Tag: Farm Rio

Elizabeth Taylor in a Wild Dress

Wild, Wild Nights and Days

 

 

 

 

By Michelle Crowe

 

Elizabeth Taylor in a wild print with Richard Burton.

 

Oh, August, the Sunday night of summer. Some approach it by wearing linen as often as possible. Others go loose, which is easier than ever with all the oversized silhouettes out there this summer. However one chooses to stay cool and chic all month long, this is not the year to play it safe.

 

The vibe is family beach vacation.

 

It’s a time to go a little wild with vibrant prints and exuberant patterns. The inspiration point is Acapulco in its heyday photographed by Slim Aarons rather than the muted tones of today’s Tulum.

Or perhaps Kitty Spencer’s wedding weekend outside of Rome, where friends of the bride chose florals, polka dots and other happy prints.

 

 Tom Ford For Gucci Spring 1999.

 

Go the sustainable route and dig out past favorites from the back of your closet, especially if you are still in possession of a Tom Ford for Gucci Spring 1999 dress or anything from Giambattista Valli.

 

Vintage Lilly Pulitzer Mens Stuff label.

 

If you pandemic purged a little too hard and no longer have any wild treasures from the past fabulous brands like Farm Rio from Brazil and Zimmerman from Australia bring the sunshine with every design. Indulge in a little retail therapy and this time plan to hang onto your finds.

Men should also feel free to revive their Steven Stolman toile pants or cheeky Lilly Pulitzer Mens Stuff blazer.

 

Farm Rio Spring 2021.

 

Let’s all agree to bring the sunshine in August. We’ll go back to being refined and sticking to a neutral color palette when the temperature drops in a few weeks. For now, choose ensembles that feel like parties to make every moment something extra special. Be your most amazing self whether you’re on Mykonos or popping over to Mariano’s to pick up a few things.

Bring on the fun dresses to keep away the summer blues. We’ll get back to business in September.

 

 

Christy Turlington Wears Christian Lacroix

Pump Up The Volume

 

 

 

 

By Michelle Crowe

 

 

Christy Turlington in Christian Lacroix Haute Couture 1991

 

It might be that no one wants to be a shrinking violet when going out feels fabulous after being home for so long. It might be that some are still uncomfortable in close proximity and are looking for a barely perceptible way to telegraph the desire for personal space. Possibly it’s simply that girls like to twirl, and twirling is best with more fabric. Extreme volume is everywhere and it’s the most fun way to get dressed for any summer lunch or cocktail party. when going out feels fabulous after being home for so long.

 

A bubble and a pouf from Stella Jean

 

The pouf sleeves, bubble skirts and flouncy flourishes call to mind the optimism of the late 1980s and early 1990s when Christian Lacroix was the brightest star in Paris and his design aesthetic trickled into all the best dress shops and departments.

Those were the days.

 

A Christian Lacroix jacket and skirt from 1988 would look just as fab this season

 

One might argue that those days are back, but in cotton rather than silk and with a relaxed and ready for anything vibe that is way more hot Cheetos than haute couture. Any cursory scroll through Instagram the past few weeks brought up images of happy, smiling, beautiful women wearing the latest Target Designer Dress Collection, specifically the frocks designed by Christopher John Rogers.

This CFDA emerging designer of the year creates for women with a strong sense of self. His color sense is flawless, his flair for the dramatic is perfection. These dresses are just what people want right now – statement clothes that make the wearer feel beautiful.

 

Christopher John Rogers for Target

 

With a very accessible price point and no waiting for made-to-measure, this is major style with minor commitment. It’s unlikely that the brilliant Costume Council of The Chicago History Museum will ever exhibit these fab frocks, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from wearing and enjoying one this summer.

Those who still have their exquisite original Lacroix dresses should pull them out of the tissue and hit a dance floor, any dance floor, as soon as possible.

 

Farm Rio takes the volume down a notch, but keeps the exuberance.