The long evening dress is back

Tag : wood sandals

This is categorically not a piece about the economy. But braceyourselves anyway, because long dresses appear to be edging theirway back into some kind of fashion contention. And that means thatbefore long there will be endless articles predicting yet morefinancial meltdown on the basis that Kate Moss wore something thatgrazed her ankles at Leah Wood's wedding to Jack Macdonald theother day.
Granted, Moss is better known for wearing hems that are closer tograzing her kidneys than bothering with anything lower down herframe, but fashion is a demanding mistress and she must be obeyed.
The long dress is completely different from this summer's sleeperhit, the maxi, by the way, even though their fate, one cannot helpsuspecting, is irreducibly intertwined. The maxi is a voluminous,floaty hippy-dippy meets Wag on a gin palace confection, probablywrought from some kind of fabric that looks as though it has beenset upon by a pack of children with squirty paint guns (could behorribly close to the truth as we've discovered these past fewmonths), sat on by a caravan of camels and then left to dry on arock for several years. Ethnicity, with Jimmy Choo sandals thrownin, is key.
The long dress, on the other hand, is not ethnic, unless you countEnglish Rose as ethnic, which I suppose you may. Be that as it may,the long dress is neither hippy nor dippy, although it might beworn with an heroically large pair of ethnic earrings. It might bea bit vintage-looking, or it could be a bit Versace. But either wayit's an evening dress by any other name, except that for years nowwe've all been wearing short cocktail dresses in the evening, onthe assumption that only Swedish royalty and Oscar nominees stillwear long.
Still, the law of fashionomics have been working their magic. Whilewe were all guiltily wasting our time flicking through the pages ofOK! and Grazia, ogling the likes of Coleen, Angelina et alendlessly cavorting in their maxis, it turns out that we weren'twasting time at all. What we were doing is Getting Our Eye In.
That means that far from thinking “Oh God, not anotherMonstrous Frump Tent. Where in God's name are her legs?”,when we see maxis now, we are more likely to contemplate howeffectively and gracefully the maxi adds the illusion of somemuch-needed lankiness to even a Conference pear shape and thesquattest of legs, particularly if its waist starts at the bust. Wemay also, if we are feeling particularly sharp of mind, silentlynote that the long dress saves an enormous amount of upkeep in theleg department, being very tolerant of limbs in need of awax/bronze.
Where the maxi dress blazed a trail, the long dress now floatsalong in reflected glory. Far from looking stiff and formal, thelong dresses that guests wore at the Wood-Macdonald wedding lookedfresh and uncontrived. Suddenly, asking friends if they are goinglong or short for an event sounds like a sensible question ratherthan satire. After years of being force fed acres of over-bronzed,over-plucked, overexposed, punishingly high-maintenance flesh,covering up looks neither oppressive nor puritanical, but chic and- paradoxically - simple.
Inevitably, there are a few tricks to making it all lookeffortless. Pale colours are fine, but not sickly pastels. Dirtypinks, faded greens or a retro print are the ideal. The right kindof cover-up is another trigger to achieving the desired effect -nothing too bulky, or too coat-like. A vintagey lacy cardigan is asweet option, but a velvet wrap or a pashmina works too. Outsizeshoulder bags are hopeless - this is a look made for clutches, orsomething antique on a chain. Hair should be simple and uncontrived- a loose ponytail or chignon would work well, the better to showoff those big dangly earrings. Shoes don't have to be clumpy oraggressive-looking, although a platform keeps the look from beingtoo early-Nineties.
The sum total is a laid-back sweetness - as far from the trussed-upimages from Ascot to Girls Aloud that we've been bombarded with.It's a pretty appealing combination. But perhaps the real reasonthat maxis and long dresses are turning out to be the sleeper hitsof the summer is that the summer is proving a bit of a sleeper too.
The essential Yves
At any one time, fewer than five labels are truly sought-after bythe fashion pack. Yves Saint Laurent is one of them, and Lanvin andBalenciaga, all horribly expensive - unless you're a craftyshopper. Balenciaga has its Knits and Silk ranges, which offergreat fashion pieces for between £200 and £500. And YSLhas its Editions 24, a tightly edited line of quintessential pieces- 24 of them, fancy that - including the safari suit, the jacketand the tribal print kaftan shirt. All are designed to worktogether and cost two thirds of the price of the mainlinecollection. Shown in the carousel above: skirt £345; jacket£540; boots £595 - not cheap, but this is investmentdressing. From YSL Sloane Street and Bond Street, and Dover StreetMarket (020-7493 8100).
Top of the flips
Who knows whether FitFlops really banish cellulite, tone musclesand vanquish postural problems? We are in the realms ofautosuggestion, psychology and maybe desperation here. What we doknow is that they are very comfortable, and FitFlops are now sofashion that you can buy them on net-a-porter. Or you could untilnet-a-porter sold out. That's how fashion they are. The gladiatoris £90 to £100 at net-a-porter.com from mid-July; otherstyles are £36 from Bliss (0870 4608798).