Pink Rock Candy – Top fashion trends, news and shopping of 2010

Last December, while contemplating the trend of sheer clothing and underwear as outerwear, I fell in love with the 3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2010 collection, not because it was sheer and scandalous, but because it had the essence of being barely there without showing the world what ya’ momma gave you. Lo and behold. While perusing the Modcloth website, I stumbled upon magical a skirt that was more than inspired by the collection.

It has the same perfect broomstick pleats (or as Modcloth calls them “accordion pleats”), rarely seen in modern clothing— I’ve loved the way they flow since I bought my first and only 3.1 Phillip Lim dress on consignment for a whopping $300.

Yes, it does make me sick to think about paying that much for a dress.

To be honest, the Midnight Foil Skirt [affiliate link] might just be crossing the line from inspired to replica. I’m still unsure as to which side of the real/fake battle I’m supposed to take. On one hand I believe that fashion is art, and it being so, any recreations should at least be termed replicas. On the other hand, I’m in no way wealthy enough to afford most full priced high-fashion pieces of clothing and being able to find something similar at a price I can afford is wonderful.

All plagues on my conscience aside, I’m completely infatuated with this skirt and might just have to buy it before the holidays. It’s a perfect Christmas party/New Year’s Eve skirt, no?

Last week, I decided to watch How to Marry a Millionaire with my mom followed by a Mad Men marathon, to get me out of a funk. After, oohing and ahhing over the clothes, I realized if I could go back in time, one of the only eras I would visit is the 50s/early-60s.

I love over-the-top circle skirts, and the way girdles made everyone’s waist look like it was the size of my pinky— I’m not a fan of the pain, though.

I started thinking about where I could get that look without heading to a costume shop. My mind quickly flashed to the Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 collection. I’ve been tweeting obsessively about the big, bold and sometimes leather, skirts for almost a month. They make me want fall so badly, but for over $2,000, I’m going to have to pass on the LV version.

Here are my top, less expensive, picks:
1. We Love Vera Licorice Lanes Skirt, $78
2. Sparkle & Fade Full Voile Skirt, $58
3. French Connection Otis Skirt, $54

In a sea of fashionistas in skinnies, there’s the fabulous Rachel Zoe in her trademark 7 For All Mankind bellbottoms, now lovingly dubbed ‘The Rachel’.

RZ pairs them with everything from a flowy bohemian top to a t-shirt and a Louis Vuitton jacket—do you remember the season two episode of the Rachel Zoe Project when she thought she was going to die?

You, too, can take the road less traveled and get your limited edition pair of ‘The Rachel’ bellbottoms, exclusively a Piperlime for $169.

Hurry, because I’m sure they’ll sell like hotcakes.

From left to right: 3.1 Phillip Lim S/S 2010 – Style.com; ‘The Vanna Grey Dress’, $63 – Modcloth.com; Fendi Blouse, $960 – Net-A-Porter.com; 3.1 Phillip Lim Tiered Silk Mini Skirt, $550 – Net-A-Porter.com

I’ve grown up in a time of platform sneakers and boy-bashing tees, bell bottom jeans and cropped tops, and of late, shoulder pads and metal overload. The only thing I’ve yet to truly experience in my short lifetime is pretty sophistication. Sure, I had pretty as a baby with my itchy crinoline dresses and patent leather mary janes, and there is always some level of sophistication, but it’s never been trendy, and in 2010, I hope my cravings for what I lack will be satiated.

For spring, it seems the fashion industry is divided. The editors will quite obviously fill their magazines with the underwear as outwear trends seen all over the runway, while the rest of the world looks on in horror or at least confused amusement. New York Magazine‘s The Cut Blog even describes spring’s look as “a lot of panty bottoms and feminine ruffles and bras we’re supposed to wear as tops. You know, conventional femininity of yore, skank gear [...]“, but I’m not exactly sure that’s what spring will be.

Sure, that may be what slinky models wore down the runway and what will be on display in a Vogue of your choice, but I’m not sure designers or editors, for that matter, are as incredibly out of touch as people are making them seem. I’m sure they realize the proletariat masses aren’t going to be seen wearing a boudoir style bra while walking down Broadway— unless it’s a work uniform of course.

I think… I hope… the boudoir movement is less about getting naked and more about how it feels to be naked, the sexiness and apprehension you feel when peeling off your clothes for another person, the delicateness of a woman’s body. We’ve experienced an eternity, at least in fashion years, of geometric silhouettes, skinny jeans, and sharp shoulders, but now it’s time to be pretty. It’s time to strip away all the armor and replace it with amour, to work with the natural, soft, feminine beauty, and this doesn’t mean every fabric worn should be sheer, garters should show, or actual shirts should disappear. It just means, the clothes created and worn should feel good against your skin and make you feel as if you’re baring it all without having to bare anything, all things I personally feel Phillip Lim, though a young designer, does quite well.

Lim’s spring 2010 collection is going to be my personal guide to nudity because not only are the designs pretty, something I’ve longed for, but they evoke a certain boudoir feel without actually going that extra mile and put panties on preview.