MegaStyles™:  Down With Glamour? (05.23.03)

Open any magazine, any month, and you are bound to run across readers’ questions like “What’s a good low-maintenance makeup routine?” or “How can I dress up for a date without looking too ‘done?’”  Flip to the editorial spreads and you’ll find titles like “Effortless Chic,”  “Breezy Summer Looks,”  and “The Best Easy Work Clothes.”  The appeal of low-maintenance chic is understandable.  It says we are 1) very busy and important, 2) pretty enough without excess decoration, and 3) too confident to care what others think.  But while wash-and-wear style has its charms, after seeing the new Renee Zellweger movie Down With Love, I had to ask: what’s wrong with looking like you made a little effort?  Why is it now so taboo to match your shoes and bag and nails?  Why is looking put-together such a crime in 2003?

Designers, fashion editors, and style addicts still champion Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy as major style icons today.  Yet when it comes to actually putting on the tailored dress, the high heels, the lipstick, blush, and liner, in reality, we just can’t be bothered.  Obvious effort seems indulgent.  Trivial.  Oh, and we’ve gotten very lazy.  We love to look at pictures of these icons, but given the choice, we’ll choose our pajama pants, worn à la Kate Moss, over the sharp tweed skirt suit every time.  Oh for the pre-Gap days, when chic meant daytime kid gloves and the men dressed like James Bond.  This week, MegaStyles™ declares Memorial Day a time to lament the loss of everyday glamour.

To inject a little Camelot Chic into your everyday, try:

• Bright color and patterns.  Don’t be afraid to mix and match strong hues (lemon/lime, purple/red, blue/orange, etc.)  Fair-haired girls should balance their complexion with stronger colors, while those with darker hair or skin should favor pastels.  Also try gingham, polka dot, and plaid patterns.
• Perfectly tailored clothing.  Clothing is neither baggy nor too tight, but drapes gracefully.  High-neck A-line shift dresses are perfect, as are knee-length pencil skirts.  Avoid pants.
• Liner and lipstick.  Trade in the smudgy, slept-in shadow for subtle flicks of liquid liner and pale pink or coral lipstick.
• Bold accessories.  Ditch the delicate jewelry and pair some glitzy or geometric costume jewelry with a simple monochromatic dress.  If you can’t be bothered to do your hair, wear a turban.
• Heels! 

Resources:

Films
Down With Love (Renee Zellweger)
Breakfast At Tiffany’s (Audrey Hepburn)
Roman Holiday (Audrey Hepburn)
Pillow Talk (Doris Day)
Send Me No Flowers (Doris Day)
Any Alfred Hitchcock movie

Books
Audrey Style (Pamela Keogh Clarke)
Jackie Style (Pamela Keogh Clarke)
A Thousand Days of Magic: Dressing Jackie Kennedy for the White House (Oleg Cassini)
The Bombshell Manual of Style (Laren Stover)

Down With Love Fashion Gallery: http://www.eonline.com/Features/Features/Heatwave2003/Movies/DownWithLove/Fashion/index.html?dwlfash 

Little Gems:  Need a tan but the sun is still hiding out?  Visit www.mist-on.com, www.mystictan.com,  or www.fantasytan.com to find an airbrush tanning booth nearby.  Be a caramel, “Jenny-From-The-Block” color in the privacy of your own ‘hood.

MegaStyles™ muses: When you go shopping, do you 1) make a list and stick to it, 2) make a list and deviate, or 3) not even bother with lists because you only shop by impulse?  Email musings@megastyles.com

"Sometimes fashion moves from the moment to the moment to the moment.  But where is the integrity in design?"

                                                            - Donna Karan