Bay Area Fashionista

Torn Denim Trend: Fabulous or Faux-Pas?

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion / Trends  tagged 1980s / 1990s / denim / historical fashion / spring 2010 / vintage styles by

It is hard to believe that roughly twenty years ago torn denim  was a mainstay in San Francisco Bay Area fashion. Everyone had holes, rips and cuts in at least one spot of their jeans. From elementary age children through to adults torn jeans were the only casual pants of choice. If anyone dared to leave the house without so much as a string hanging from his/her jeans, that person was destined for embarrassment. Many fashionistas in the bay area would buy a great pair of Levi’s, Guess jeans or even Bongo jeans and take a large pair of scissors to the knees and the bottom of the derrière. To buy the jeans already torn was considered, well, unfashionable!

Fashionistas in the late 1980s and early 1990s began to get very creative with their torn jeans. Many people wanted to have the most severe rips possible, and in order to achieve this the pants no longer kept certain parts covered. In order to wear these severe cuts, many creative fashionistas went down to the fabric store and found interesting remnants that could be used to cover the holes of the jeans around the parts that needed covering; the derrière! Patches were sewn inside the jeans in order to ensure that all of the strings from the cuts could still be seen from the outside. Women opted for small florals and medium sized paisley’s while men preferred solid colors or handkerchiefs. As the early-nineties approached, jeans barely looked like pants anymore, and as a result, there was a backlash. Denim pants, once again, enjoyed the rest of the decade in one piece; free of cuts.

Denim has been whole ever since the torn trend ceased, but, Spring 2010 and Fall 2010 have challenged denim fabric once again. The runways for Spring 2010 showed cuts, rips and tears with hanging string around the knees on denim pants. Fall 2010 runways displayed a full-blown torn denim trend; a clear throwback to the late 1980s and early 1990s. This time around, it seems that torn denim is already on store bought jeans. Will we see a revival of hand-made cuts? Much like the tie-dye trend, the torn denim trend is one that can be done at home. All a fashionista on a budget needs is a pair of jeans and a pair of scissors. After the cuts have strategically been made, wash the jeans. Voilà! Denim that is right on trend.

Although torn denim is appearing all over the runways and has made it onto store shelves at The Gap, Diesel and major departments stores, does this mean it is catching on? Will the next decade be filled with ripped jeans? If you wore torn jeans as a teen, will you wear them again? The big question still remains; Are torn or ripped jeans fashion fabulous or fashion train wreck?

The Seasonless “IT” Bag

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion / Handbags  tagged chanel / classic style / investment dressing / shoulder bags by

The San Francisco Bay Area is proud to be a region that classifies its style as “classic.” Here in the Bay Area, as well as most of the country, women’s handbags are as much of a status symbol as a man’s car.  Since the region is flush with millionaires and wannabe millionaires, it comes as no surprise that one of the most popular purses on the shoulders of the well-dressed is the classic Chanel 2.55 or flap handbag.

This fabulous purse was invented by Coco Chanel, who wanted a handbag that would free up her hands. She designed a handbag with a strap and introduced it in 1929. In 1955 she was enjoying a resurgence in popularity so she decided to update her handbag design and in February 1955 she introduced the 2.55 handbag. This beautiful black handbag had a burgundy interior and secret zipper pocket which Coco used to store love letters. As the decades have moved forward to present day, the remake of this handbag is known as the “reissue 2.55” and it comes in a variety of colors on vintage-treated lambskin.

Chanel also has a classic take on this handbag which was introduced by Karl Lagerfeld. This is a similar style to the reissue 2.55 but instead of a traditional clasp, there is an interlocking “CC” symbol on the clasp. The chain strap also has the same fabric as the handbag weaved through it. One chain strap takes an artisan roughly 17 hours to complete. This variation of the classic Chanel handbag is called the “Classic Flap” handbag. The classic flap comes in a variety of fabrications such as lambskin, caviar leather, jersey, tweed, patent leather, patent vinyl and other seasonal fabrics.

Every Fall, Winter and Spring the San Francisco Bay Area is host to many fabulous semi-formal events such as the Junior League of San Jose Fashion Show Luncheon. If a fashionista takes a moment to look at the handbags on the shoulders of many women in attendance at these events, she will notice a pattern. On average, one in five women is wearing the Chanel Classic Flap or 2.55. The majority of them are in black! Some women wear theirs with silver hardware while others gold. The size of choice varies as well. There are small, east/west flaps, medium flaps, jumbo flaps, maxi flaps and the 2.55 in sizes 226 and 227. It is amazing how many fashionable ladies in the Bay Area carry the same handbag for these special events!

