Last week, pashmina found its way onto the ubiquitous spectacle Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? The $2,000 question went something like this: “What is the trendy women’s accessory pashmina? A. high heel shoe, B. henna tattoo, C. cashmere shawl, or D. mohair sweater.” When the sweet-faced teacher decided to ask the audience, the camera cut to his commensurately sweet-faced wife who was fashionably ensconced in a chartreuse wrap. “Honey, look at me,” she seemed to say with her eyes. “I’m wearing a pashmina!” To the wife’s relief, 81 percent of the audience selected C. cashmere shawl, and, like a well-trained Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? contestant, the husband went with the audience. As Regis moved onto the $4,000 question, I found my plum pashmina shawl, folded it into a neat square and begrudgingly stored it in the bottom drawer of my dresser. Clearly it was time to move on, so here’s what’s new for spring. Hippie chic They – by “they” I mean those hoity-toity fashion pundits from Cosmo and Vogue who biannually appear on shows like Good Morning America and Regis and Kathy Lee to tell us what $400 accessory we simply can’t live without – have been talking about hippie chic for the last several seasons. Unfortunately, like your local weatherman, fashion forecasters are often wrong and hippie chic has yet to dominate the scene – until now. A stroll through Bloomingdale’s last week – where embroidered jeans, ethnic prints and tie-dyed fabrics abound – revealed that hippie chic may finally move to fashion’s forefront. So do the Grateful Dead dance all the way down to the mall and purchase a floral print skirt or a beaded shirt. Denim A hippie wouldn’t really be chic without the perfect piece of denim. Fortunately, everyone from Karl Lagerfeld to John Galliano to Helmut Lang has incorporated denim into his designs. And thanks to trendsetters like Dolce & Gabbana and Maurice Malone, the denim craze can move beyond the standard pair of blue jeans. This spring, couturiers have produced everything from blue jean flip-flops to eyeglass cases to handbags. And if your passion borders on fetishism, the always-innovative upscale department store Barneys is selling eyeshadow, lipstick and compacts all encased in denim. Polka dots Polka dots are an inherently precarious print. Those of us who don’t resemble Kate Moss resent the circles that invariably accentuate the negative. So it seems unfortunate that designers have selected the polka dot – particularly polka dotted dresses adorned with ruffled hemlines – to be the season’s staple. Fortunately, they’ll come in a variety of styles, from big, bold colored dots to small spots filled with understated earth tones. If you decide to lavish yourself in a sea of circles, make sure you find the appropriate dot, and remember, bigger isn’t always better. Burberry plaid The traditional Burberry trench coat is making a comeback. A couple of wacky designers have even incorporated the coat’s signature red and black plaid interior into items like skirts and shirts. If you can’t afford the actual coat – which costs approximately $695 – then comb through your parents’ closets. If they are anything like mine, your parents will definitely have some sort of Burberry relic from decades past. Latin chic Thanks to Ricky Martin and Elian Gonzales, suddenly everyone wants to emulate the Latin look. All I’m going to say is Miami Vice meets The Birdcage. Sandals I implore men everywhere to toss their sneakers aside and purchase a pair of sandals this summer – and I don’t mean Tevas or Birkenstocks. I’m talking about a pair of traditional elegant leather sandals. They are sophisticated and sexy and I guarantee they’ll make women look twice. So tweeze your toe hairs, buff your bunions and strut down the street in a pair of handsome leather Kenneth Coles. Pay phones This spring, the boldest fashion statement may be to simply roam the streets cel phone free. Wouldn’t it be cool if you are the only person at a restaurant who doesn’t reach into their pocket at the sound of every tintinnabulation? And wouldn’t it be cool if you are the only person who says, “Leave a message on my machine,” instead of “Leave a message on my voice mail?” And wouldn’t it be cool if, 20 years down the road, you are the only person who isn’t obsessing about brain cancer? Be the ultimate retro. Liberate yourself from your Nokia and use a pay phone.
Our Digital Archive from 2000 – 2016
