At Ease

This Bill Cunningham page from the NY Times Style section in October 2010 is a favorite I keep in my tear sheet folder. Why? Because I’m a fan of elegant simplicity and these are the kind of clothes (and women whose style) I love. Not all of us can pull off (or buy) a swishy Alaïa fringe belt a la Virginie Mouzat (not sure she bought hers either), but it’s fun in theory. An oversized white shirt, however, is always good. For a sleek wool coat, Stella McCartney still makes the best (mine, like the beige below but in navy, is years old and still gets use). Here is what Bill had to say. It still rings true:

“A number of women in Paris were noticeably intent on putting together a practical solution to modern dress, stripping away embellishments for the art of simplicity. This is a necessary step since many designers are intent on the high jinks of clothes for celebrities on the red carpet, paying little attention to the needs of women competing in the modern world. For many women, the starting point was a creative white shirt. Above, the women’s haberdasher style is closely related to the tailoring of men, but there is no mistaking that these clothes were made for the bodies of women.”