Wednesday, April 24, 2002

Remember the Man Capri?

Fashion trends appear at times unexplainable, but in reality, all can be traced to one source- Europe. The man-capri pant, Burberry plaid, and wearing a silk scarf around your neck that serves no purpose except as a chiffon choker- these faux pas all began in the place that trendy, late-night radio DJs refer to as "across the pond."

When my cousin in Spain, seeking news of home, expressed her hopes that the new trend of wearing a skirt over a pair of pants would not make it to the states, I sadly shook my head. Recalling the skirt and pant-clad friends I had bid farewell to just days before, I said, "It's too late."

Apparently the fashion spirit of the Eighties has returned, taking the layered look a step beyond mismatched tank tops and off-the-shoulder sweatshirts. Skirts are being adorned over pants on the streets of Minneapolis. And if the farmers' daughters are doing it, it has certainly already spread everywhere else.

The desired effect is to cleverly combine dressy and relaxed. But please, before you attempt this feat at your next "business-casual" meeting, recognize that the accomplished impression is less stylish, and more akin to what my mother would describe as "ragamuffin."

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