Sunday, May 18, 2008

Some Musings on Silk and Crotch Bulges


I've had these photos saved for a long time, but have not done a post about this yellow silk jumpsuit until now, despite it's extreme awfulness. I think it's from Topshop, and it's a real throwback to a simpler time, aka 1989.

>What it really reminds me of washed silk, which was this stonewashed silk that was really popular around 1994. My mom had jewel tone pieces in turquoise and magenta in this awful fabric, which had a sort of dusty, stonewashed quality to it. In fact, I owned a pink washed silk vest. Why would you buy a silk vest for a child? Or, for that matter, multiple silk vests, which is really what I had? This jumpsuit isn't really washed silk, but it is silk, which is a fabric that really had it's last heyday in the 80's. People are always trying to tell you that silk is really valuable, but obviously it got devalued or more mass-produced at some time in the 80's, and now silk is no longer a marker of quality and is sold at Target (though it is a much nicer fabric, than, say, polyester.) I wonder what a silk fabric factory is like, and if it is really full of silkworms?

Anyway, back to this terrible jumpsuit, which is very, very Dressing Sexy, that 1980's fashion advice book that tells you to wear harem pants and jewel tone silks and saggy camisoles also in silk because it makes men with mustaches think of the boudoir instead. (Please click on the "Dressing sexy" label below for that particular post.) This is something that could easily be found in a thrift shop but is being produced new- despite its horrible, saggy, paunch-producing baggy front. Like, do people purchasing the "new" pleated pants not see the above-crotch bulge? Is it a point of pride or what???

2 comments:

Simone said...

when i was in 5th grade, I had this dark green-blue (it was a jewel tone, remember how jewel tones were really popular then?) short sleeved button down shirt made of washed silk. And I thought it was the CLASSIEST shit EVER, yo. It was definitely my "special occasion" shirt, and I remember wearing it in my 5th grade play.

Anyway, all I have to say is: what's next? I think what's going to have to happen is that hipsters are going to have to start dressing like suburban dads: clean white sneakers (not, like, deck shoes or anything, but like big fat white sneakers), pleated front khakis, polo shirts. right? i mean, what else is there to appropriate? I think it's only fitting that they get back to their roots, you know, show some pride in where they came from.

Mary said...

i KNOW! the whole concept of "retro" is totally spinning out of control. soon everyone will be wearing jncos and airwalks and then before you know it retro will be indistinguishable from modern and the hippest things will be what everyone was wearing two years ago. or something.

yes, my fav colors, for a time, were turquoise, magenta, and royal blue, and i had sweaters in all those colors. they were bulky cardigans with drop shoulders and probably would be soooo hot right now since they were hella 94.