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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Link Love from YLF Members

— by Angie

on January 5, 2012

MaryK liked reading how Gucci got back it’s groove. Mary remembers back to when she visited Rome 16 years ago and walked past a Gucci boutique and saw a little sign in English that said, “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” She never forgot this priceless slogan.

Laurinda was shocked to read that bridal shop Pricilla of Boston spray painted and destroyed thousands of dollars worth of bridal merchandise because they were going out of business. I don’t get it.

Inge is completely smitten by the first white trouser outfit in Carolina Herrera’s Spring 2012 Collection (via Not Dead Yet Style) because it is elegant, colourful, trendy and classic. The green is exquisite and the abstract pattern mixing of the pullover and scarf is divine. Herrera’s collection was one of my favourites at Fashion Week last year and I love this outfit too. We’ll have to come up with our own version, Inge.

Annagybe informs us that brilliant young designer Jason Wu is doing a line for Target.

Vildy found this article called “The Death Of Pretty”, which claims that young women today do not aspire to pretty anymore, and would prefer to look hot.

Lisa’s eyes were opened when she read about the danger of the alluring assortment on The Vivienne Files. Lisa confesses that this is probably how she ended up with grey blazers that she ended up passing on to happier homes.

Link Love

19 comments · Add a comment

Vildy

Veteran

I thought the influence of the full assortment was one of the most original ideas I have met on the subject of shopping triggers.

January 5, 2012 at 2:33 am

Patti @ NotDeadYet Style

(website)

Thanks so much for the mention, and I too found the Vivienne Files article fascinating!

January 5, 2012 at 4:58 am

rosee

Veteran

Thanks Vildy for posting a thought-provoking article. I’ve had similar thoughts to the author but never really articulated them. I saw “Grease” when I was a child and it did bother me that ONJ had to go “hot” to win the boy (but not really b/c he also changed for her from a leather jacket to a letterman sweater for her, but overall the “hot” look won the day). It’s amazing how powerful a message that was for a young girl — change who you are and look sexy to attract.

On NDYS: I’m liking the CH dress, white with red print, and the red skinny belt.

Vivienne Files: well, sometimes I’m a sucker too.

The wedding dress article… well, I AM GLAD THEY ARE OUT OF BUSINESS. They gave to charity before, yeah right. Most of those “damaged” dresses could have been fixed by taking them to a seamstress or drycleaner. What a waste!

January 5, 2012 at 6:13 am

Vildy

Veteran

Rosee, there was an interesting article in a UK online paper about the young women’s habit of wearing “hooker chic.” Ultimately, it ended with the idea that their main desire was to be desired.

January 5, 2012 at 6:29 am

Queen Mum

Veteran

That was a very sombering article Vildy. This summed up what I have often thought about but never been able to articulate…. “It is ironic that 40 years of women’s liberation has succeeded only in turning women into a commodity. Something to be used up and thrown out.”

January 5, 2012 at 6:46 am

Lisa

Veteran

I’m still baffled as to why spray paint dresses. So wasteful!

January 5, 2012 at 8:20 am

LoP

Veteran

Interesting set of articles. I would have never thought that seeing multiple colors of the same garment would make you buy it, but it really makes sense.

January 5, 2012 at 9:41 am

MNsara

Veteran

Nice selection of links!

I really took to the “Death of Pretty” thoughts. I especially liked his: “By nature, generally when men see this combination in women it brings out their better qualities, their best in fact. That special combination of beauty and innocence, the pretty inspires men to protect and defend it.”

Someone else commented “The truth is, when girls don’t expect much from men, they won’t get much.” Food for thought. . .

January 5, 2012 at 9:53 am

rae

(website)

Veteran

The Death of Pretty piqued my interest as well. I don’t want to be “pretty,” either, but because I tend to associate “innocence” as helplessness. It’s become a bit ingrained that inspiring “nobility” in men actually means depending on men to protect you.

But I don’t really want to be “hot,” either. It’s interesting to me that the noun form of “hot” has become “hotness” instead of HEAT, which I think describes the phenomenon better. Animals go into heat, and then it’s all about mating and, to a large extent, lost control over the body. When a woman dresses only to generate heat, they also reduce their bodies to mating instruments and lose control over how they are perceived. :T

January 5, 2012 at 10:04 am

Aziraphale

Veteran

That ‘Death of Pretty’ article got on my nerves. It seems to be that the author wrote it in a dreadful bitterness of spirit. The women’s movement has not taken away our innocence (and innocence is a dubious virtue anyway); it has empowered us in so many ways. It’s true that I roll my eyes at many of the stars today, but it’s not because they aspire to hotness rather than prettiness (and I disagree with the author’s definition of prettiness anyway). It’s because many of them make such incredibly poor choices, over and over again, with regards to drugs, hookups, and bad public behaviour. I’m a believer in restraint, good sense and respect for others.

And Sandy from Grease didn’t ‘debase’ herself by wearing tight pants and big hair. I don’t think that’s what the film was about. She went from Pollyanna-like naivete and took her first foray into life as a grown woman. Yes, she looked more objectively ‘hot’ than she did in her flared skirt, but she also looked cool. And the irony was that the boy in question, Danny, had made an attempt to preppy-fy himself to make himself more appealing to Sandy.

