The 1^st of January brings with it a sense of renewal. Out with the old and in with the new! But new doesn’t have to mean “brand new”.  Forum member Laura puts it well:

“it feels right at this point to re-use, recycle, re-purpose the things we already have”.

In 2009 I’m looking forward to finding, suggesting and discussing ways in which we can all look and feel brand new, within our means.

We at YLF wish you and your families a happy, healthy and fabulous New Year!

I thought we could end the year by sharing some thoughts on fashion and style in 2008. First, our wardrobes. New items or golden oldies, these were my all time favourite, “I don’t know what I’d do without them” pieces this year:

• Outerwear: Cream Soia & Kyo trench, long grey double-breasted tweed coat
• Jacket: Charcoal Rag & Bone military jacket, black belted biker jacket
• Dress: Little black ‘60’s go-go dress
• Tops: Anne Fontaine button down shirts
• Knitwear: Cropped citron cowl neck pullover, black military polo neck
• Pants: Cream and black micro-check skinnies
• Skirt: All my pencil skirts
• Shoes: Black Me Too Swann flats, grey patent biker pumps, Haflinger slippers
• Boots: Grey over-the-knee slouchy boots, black 20 eyelet Dr. Martens, cream spectator booties, cream calf-length slouchy boots, flat black patent weatherproof knee high boots
• Handbag: Red cracked patent tote
• Accessories: White watch, white and black specs, black waist-cinching biker belt

Second, the trends. Some general thoughts on fashion in 2008:

• Best trend: Stylish revivals of 80’s fashion.
• Most stylish celebrities: Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Kate Moss.

Finally, the most important thing I learned this year: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Never say “never” because you’ll surprise yourself over and over again.

Your turn!

I’ve noticed that people are getting confused when I talk about hose and hosiery. Unfortunately I have been negligent with the use of these words, carelessly substituting the one for the other when they actually don’t have the same meaning.

• “Hosiery” refers to everything that can be bought in the hosiery section of a department store (excluding socks). The term covers all variations and styles of stockings, pantyhose, nylons and tights.
• “Hose” is a shortened version of the word pantyhose, which is a type of hosiery. A pair of hose is not a pair of tights. Hose is usually sheer and transparent whereas tights are generally thick and less see-through.

To make matters worse, I sometimes incorrectly use the word “stockings” as a substitute for the word hosiery. This is a habit I learned at school, where we referred to the hose and tights that we wore with our uniform as “stockings”. Stockings actually refer to the thigh-high hose that are held in place with garter belts. I can assure you that I did not wear those to school.

From now on I shall use the words hosiery, hose and stockings correctly. Of all people I should know better and apologize for the mix-up. Interestingly, I thought that “laddering” was a universal term (for example, see my recent post on hosiery sizes). Apparently, in the US, people say something along the lines of “I have a run in my nylons” when they’ve laddered their hose. I guess we can’t help but lose some things in translation.

It was an unhappy moment last week when I received “The Must-Get Maxi Dress” hints of Spring mail from Nordstrom. They’re advertising the maxi or “patio dress” as the new length frock that you’ll wear now and as the weather warms. Banana Republic is sending a similar message about new chic dress lengths. Oh no.

Floor-sweeping, daytime maxi dresses in casual fabrics are not my idea of style. And it’s not a question of adapting the eye – I did not like the look in the 70’s and 90’s and I don’t like it now. To me they look unflattering, clumsy on all but the tallest gals, and inappropriate for casual settings because the length screams “formal”. Fabulous floor-scraping ballgowns, worn with heels for extra height, are the right place for this silhouette.

There are a small number of fashion items that I completely oppose because I don’t think they look good on anyone. The maxi dress is in this category. I was relieved to see that they were less popular in America this past year than they were in Europe, but that seems to be changing. I will be skipping this trend.