style setter
FA SH ION WA SH I NGTON | fa ll 2010 | 9
haute topic It’s Not You, It’s Hem You want to turn heads, but is that micro mini hurting your fashion (and workplace) cred?
an e-mail from my pal J.P. arrived in the early
a.m., subject line, “Urgent Question.” I expected a query about which “True Blood” vampire was hottest. Instead, she ranted, “Why are dresses now three inches or more above the knee, and when will this horror stop?” Glancing down at my probably too-old-to-reveal thighs, jutting out five inches below a snake-print shift, I grimaced. I’d also spent half the summer in dressing rooms tugging at skirt hems and wondering why what seemed to be overlong tops or skimpy tunics were masquerading as cocktail dresses. Maybe it’s the down economy (which some say causes hemlines to rise) or those D.C. Housewives swanning around in cut-to-there gowns, but recent seasons have spewed out iPad-sized skirts and frocks so reduced they’d seem out of place on anyone except
The Princess of Prints
Virginia’s Jules Reid plunders the recent past to create her new line of eye-popping dresses and sportswear as a kid in Norfolk, Va., Jules Reid favored brightly patterned rompers and dresses. These days, the Fredericksburg/New York-based womenswear designer rocks her own line of colorful, retro frocks and sportswear, which launched this spring. Think opera coats festooned with golden tigers, ’50sinspired floral gowns and silk tunics in Day-Glo hues. Her preppy-gone-exotic feel suits Georgetown boutique Sherman Pickey’s (1647 Wisconsin Ave. NW; 202-333-4212) classics-with-a-twist aesthetic, so it’s no surprise that the shop is stocking her fall collection and hosting a trunk show for the willowy blonde on Oct. 9, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. k atherine b oyle Until a few years ago, you were working as a stockbroker. How’d you move from finance to fashion?
This line has been in my head since I was 22. When I turned 40, there was the feeling of, “Should I do it now?” And I’d been an interior designer after being a stockbroker, so I had an innate sense of design. Did interior design experience make you a better clothing designer?
It really helped with the production side of making a fashion line. That’s the hardest part. It helped me get from point A to point B and to make everything arrive on time. What influence s your clothing designs?
I lived in Paris during college and spent time there last October. My time there inspired the Parisienne gown. The colors of India have also always influenced me. I design all the fabrics, so mixing colors, patterns, animal motifs and florals is important too. What’ll we see in the fall line, your second collection?
I used extreme color, but with jewel tones and rich fabric, which I think takes the line to another level. I’d say it’s elegant, bold and romantic.
Does vintage clothing influence your designs as well?
I wear a lot of vintage Pucci and Missoni. I have a Pucci jersey catsuit that inspired a similar one in the collection. For fall, I focused on 1960s vintage glamour. You could see some of these styles on “Mad Men” or on Jackie O. How did you dress as a stockbroker?
I dressed conservatively for the first couple of years, the traditional blue suit. But after I established myself and my clientele, I started to dress in my own colorful and vintage style. People appreciated my boldness. Who wears your line?
Someone who loves to be noticed and make a statement. My line works well for the working woman who is not afraid to be remembered. She wants pieces she can dress down in Harbour Island or dress up in the city.
For fall, I focused on 1960s vintage glamour. You could see some of these styles on ‘Mad Men’ or Jackie O.” above, from left: mCPHERSON DRESS in metallic brocade floral ($795); Augustus mini dress in “blue dots” ($395); Brown cotton bodysuit top ($140) and Harbour Island Pant in Jules print turquoise ($325). Also pictured: Jules reid in her own baroness dress in tiger lavender ($495) and lucite rock ring, ($295). all styles available through sherman pickey.
jules reid portr ait by marge ely
I’ve seen women in their 50s wear minis tastefully by layering textured tights and knee boots. And if you’re in your 20s, hike those skirts!” Redskins cheerleaders or Gymboree tots. “Sometimes you literally see womens’ underwear,” says British fashion historian Caroline Cox, author of “How to Be Adored: A Girls Guide to Hollywood Glamor” ($15, Collins Design). “There used to be a sense that you should wear things that suited you, but now all the dresses are really short, which doesn’t work if you’re not Cameron Diaz.” And if you 9 to 5 for Senator Stuffypants, showing too much skin won’t help your career, either. “Wear a short skirt to work, and people don’t take you seriously,” says Lauren Cohen, 23, a media researcher who lives in Annapolis. “It’s about professionalism.” And in Congress and at old-boy lobbying firms, “women dress defensively to not stand out,” says Betsy Fisher, owner of the eponymous boutique (1224 Connecticut Ave. NW; 202-785-1975). Still, sometimes an abbreviated hemline — especially one of the breezy, fuller skirts that floated down M Street on weekends this summer — comes across as fresh and youthful. “It depends on your age and comfort level,” says TV fashion guru Lloyd Boston, author of the just-released “The Style Checklist” ($23, Simon & Schuster). “I’ve seen women in their 50s wear minis tastefully by layering textured tights and knee boots. And if you’re in your 20s, hike those skirts!” (But watch where you walk in your micro; last year, a British car insurance company claimed that short skirts make male drivers more likely to have accidents.) Besides tights, bulwarks against hemlines that are more go-go girl than Georgetown include leggings (we like) and jeggings (denim leggings we detest, with a name even uglier than they are). But footless tights don’t work if you’ve popped on a Twiggy-esque dress and you’re Twiggy’s age. “That’ll make you look like an old punk,” says Cox. Instead, it might be wise, no matter your decade, to pretend like it’s 1960, not 2010. “A slightly longer skirt really brings back femininity and a kind of power,” says Jackie Flanagan, owner of Nana boutique (1528 U St. NW; 202-667-6955). “It’s a sexy that’s about feeling comfortable. You don’t have to show it all.” Indeed, for fall, things may be looking up, er, down. Designers from Michael Kors to Richard Chai filled runways with maxis and full, ’50s-ish skirts. J.P. may even miss flashing her thighs. But if she stops traffic, it’ll be for her beauty, not because someone caught a glimpse of her undies peeking out from beneath her Diane von Furstenberg dress. Jennifer Barger
illustr ation by alex nabaum