PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE
Dressing the modern-day femme fatale, skirts are fall’s favourite comeback story
Alfred Hitchcock created the perfect vision of the femme fatale in his iconic films,
The Birds, Rear Window, and Vertigo. In his movies, the legendary director had Tippi Hedren, Grace Kelly, and Kim Novak entice gullible men, with immaculate blonde hair, pearls, gloves, and tapered pencil skirts. Little wonder then that Gucci’s Frida Giannini, known for the subtle sex appeal of her designs,
chose as her inspiration the Hitchcock heroine: Ladylike, with undertones of fetish. This ’50s film-noir mood also spilled onto tailored skirts that grazed the knee in a sexy, subversive way at Jonathan Saunders and Marc Jacobs. Tactile, and tough yet womanly, this trend for
midis intensified at the Céline show. Phoebe Philo’s genius encapsulated how the modern woman wants to dress: Unafraid of her femininity and not hiding behind androgynous shapes, her skirts move like the salsa and circle the knee. However, where there was sharpness, there was contrasting ease as well, as seen at Sanchita Ajjampur who combined
relaxed knit pullovers with a severe, straight midi. Then there was the complex minimalism of structure that Alexander Wang borrowed from the Balenciaga archives for his first show for the storied Spanish fashion house. Wang created seemingly austere skirts with a long, narrow line that
gave them a sculptural quality. The key to wearing skirts this fall is contrasting proportion. Pair circle skirts with fitted jackets for skirt-suits, crop tops with floor-grazing maxi lengths, softly ruffled silk blouses with stern tweed numbers, and girlish dirndls with form-fitting turtleneck knits. You can also take a cue from Dries Van Noten who layered his skirts over sharp trousers for a feminine twist. Minimal in appearance yet complicated in cut, the new skirt is a combination of length and wave. It is clear that a new trend is taking place and can transition from workwear to cocktail hour depending on how you style it. Just like there is a right guy out there for every woman despite the many complications of love, there is the perfect silhouette when it comes to skirts, one that flatters every woman’s body type. All it takes is getting risqué with the rise and fall of the hem, to turn any skirt into the ultimate weapon of seduction.