The Fashion Files: All Don’ts

Okay, enough of the hooker heels. Platform high heels have been around for a few seasons now, and frankly, they’ve overstayed their welcome. I’m tired of the stilted way women have to walk in them, I’m tired of their ubiquitous ugliness, and I’m tired of the way they are so not pretty. Come on, just like when you guys are at clubs and there’s a girl baring her striped gut with all her prior pregnancy business hanging over the tops of too-tight daisy dukes and you know you’re shaking your head because that’s just not attractive. Don’t lie and tell me you think those streetwalker heels are hot. They weren’t cool a decade and a half ago in different iterations of white open toes when they were incongruously worn with Hmong clothes and Lao silks and they still aren’t fashionable now in pleather in obnoxiously impractical five-inch-plus versions. This is one fashion mishap I am positive we will all look back at with equally chagrinned headshakes.

The Fashion Files

So, I have a pair of slate gray jeans that I’ve been meaning to hem so I can wear them out and about. Unfortunately, I’ve misplaced them. Since August. Of last year. Luckily for me—and all of us out there—colored, lean jeans are in for Spring 2012, and they run the gamut of costs and availability. Even Ann Taylor is carrying its own rainbow array of brightly hued jeans that are usually associated with youth and casual wear. This latest way of sporting the classic American go-to item gives spring its due pop of color while taking a playful nod at the late 80s and early 90s, a la Kris Kross and Cross Colors brand clothing. And although at the turn of every winter season I gladly welcome displays of bold color, my only reservation with vibrant jeans is this: they aren’t necessarily pretty.

The Fashion Files

February instinctually connotes in me Valentine’s Day. It’s not far away. Most euphoric revelers will be donned in red attire around that festive weekend. Although that would be the prevailing thought on how to dress for what some consider to be a holiday—while those less ecstatic regard it as a period of mourning—I challenge you, dear reader, to try something that isn’t as conventional. Think fuchsia, magenta, raspberry— or shades of pinks and coral. Color blocking was supposed to be a trend this past fall—it was on the runways and in fashion magazines. But, as with most clothing, there seems to exist about a two-season delay between what transpires on catwalks at Fashion Week and how that translates in real-time. So, this Valentine’s Day, to be ahead of the pack, doll yourself up in a monochromatic palette of heart-inspiring hues, rather than just a solid colored dress. Try a pair of red pants with a blush-colored blouse. Or, a pink polka-dotted top and a whimsical floral skirt. Whatever you do, don’t be boring. If there’s anything we have permission to do regarding fashion—especially lately— it’s to be creative.

The Fashion Files

It’s a new year and that usually entails plans to resolve to do things differently for the betterment of a new you. Common resolutions include exercising more, drinking less soda, eating more healthily, spending less, and saving more. All these comprise great ways to enhance one’s quality of life. That someone continues to have aspirations for a better life—not so much whether she sticks with them or not—is a sign that at least the desire to progress is there.