Thursday, September 17, 2009

oversize.

the trend of the boyfriend blazer and 80's inspired accentuated shoulders seems to continue. the easiest way to rock the bf blazer is to get a jacket that has a sharp shoulderline and a straight cut, i.e. simply more masculine than the curve enhancing female blazer. looks good on everyone, but may lack a bit on the edginess.

as much as i love the chic look of the slightly masculine blazer on a womanly frame, going a little over-the-top adds the desired roughness and, i think, fun to the blazer look. additionally, despite effortless chic being something i admire, going slightly more fashion-forward feels better. today, that is.

unfortunately, attempting the fashionista may translate to a visually devastating trip. accentuating shoulders or going overly slouchy and large works heavenly on the runway, but in real life, doing oversize is tricky: if you're short, the result is easily midget-like and heavy. if you're tall, you may look overwhelmingly large sideways as well: skinny legs may save you, but the result may be a pinheaded popsicle. for someone mid-sized and not so skinny-legged – like yours truly – the result often just looks off-beat and wrong: wide, slouchy and droopy in all the wrong places.

since a huge part of my personal style evolvement (grandiose terms to uplift a less grandiose project...) is to try looks that i'd intuitively steer clear of, i'm gonna show off two little numbers that i love despite the fact that they are definitely oversize and over-shouldered. the trick saving me from ultimate disaster is a little piece of woven fabric. now that we've entered scarf season, i can pull the extra width off: my long and narrow neck creates an unfortunate resenblance to e.t when combined with necklines that do not fit just right.

the first coat is from a nostalgic trip to stockholm in 2007 when jaakko and i went tipsy shopping during the best festival ever, accelerator. i found this miami vicey blazer from downstairs the weekday store. instant ridiculous love with two layers of grey pinstripes, narrow collars, folded and padded shoulders.


coat second-hand c&a, sheer oversize tee by rick owens, necklaces by i know why no and my o my, leggings by pieces, boots and scarf by vivienne westwood, bracelet by bless.


for the chillier days, i've gone sloughier: this woolen martin margiela 6 blazer is humongous and humorous to an equal measure – therefore the grumpy face (i actually have no idea why i look so grim in the pic...). it's most flattering with a high heel creating an illusion of a catwalk cape crusader, but that will not stop me from wearing it with flats – i'm just a regular gal who needs to run to places, after all.

the dropping shoulder accentuates the fact that mine are naturally delicate and the length of the coat shortens me tremendously. perhaps the jacket allows me or provides an opportunity to explore the way i'd feel much shorter – something i always wanted to be.



everything as above, blazer by martin margiela 6.

both blazers are over two years old, but i still dig them out regularly and find myself intrigued by their possibilities. what do you think: do you fear the hulk-like shoulder? are you keen on sloughy potato sacks? open up and let me know...

4 comments:

Anna said...

Tosi mahtavia bleisereitä, tosi mahtavia lookkeja! Mä siis niin todella ihailen sun kykyä rakentaa maskuliinisia ja feminiinisiä elementtejä hienostuneesti ja oivaltavasti yhdisteleviä asuja!

Olet kovin oikeassa siinä, mitä sanot oversize-vaatteiden haasteellisuudesta. Mä rakastan niitä, mutta niiden toimimaan saattaminen ei ole helppoa (vaikutelma meikäläisellä on tosiaankin tuo "kääpiö"). Mutta toisaalta - hassua kyllä - on päiviä, jolloin kääpiömäisyys ei ole este eikä ongelma. Ja sellaisina päivinä pukeudun reippaasti ja hyvällä fiiliksellä oversize-aarteisiini, ja olen kreisistä silhuetista huolimatta ihan tyytyväinen meininkiin: toisinaan pienuuttaan on ihan jees korostaa. Mulle oversize-jutut ja -kokeilut on useinkin hatunnostoja suuresti ihailemilleni ja kunnioittamilleni japanilaisille avantgardisteille. Esim. Issey Miyakella on ihan uskomattomia "jättivaatteita"! Love them!

Toinen kiinnostava ääripää ovat tietenkin tavalla tai toisella liian pienet vaatteet. Tykkään leikitellä esim. liian pienillä jakuilla, sillä ne saavat mun naurettavan lyhyet käteni näyttämään hieman pitemmiltä. :) Liian niukka ja piukka on muuten jotakin, mikä mua jotenkin erityisesti tänä syksynä on ihastuttanut. Toisaalta kyllä oversize ehdottomasti myös! Ääripäät kiehtovat jotenkin nyt erityisen paljon.

Sugar Kane said...

I love your outfits in pics and over-sized blazer suited you even better IRL the other day! I should dig out mine more often, although I'd wear it with heels. Then again, I wear everything with heels...

Kamicha said...

Both jackets look great on you - and they remind me of my project to search something like that from second hand shops.

I think that pictures are more unforgiving than impression in real life, when playing with exaggerated proportions like those. When the wearer is seen in move the brain gets the real dimensions of the body sooner or later - plus draping and movement breathe life to oversized garments.

stellagee said...

anna, kiitos. jättivaatteet ovat mun mielestä parhaimmillaan pienikokoisten päällä. juuri issey miyake -tyyppiset ratkaisut ovat ihastuttavia, jos kantaja on selvästi lyhyt. tai vaihtoehtoisesti honkkelinpitkä. tämä mun traumojentäyteinen suhteeni omituisiin siluetteihin on siis ihan suoraan yhteydessä mun "keskikokooni"...

tuo niukkaakin piukempi ääripää on mulle vaikea: oisko syynä kesälösähdys vai mikä, mutta sitä vielä odotellaan.

sugar kane, thanks sweetie. yeah, i guess the photos don't do the garments justice. and yup, wearing them with heels is the way to go, and i would, too, if i wasn't feeling downright lazy...

kamicha, thanks! a great one is surprisingly hard to find although there's a mass of oversize jackets around. so good luck in your hunt.

and what a superb way to describe the limits of oversize in 2d. "breath life", yes, exactly!