When it comes to the holidays, clothing-related gifts are a given. From your girlfriends’ handmade scarf to your nana’s annual Christmas sweater, almost all of these items will be of the winterwear variety. After New Years’, you’ll likely get four months’ wear out of those mittens and peacoats, tops. If you’re looking to buy someone you and/or someone you love an item of clothing this year, consider purchasing spring or summer clothing instead. Along with great markdowns on seasonal clothing, you’ll be able to beat the crowd to some of next season’s coolest style trends.
Lace
John Richmond, Valentino
By normative standards, lace is hardly the most masculine material. Regardless, designers like Carlo Pignatelli and Pierre Cardin threw their middle fingers to the gender police this year by showcasing lacy menswear. Paired with this years’ fixation on clothing with cutouts, the Richmond top pictured above makes for an easy DIY project involving a secondhand lace dress, a slim fitting polo, and some scissors.
Lace also has a big presence in dresses and blouses (Dolce and Gabbana, Alexander McQueen). Lest you resemble Jenny Schecter in a doily dress, just know that less is more when it comes to the material.
Alternative: Side Lace Dress by Classique, $58
Body Harnesses
Herve Leger, Jason Wu
Between the revival of Helmut Newton’s BDSM-themed black and white photography and the seemingly nonstop cultural references to 50 Shades of How To Not Do Sadomasochism, body harnesses have become a staple for many designers, most notably Alexander McQueen. Fortunately, many of the harnesses on the runway look a little less like a prop from Secretary and more like something you could actually wear home without making your mother faint. Made out of everything from leather to metal to elastic, harnesses can be worn over form-fitting dresses or tops. They also look just as hot — if not more — when worn beneath a sheer and androgynous oxford shirt.
Alternatives:
Black body harness c/o Etsy, $35
Jailbird Stripes
Marc Jacobs, Moschino
If you’ve ever harbord a secret desire to be Beetlejuice or Elvis circa “Jailhouse Rock,” 2013 is the year to do it.
Alternatives:
Tripp NYC Overdyed Super Strip pants, $69
Are You Free Tonight? dress, $59.99
American Apparel striped oxford, $15-52
Seafoam Green
Mugler, Donna Karan
Like lace, aquatic colors such as seafoam have been heavily featured in many spring/summer 2013 collections for all genders mermaids and mermen alike.
Alternatives:
Spring In Every Season jeans, $53
Bethany Tuxedo top, $39.95
Ethereal Elegance dress, $59.99
yay! I’m wearing my seafoam green tights/hat combo right now! so in fashion.
Moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty.
Also totally ahead of the curve, my hair turns into a dark seafoam color when I go too long without dying it. I win.
I loooove that seafoam color blue hair dye fades to.
I kind of want to just straight-up dye my hair seafoam green, it’s really the prettiest colour. Can’t seem to find the right dye, though.
Try a teal dye and dilute it with conditioner. Also strand tests are helpful!
I love the body harness trend! I’ll definitely be rocking that this spring.
SO relieved vertical stripes are finally maybe a thing. Because I love stripes but damn if I don’t feel judged in horizontal stripes.
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who is scarred by Jenny wearing doilies.
That sound? That’s my budget and my closet exploding. Seriously amazing list.
Lace forever and ever amen.
Are merfolk not allowed to be nonbinary or something?
I was confused by that too! Was that a comment on how it’s not for humans, it’s for merfolk? Or how it’s not for all genders of merfolk?
MERFOLK, is the answer to this.
You guys are overthinking this; I’m just an incidental idiot who made a critical error in linguistics. Merfolk it is! xoxo.
I’m wearing a striped seafoam lace harness
the body harness trend is so beautiful!
Kimbra sports striped leggings in a video of her performing “Settle Down” live. She pairs it with a black top and green cardigan. very cute
I knew holding on to that seafoam green seersucker blazer would pan out in the end. Also? For body harnesses, Zana Bayne is the real deal: http://shop.zanabayne.com
Or or or VPL lingerie, which always has that harness-y look, and which is kind of meant to be worn to be seen on, um, the outside: http://store.vplnyc.com/collections/lingerie