Spring Fashion 2022 Is Here. Three Ideas We Like. Three We Don't.
By Erica and Karen
The calendar says spring is here, though in New York the weather gods seem not to have heard. Still, and even though there is much going on that makes thinking about fashion seem frivolous, we find our minds trending towards the lighter, brighter garb of spring, and how we think about dressing.
First, we love the colors introducing spring this year. Look at all the shop windows, like Zara’s, full of saturated and neon colors. Even Saks Fifth Avenue’s windows are flamboyant. And look at this blue from Lafayette 148. A color that is divine to look at and divine to wear. We are of the view that everyone looks better in strong, clear color. (Which is not to say we would wear every style proposed for this season—just every color! )
We do like many of the prints on offer—though a light touch is in order. We don’t agree that there is no print that is too bold. Actually bold is not the issue—raucous is the issue. A little of a really great print goes a long way. We are also very fond of stripes. Even if these striped outfits don’t speak to you—we like the midheaven pants—add stripes to your wardrobe this spring. There are all different kinds, it turns out. We go for the cabanas!
Women of experience have learned the value of simplicity, the underpinning of real style. We were impressed with Uma Thurman’s outfit at the Oscars—though apparently it was simple only in appearance. Much more elegant than those ultra-bare looks. We are very fond of glitz and glitter too—but we have learned that glitz and glitter is best when applied sparingly to a simple outfit.
So. We love a lot about spring fashion, but—there are some ideas that should be sent back to where they came from.
One is a look held over from the pandemic. Remember the dreaded nap dress??? Billowing things with ruffled necklines and bulbous sleeves and acres of fabric that you apparently never take off, erasing the boundaries between home and work but also day and night. So weird. But dresses like that are everywhere.
Another is logos. The trend was started, we think, with the large Juicy printed on the rear of sweatpants. Now even formerly civilized brands are selling clothes with brand names flaunted all over, front and back. Yikes. If we decide to advertise a designer’s name on our clothes we plan to get paid.
A third is the suggestion that cropped everything is cool. That is not a trend we endorse. Even for people with perfect bodies. (We started seeing it in winter. We felt bad for those cold tummies and thighs.) Along the same lines, we think going really really short is generally a good idea—for anyone—only when it is awfully warm and that person is alone in her back yard. Part of the point of clothes is to send a message. What is the message when everything is cropped of its shape and color and function?
Our thing we don’t think is that anyone should make fashion decisions based on age. If you feel good in wild leggings or a jean jacket, wear them. Same thing for short skirts or long dresses or whatever. Which is not to say that we think designers do enough to design for women like us. We agree with the women who lamented to us that the only clothes they can find are crop tops and dowdy house dresses. Why can’t designers see us for the market we are?
So this spring we plan to wear jewel-toned colors, on simple, well-cut pieces, mostly out of our closets, with sequins tastefully applied here and there.
What do you plan to wear?