One of the looks for Victoria Beckham’s fall 2017 collection: a billowy skirt paired with a generously proportioned turtleneck sweater and slouchy, knee-high leather boots, all in a raspberry and burgundy color combination.
Cocoon in Vince in comfortable and practical pieces for weekday. Pleated midi skirt with a floral print ($275), leggings and cable-knit turtleneck ($395) and ankle boots. Shopspring.com.
Velvet wide-leg trousers ($99.90) from Massimo Dutti in an unexpected army green are paired with a matching jacket for a relaxed but sophisticated evening ensemble.
Fall is the season of the suit, like this plaid one with a long jacket and midi-skirt from Raf Simons’s first collection for Calvin Klein. Note the red cowboy boots, which takes the seriousness down a couple of notches.
Seen on the fall runway of Danish designer By Malene Birger, this ribbed turtleneck sweater with metallic threads has sleeves that graze the elbow. $495, netaporter.com.
Amy Smilovic is a big believer in the oversize trend. It’s easy to see how a girl could hide in this high-neck check dress with billowy bodice and sleeves. Again, boots add the fun factor in this photo from the Tibi fall 2017 runway.
Multi-color, floral print high-collar blouse with fabric bow detail and long puffy sleeves with pleats on the seams has a Gucci vibe without the high price. $49.90, zara.com.
A polished, monochromatic outfit that’s all covered up. For her 2017 runway, Carolina Herrera paired a kind of preppy crewneck ribbed sweater with a feminine flowy chiffon and lace skirt.
Joseph’s oversize suit with classic men’s tailoring reads feminine because of the irrepressible pink color. Jacket, $895; turtleneck, $245; pants, $675, joseph-fashion.com.
FOR MICHELLE OBAMA’S official White House portrait in 2009, she bared sculpted arms and then again for former President Obama’s first congressional speech, never mind that it was February. The public gasped but it wasn’t long before women were heading to the gym to lift weights so they could show off toned biceps and triceps in sleeveless sheaths. Fast forward to today, when for her portrait, Melania Trump chose a black tuxedo jacket with a thin black scarf around the neck, an almost military look, noted New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman.
Last April, Friedman called it a reflection of our current culture that women are taking cover in high-necked, voluminous blouses, suits and mid-length skirts and dresses. (Now that cold weather is finally arriving, add turtlenecks and big sweaters to that list.) No doubt the recent spate of sexual harassment charges against Bill O’Reilly, Harvey Weinstein, Terry Richardson and so many more (including the U.S. president who hasn’t been prosecuted) are influencing women to arm themselves in clothing.
As well as offering protection from winter chills, there’s also something appealing about hiding one’s less desirable body bits in oversize jackets and pantsuits. Still, all covered up won’t suit everyone’s figure. For example, petite figures will want to avoid the dwarfing effects of a midi-skirt and slouchy sweater. And oversize anything doesn’t work for larger women either. Monochromatic pairings of, say a trim knit and a pencil skirt, convey a covered-up effect without all the extra fabric. And if you absolutely hate this trend, take comfort. As a Washington Post colleague once remarked about Mrs. Obama’s arms, don’t get too pumped up. No one will care as much about their bare arms and/or wearing sleeveless sheaths in a few years.
In the photos above, see what designers like Victoria Beckham and Amy Smilovic of Tibi showed on their fall/winter 2017 runways and our picks for ways to wear the look off the runway.
—Janet Kelly
MyLittleBird often includes links to products we write about. Our editorial choices are made independently; nonetheless, a purchase made through such a link can sometimes result in MyLittleBird receiving a commission on the sale, whether through a retailer, an online store or Amazon.com.
The fact we are covering up now is, to me, an expression of the insecurity we, as women, are feeling for our country, general freedoms and specifically women’s freedoms. It is almost as if we are arming ourselves. The confidence of Michelle Obama’s sculpted arms isn’t so confident that we are still headed forward anymore. Rather that we need to pay attention to safeguarding what we thought was a given.
I think that fashion felt the rumbles early. This oversize, cover-it-all-up trend started a couple of years ago. I’m only hoping that the pendulum swings back.
The fact we are covering up now is, to me, an expression of the insecurity we, as women, are feeling for our country, general freedoms and specifically women’s freedoms. It is almost as if we are arming ourselves. The confidence of Michelle Obama’s sculpted arms isn’t so confident that we are still headed forward anymore. Rather that we need to pay attention to safeguarding what we thought was a given.
I think that fashion felt the rumbles early. This oversize, cover-it-all-up trend started a couple of years ago. I’m only hoping that the pendulum swings back.