movie is the same age as Tai. There are teenagers with drivers licenses who have never seen a map of the Soviet Union. I was in the car the other day alongside a 30-something year old guy who was blasting “August and Everything After” while his two kids played with their iPhones. Kelly Taylor became a teacher at West Beverly. When did we all grow up?
In truth, 90210 was a little before my time – I was born in 1985, so the trials and tribulations of the Walsh clan went over my head. That’s why, to me, what’s most off-putting about this 90s nostalgia is what I saw at Hot Topic the other day:
It was one thing when Busted Tees sold Beets t-shirts. But when a major retailer thinks there’s enough of a market for nostalgia gear – suddenly, I feel bad for rolling my eyes when my dad would hear Cream on the radio and say, “This really holds up. It sounds like it could have been made yesterday, doesn’t it?”
Sorry, Dad. I understand now. I’ll be saying the same thing about Toad the Wet Sprocket in five years.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go watch Clueless and Empire Records to console myself.
Side note: is it just me, or does Reptar kind of look like David Letterman?
Wet Seal Plaid Knit Dress – $16.99
Forever 21 Satin Rosy Skirt – $7.99
Hot Topic Doug Let It Beet T-shirt – $23
Hot Topic Rugrats Retpar Die Cut Backpack – $30
Hot Topic Salute Your Shorts Camp Anawanna Tee – $22
I give Forever 21 a very, very hard time on this blog – to the point where I’ve apparently swayed Elise W.’s opinions of the brand. As she said on the fanpage …
I used to love F21, and still kind of do, but not nearly as much since becoming a fan of your blog. Props … I guess …?
Here’s the thing about Forever 21 – when they’re good, they’re amazing. When they’re bad, it’s almost epic. In a weird bit of timing, I had planned to do this post yesterday with a different lead-in, but the hotel’s internet collection makes dial-up seem zippy. I’m up crazy early this morning (7:30 am), so the wifi’s not too sluggish and I can actually post.
So that they may be pleased and the gods of shopping smile upon me, I’m going to offer Forever 21 my unemployment check as a sacrifice. Here’s a bunch of stuff I plan on buying (or, in the case of the jersey dress, have bought), from Forever 21.
I love jersey surplice dresses. They’re so damn easy – I’ve worn this the last couple nights to dinner, and it’s crazy comfortable. The jersey’s really, really soft. I’ll be honest, if not for the fact that my brother would have made fun of me, I probably would have worn it to sleep.
I’ve been flirting with the Sequin Dress with Keyhole Back from Alice+Olivia for ages now. This is pretty much an exact knockoff of the now-retired black version. The biggest difference is about $450.
Again, a dress very similar to a designer dress I loved but couldn’t afford – this time, the Domino dress by Diane Von Furstenberg (Cameron Diaz wore a pink version in What Happens In Vegas – I’ve never seen the movie, so I have no clue why I would know this).
It’s a sparkly miniskirt. Enough said.
This has a very J.Crew feel to it, with the pintucked ruffles along the neckline. It might not work with my chest, but it’s cute enough to try.
With the volume of clothing Forever 21 turns out, it’s inevitable that they’ll have a lot of crap. But I will say this: the stuff that’s good is unbelievable. I’ve bought dresses from them that have lasted a good two years now, with frequent wear. Most of my basic t-shirts are from there, and they’ve lasted for ages.
Point is: Elise, don’t lose hope. Wait two weeks – odds are, they’ll have entirely new stock with at least five things you’ll love.
Forever 21 Fab Jersey Surplice Dress – $12.50
Forever 21 Peep Hole Sequin Dress – $27.80
Forever 21 Classic Double-Knit Dress – $17.80
Forever 21 Glamorous Banded Skirt – $19.80
Forever 21 Ruffled Pintuck Top – $14.80
It feels like it’s been a while since I posted something I liked. Sure, being unrelentingly negative is fun, but it’ s nice to switch it up every once in a while.
I really, really like this skirt. It wouldn’t work on me, but it’s really cute. The pleating in front doesn’t look overwhelming, and it works with the cut of the skirt. It’s got a nice vintage-y feel to it. All in all, it fits right in with my almost obsessive love of Mad Men.
ModCloth Ascending Aspirations Skirt – $39.99
The title comes from Ariel‘s description of this skirt:
Personally, I think it’s a much more accurate description than the one from the GoJane site:
Be in a flirty and playful mood all day long. This moody denim skirt is flowing with rufle tiers in that dye wash everybody loves.
“That dye wash everybody loves?” I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to read: “that dye wash everybody loves to hate,” because that is the only way the sentence could make sense.