And for what it’s worth, I don’t see teenagers around here wearing ridiculously sexually provocative clothing. Most of them seem to wear skinnies, hooded sweatshirts and UGGs. And the smart ones don’t aspire to be hot OR pretty — they’ve got their sights set higher. They want to be successful.

January 5, 2012 at 10:36 am

MsMary

Veteran

I definitely think it’s a terrible shame that young women today aspire to be “hot,” where “hot” means “generating heat” as described so perfectly above by rae.

However, I do not for one minute long for a return for the days when young women aspired to be “pretty,” which the author of the blog post describes as “projecting a public innocence and virtue,” which in turn “inspires men’s nobler instincts to protect and defend.”

Ugh. A big “no thanks” from me on both counts because both terms describe women only in terms of their effect on men — whether they inspire sexual attraction or protection and defense.

If young women want to pick an appearance-related adjective to which they aspire, I’d much rather they choose beautiful, especially the definition that says “delighting the senses or MIND.” And indeed, the root word ,a href=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/beauty>”beauty” is not limited to appearance. It’s “the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).” Much better than either “hot” or “pretty,” in my view.

January 5, 2012 at 1:40 pm

MsMary

Veteran

Damn. Messed up the HTML. Trying again with the last sentence:

And indeed, the root word ”beauty” is not limited to appearance. It’s “the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).” Much better than either “hot” or “pretty,” in my view.

January 5, 2012 at 1:41 pm

Beth

Veteran

Interesting article, Vildy. And equally interesting thoughts from YLF members:)

As for Laurinda’s link, I’m so sad Priscilla of Boston has closed. They made my wedding dress and the quality (back in the 90s) was gorgeous. But spray-painting dresses? Grrr. I know it’s not uncommon in the garment industry, but the waste is sickening.

January 5, 2012 at 3:01 pm

Mellllls

Veteran

i too am upset with what Priscilla’s did. wasn’t there an uproar a couple years back about h&m doing something similar? something about intellectual property rights?

January 5, 2012 at 4:48 pm

HelenInCanada

Veteran

Fascinating discussion about the “Pretty” vs “Hot” personas so far. I found the “Death of Pretty” article thought-provoking. I agree that the dominant image projected onto young women in this generation is hypersexualized. It IS disturbing that some of the big “icons” in pop culture today promote an oversexed image and lifestyle, BUT I believe there’s a counter image as well – those high profile stars who highlight soul searching, being true to yourself, having respect for yourself, etc., so there is a choice for girls in terms of who they admire. (Think about stars like Taylor Swift, Oprah, Natalie Portman, Emma Watson, etc.) That said, I too was upset by Olivia Newton John’s “transformation” in Grease (one she didn’t seem too comfortable with!), but it’s fun to note Travolta “transformed” too. Let’s hope they both settled into their genuine skins in the ‘happily ever after’!

The wedding dress store fiasco is shameful! Why oh why didn’t they donate or hold an auction to raise money for women’s charities? Enormous ethical and actual waste!

January 5, 2012 at 9:17 pm

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Devil’s advocate here …

Although there is something vulgar sounding about “hot”, I actually see a positive side to it. “Pretty” is reserved for beauty, which is out of reach to many. “Hot” implies an overall attractiveness. So, a jolie-laide type of girl could be hot, but not pretty. If you look at what hot means (desirable), it is more democratic. In other words, a girl can make herself attractive/desirable but not necessarily beautiful or pretty, if she’s fundamentally not.

I found this entertaining wikiHow on “How to be Hot.” It puts emphasis on attitude (be cool, mature, mysterious) rather than solely looks.

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Hot

Yes I agree there is an emphasis on being sexually available which does make me feel uncomfortable especially when it comes to young people like teens.

January 5, 2012 at 11:40 pm

Sharon

Veteran

Just read the “Death of Pretty” article, and it really annoyed me. It seems to me that wanting women to project innocence and a public appearance of virtue is objectifying them just a much as wanting them to appear sexually appealing and available. Neither stereotype is helpful.
It’s the old “Madonna/whore” view of women that does not view women as human beings with faults and desires and thoughts and feelings, but reduces them to merely “good” or “bad” based on how they dress.
He argues that feminism has resulted in women being turned into a commodity. I would argue that this has always been the case, and his emphasis on the value of pretty only proves this. The problem is that feminism has not yet come far enough to truly liberate women from the tyranny of society’s insistence on judging women solely on their appearance.

January 6, 2012 at 2:54 pm

glam on the inside

Active Member

Pretty vs hot is an interesting one. I like your thoughts on this, MaryK and Sharon. And CocoLion – i think you’re right that hotness is more accessible in some ways, although anyone can wear pretty styles, even if they don’t see themselves as being pretty.
I think there are times and places for these looks, besides the many others we might choose, like funky, smart, elegant, cool, relaxed, casual etc
It does sadden me to see sexy styles marketed to young children.

January 8, 2012 at 4:45 am

rute

Veteran

Jason Wu for target! Love that!

January 10, 2012 at 5:21 am

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