Thursday, October 30, 2008

Layering Democracy


I find layering to be a truly democratic textile move. Layering is all about choices. If choice A is a no-go, choice B is but a layer away. A favorite, current look is the formal/informal clash as represented by such examples as tailored jackets with sporty hoodies, or tailored jackets with an assortment of t-shirts. The idea that the look translates is one of an effortless dialog between different registers, sort of like a Ben, the Tailor meets Urban, the Professional.

The Times has a piece on layering today which has some interesting socio-political layers as well. A bit says:
"IF you’ve been nagged by a vague late-1970s feeling lately, you are not alone. It is not just that, with the economy cratering, there are scary parallels between the Bush and Carter administrations. The men’s wear scene is feeling it, too. Flip through the pages of a GQ from 30 years ago and you come across eerily familiar trends.

The magazine proclaimed 1978 “The Year of the Short.” On the May cover a model wore a “summer scarf,” and in November the men’s pants were all tucked into tall outdoorsy boots. For fall, the magazine celebrated a clash of layers, textures and colors that folded a European sense of sophistication into a sporty all-American look. In case you don’t have your checklist handy, all are current fashion trends."
Read more here.
graph per ny times

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

ha!!!!
"sort of like a Ben, the Tailor meets Urban, the Professional."
you kill me.
i'm a fan of layering. hadn't quite looked at the preference as a sign of democracy, but I get it.... :)

Sra said...

Layers look more sophisticated. That's why Fall is my favorite season, and it's what gets me through Winter.

I also like the juxtaposition of formal and casual styles worn together.

Anonymous said...

LOVE layers, too! Agree with Sra. One more reason to be not that intimated by the winter.

Anonymous said...

The summer scarf thing sounded weird to me at first, but after actually wearing a scarf with t-shirts, I'm a bit if fan now. The scarf gives you another option, in a way. Ben, the Tailor, ha. Good one. Do you know if Ben, the Tailor is now wanting to record a country album? :)

Anonymous said...

I'm all for function over form.

Anonymous said...

What I like about the look is this idea of being en route and productive that it suggests to me. Fall is my favorite season because of the layering partly.

Anonymous said...

I am absolutely pro-layer.
Options and more options.
Any comments about Harajuku t-shirts, btw?

Anonymous said...

I got some but after I purchased them I noticed they had Gwen Stefani lyrics.