Then again, they spelled “rufle” with one “f”, so making sense might not be at the top of their list of priorities. Unless, of course, it was intentional. Maybe the Coalition of Ruffles didn’t want to be associated with this and refused to give this skirt permission to use their name.
And yes, a Coalition of Ruffles is a more likely scenario than “that dye wash everybody loves.”
GoJane Moody Tiered Denim Skirt – $24.50
Dear Gap,
I know that you’re all regular readers of this blog, but in case you missed it, in March I wrote a post on The Gap Conundrum. I’m not sure of if you’re aware of this or not, but despite selling basics, you still manage to make unflattering, often ill-fitting (or ill-advised) clothes.
As a result, I don’t normally shop on your website. I only go there if I’m really desperate for something to post – which is what I was doing earlier, when I stumbled upon this:
Cute skirt, right? It also comes in a royal blue. And it’s on sale for under $20.
Or this. I’m not a big shrug fan, but this is a pretty cute cardigan to throw on with a skirt – like, say, that pintucked one.
And while I wouldn’t wear tiers (or animal print), this is actually a pretty good use of zebra print. On a girl who is taller or thinner than I, this would be great.
Of course, none of these come in my size, since I’m 20 years out of Baby Gap.
Frustrating, right?
I know, you have a whole line devoted to people my size: original flavor Gap. But here’s what you’re offering for grown-ups:
I hate to say it, but this is uninspired at best. Wait, I take that back. I don’t hate to say it. I’m happy to say it, because you need to hear this. That skirt is boring.
As I noticed how much better the Baby Gap clothes were, I tried to find matching adult versions, hoping that maybe you were just downsizing existing patterns.
But you’re not.
Here’s Baby Gap’s version of a light tank top:
And this is what you expect me to wear:
If you showed me two options side by side, I’d have a hard time figuring out which was the one designed for toddlers. This tank top is completely shapeless. At least the Baby Gap one has a little waist definition (which is a whole other conversation, because why do toddlers need their waists defined?).
So what’s the deal, Gap? Is it because you don’t need to worry about fit for toddlers? Because you think that adults don’t like to wear flattering patterns? Have you cut costs in the adult division by digging up patterns last used in 1996?
If the adult division showed half the style and wearability of the toddler line, I’d be shopping at Gaps way more often.
And by way more often, I mean that I would walk in the door rather than kind of glance at the window display and wonder why their mannequins are wearing six layers of hoodie sweatshirts. Speaking of: I don’t care how many hoodies you make them wear, you cannot convince me that hoodies are “in.” They’re not “in.” They’re just functional.
But no. Instead, you insist on selling overall dresses and misshapen t-shirts.
Do you not want my money, Gap? Is it not good enough for you? Because J.Crew loves my money. J.Crew wants my money like a hippo wants to dance. And at my nearest mall, J.Crew is 20 feet from your store.
Next time you see me walk by your storefront, Gap, I hope you watch as I ignore your desperate attempts at making wrinkled khakis happen. Because, until I have a toddler – and that’s not going to be for a long, long time, don’t worry Mom and Dad – I’m going to move right past your doors and into the welcoming arms of J.Crew’s tailored jackets and colorful tank tops.
I’m glad we had this talk.
Oh, and tell Old Navy that they had a couple years of being awesome, but they’re starting to look cheap again. They should do something about that.
Best,
Amanda
Hi, Forever 21. Thanks for coming back. I know our last talk was kind of rough. I didn’t mean to hurt you, it’s just that I care about you, and want to buy things from you.
We’ve had our ups and downs, haven’t we? Especially when it comes to skirts you’ve produced. Although, really, those have mostly been downs.
I was beginning to think you hadn’t heard anything I’d said. How could I, when you produce skirts like these?
Bubble hems. More bubble hems. The skirt on the left looks like those decorative paper covers you put on roast turkeys. The skirt on the right looks like a pair of breeches gone horribly awry.
I’d lost hope. I really had.
And then I saw this skirt.
You know how you’re always using the word “couture” in the names of your clothes, when it really just means “totally unflattering?” This skirt is a great example of when you actually should describe something as couture.
The pleating isn’t bulky, it looks like it could be really flattering, and it’s actually interesting. Interesting in the good way. Unusual, even. But in the good way, not in the “I can’t think of anything nice to say, so I’ll just smile and say it’s unusual” way.
Actually, your entire Love21 collection this season is pretty great. If you could make more of that, and less of your crackbaby Twelve By Twelve line, that’d be kind of awesome. Because I could definitely stand to see more skirts like this in your store, and fewer plaid shirts with giant bows on them.
Forever 21 Banded Bubble Skirt – $29
Forever 21 Beaded Waistband Bubble Skirt – $22
Forever 21 Crepe Woven Pleated Skirt – $22.80
