Billie Holiday once sang “Autumn in New York, why does it seem so inviting?” While that may simply be a song lyric, it sums it up perfectly. There truly is a magical feeling this time of year in New York; the fall color in the park, the crisp air pierced by the warm sun, sipping Manhattans at cocktail hour. Maybe it’s just the residual high of fashion week from the previous month, but I find the fashion best of all. Cashmere sweaters layered under beautiful wool coats, scarves artfully tied, and classic Burberry trench coats. Living in Southern California where casual attire and athleisure are more prominent than the sunshine, seeing people dressed up is more rare than July rain in Los Angeles. In a city with the population of New York, of course there are still plenty of people who dress casually. But what I find myself most drawn to are the stylish little old ladies dressed to the nines. It’s a reminder of an era not too long ago when people put effort into how they dressed. When they took pride in what they wore, and never left home without a hat. The well tailored matching tweed sets, brooches, wool felt berets, and Ferragamo loafers were so refreshing to see. Knowing that these women still got up every morning and put effort into how they appear to the world is inspiring to me.
This makes me wonder about my generation’s future. At 75 years old, are we still going to be wearing Lululemon yoga pants everywhere with gray hair in a messy topknot? Clothing is progressively getting more and more casual, and it seems that people’s mentality towards style is also changing. Dressing and investing in well-made, well-tailored clothes used to be the norm. Now there appears to be a stigma around dressing up. Awhile back, I read an issue of Vanity Fair that had a survey about fashion (Here the internet has let me down. Try as I might, I could not find the official stats from this survey). The consensus was that more people are afraid of being over-dressed and would rather show up to an event under-dressed. When did this drastic switch happen? I can’t help but wonder what that means for the future of fashion.
It may seem like nostalgia, the past always being better than the present, but it’s hard to argue that the style of yesteryear wasn’t superior to now (Watch a few old movies if you need proof). That’s actually a big part of why some of my favorite pieces are not recent. This wool Oscar de la Renta jacket is from the Resort 2007 collection and is incredibly timeless. I am a huge fan of Oscar de la Renta, the man and what he designed. In my opinion, he created some of the most timeless clothing of all time. His designs weren’t about shock value, but wearability. He once said “I want to make clothes that people will wear, not styles that make a big splash on the runway” I believe that is what good style and good design is all about. It’s not about creating short lived trends, but creating clothing that is still relevant almost 13 years later.
With a piece this timeless, I’m pretty confident I’ll be wearing it with everything from jeans to cocktail dresses for another 13 years.
