Elle UK - 11.2019

“ IT’S A LONG

VERSION OF

the BL A ZER,

INTENDED TO

BE WORN

sansTROUSERS ”

*Dove Global Beaut y and Confidence Report, 2O16. Photography: Gett y Images, Imaxtree. Fashion: Molly Haylor.

55

ELLEMood Board

Alexander McQueen

Acne Studios

Nina Ricci

Etro

£195,

JULIA RESTOIN

ROITFELD

FOR IRIS & INK

£42O,

MAJE at NET-A-

PORTER

D

ELLE.COM/UK November 2O19

Ta k e COVER

Don’t want to bare all?

Pair your Dracket

with 1OO-dernier

tights, like at Saint

Laurent and Gucci

£2,53O,

VERSACE

ON the CATWALK

Versace

Sportmax

Saint Laurent by

Anthony Vaccarello

ress hemlines are inching ever-upwards. From

vacuum-packed bodycon minis to short, trapeze-

swing smocks, everyone from Chanel to sweetly

priced Staud is advocating dresses with ‘barely

there’ bottoms. And while that may induce

groans from the 8O% of British women who have body hang-

ups,* wait until you’ve seen the modern way to go mini with the

AW19 catwalks’ surprise star: the Dracket.

The daringly short jacket-dress hybrid appeared in multiple

iterations: sleeveless at Dior, striped at Emporio Armani, subtle

in slate grey at Acne Studios and statement in neon brights at

Balenciaga. What every take on the style has in common is that it

features a button fastening and wide lapels – it’s a longline version

of the blazer that is, impor tantly, intended to be worn sans trousers.

‘They come in very different styles that can be worn for different

types of occasions,’ says Natalie Kingham, buying director at

Matchesfashion.com. With so many versions –

by Germanier, Christopher Kane, Chloé and

more – come many ways to make it wor k , whet her

you’ve got legs up to your armpits or want to stay

covered. That means, yes, you can make the itty-

bitty Dracket look modest if you so choose (averting

the risk of indecent exposure). Or you can take the

slinky, sexed-up route. And why not, seeing as we’re

entering the season of the festive office knees-up.

At Saint Laurent, famous for bringing sex back

into fashion following an age of modesty, designer

Anthony Vaccarello took the latter route, with a high-shine fetishistic

‘flasher’ style, and other iterations that stretch the limits of short

(among a line-up of chic, quintessentially French LBDs, of course).

That’s familiar terrain for Julia Restoin Roitfeld, Parisian

designer and daughter of legendary French stylist and Tom Ford

muse Carine Roitfeld, a self-professed mini jacket-dress loyalist.

Which is why she’s featured the Dracket in a capsule collection for

The Outnet, launching on 16 October. While the thought of

what looks like a bottomless blazer might leave you scratching

your head, thinking, Sure, but how do I make that work in the

real world – in Zara, rather than on the runway? Restoin Roitfeld

says that ‘it can be easily dressed up or down’. She adds: ‘I like

to wear them with biker boots or trainers for an effortless daytime

vibe. Heels and statement earrings make it work for night.’

If you’ve not dabbled with high hemlines since the days of

hitching up your skirt at school, there is a way to ease into the

seemingly daring style. ‘It’s all about the balancing act,’ says ELLE

Fashion Editor Felicit y Kay. T hink of of f set ting t he amount of ex posed

skin as you might your carbon footprint; the shorter the Dracket,

the heavier the boots. Or the higher the neckline, layering your

Dracket on top of a pie-crust collar blouse (a style Ganni has nailed).

Ghizlan Guenez, CEO and founder of modest style retailer

The Modist, suggests layering to make the Dracket work for

women wanting to remain covered. ‘Layering is the way to go

if you don’t want to show too much skin. You can make almost

anything work for you when you get creative with styling,’ she adds,

suggesting super wide-leg trousers for a 197Os vibe (something

fluid to keep the silhouette dress-like).

I f you dare to vent ure out into t he cold in t his for m of out - to - bare

outerwear, there is one perk: you don’t need to remember a jacket.

J