It is very interesting to think about what attracts women to the same handbag. Critics may say it is because the handbag is made by Chanel and women are buying into a brand. Other critics may say it is because women like to keep up with the Jones. Who are the Jones anyway? The reason so many women in the San Francisco Bay Area flock to Chanel for their classic handbags is because the handbag is just that, “Classic.” Not only does Chanel give you a lifetime warranty on the construction of the bag, it is made to withstand the test of time. Chanel has the top resale value out of any handbag designer. Vintage Chanel handbags hold their value, as the prices for new Chanel flaps and 2.55’s increase, so does the resale value of the vintage purses. Therefore, if one were to purchase a Chanel bag in 1985 and sell it in 2015, she may very well make a $2000 profit! This is one reason investment dressing is so popular in the Bay Area. With one of the highest concentrations of graduate degrees in the country, the San Francisco Bay Area is home to women who know the value of the dollar and a hot commodity when they see it.

Fresh New Tie-Dye for Spring and Summer 2010!

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion / Trends  tagged historical fashion / spring 2010 / tie dye by

There are few fashions on the runways that take us back to our childhood yet retain enough allure to keep us wanting more. Those of us who remember the 1970’s in the San Francisco Bay Area have memories of bowls filled with dye, boxes of rubber bands and a stark white tee-shirt. We used to twist and turn our tee-shirt’s while wrapping several rubber bands around the white cloth. After preparing our tee-shirt, we used to dip our creation in every dye bowl available and try to create as many colors as possible on our art project. This very colorful and wet article of clothing was then placed carefully in a plastic bag and taken home to be hand-washed in ice cold water. The child who came to school the next day with the most colorful tee-shirt won the bragging rights as the tie-dye champ of the class.

Teenagers and adults wore tie-dye as a political statement rather than a show of artistic ability. In the 1960’s the San Francisco Bay Area saw an emergence of anti-establishment culture spurred by the backlash to the Vietnam War. Tie-Dye shirts were seen as a way of expressing oneself in a non-conformist way. This made the style very popular among the anti-war crowd. Our local musical culture also latched on to the tie-dye style and many concert tee-shirts for bands such as the Grateful Dead showed symbols of the group as well as being tie-dyed. Although tie-dye had political significance in the 1960’s, it moved into the mainstream by the 1970’s. Once a style becomes mainstream, it eventually makes it way into the creative offices of the fashion industry.

We have seen tie-dye enjoy a resurgence over the decades since the anti-war movement came to an end. Tie-dye appeared in the 1980’s on prairie skirts, tank tops and headbands. It made another, smaller comeback in the 1990’s but became overshadowed when Paris Designers opted for the dip-dyed or ombre look. The ombre look came back in style during the mid 2000’s and has since gone back to the storage containers in our closets. This has left room for tie-dye to make a fresh start for 2010. Tie-dye popped up on the Spring 2010 runways in various forms from single color dye to rainbow kaleidoscopes. Designers such as Peter Som, Proenza Schouler, Bottega Veneta, Herve Leger and Calvin Klein showed garments such as tight, 1980’s style mini-dresses, cardigan sweaters, mini-skirts and of course tee-shirts. Accessories have also taken on the trend in the form of canvas totes, espadrille’s and scarves. Designers experimented with different types of fabrics as well. In addition to cotton, models donned tie-dyed silk, polyester, wool and even fur. (Of course you may not see much fur here in the bay area!)

Tie-Dye not only holds many memories for bay area fashionistas, it is also a current fashion statement. This is one trend fashionistas do not need to spend money on, rather, it is a trend to take advantage of and have fun creating. As our beautiful Spring weather approaches, why not invite a few friends over and have a tie-dye party! There are plenty of white garments to dye with one color or create a kaleidescope of beautiful shades. Why not tie-dye a dress with the bright blue of the season! A scarf would also make a fabulous fashion splash and be the prefect accessory to keep your shoulders warm just in case the fog rolls in; and the fog always rolls in! Be creative, and do not forget to tell us what you came up with! Whether you are making a political statement or a fashion statement, tie-dye is a current fashion DO!