Harper\'s bazaar Rihana

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The

LOOK

By Lisa Armstrong

LOOK

m ust- have s

LOOK

seasOn

LOOK

how to wear the

oF the

G

etting a handle on spring’s lead fashion

stories (the chic sportif, the ’90s-meets-’70s

love-in, the Canadian tux redux) is simple

enough—it’s always just a trend report

away. But tracking down the individual

pieces that capture the mood of the season

without screaming “new trend!” (we’re

trying to be sophisticated and nonchalant

here) requires a higher level of study. And

fnding the ones that fatter and function,

then working them into our daily wardrobe groove—now that, if

I may say, is an art form. Not to worry, we’ve done the (long) legwork

so you don’t have to. Voilà, your spring shopping starts here.

The Shrunken JackeT Once it was all about the four-sizes-

too-big boyfriend jacket. Now it’s about your six-year-old daughter’s.

That’s right: The oversize jacket has slimmed down. It’s a lot more

attractive than it sounds, with natural shoulders and neat collars, and

oddly, it works over much the same kind of clothes as its more impos-

ing ancestor. Altuzarra’s and Thom Browne’s hip-length shrunken

blazers are ladylike and ftted, with old-school, waist-narrowing prop-

erties. At Coach, every kind of bomber has had an upgrade. Another

stealth runway hit (seen everywhere from Saint Laurent to Derek Lam)

is an ultrasoft tan suede shirt-jacket. Ideally it will be slim enough to

tuck into waistbands for a cropped efect or worn loose, as a new kind

of cardigan that will make your old kind want to retire to Palm Springs.

The ShoeS Only yesterday, all shoes had to be four inches high and

look like a prototype for Batman’s newest car. “Oh, my God, that’s so

not a statement,” we would sigh when confronted by mid-heels and

normality. But this year statement footwear comes in all heights and

shapes, from sports-inspired fatforms at Marni and Marc Jacobs to Saint

Laurent’s saucy platforms, Louis Vuitton’s and Proenza Schouler’s spec-

trum of block heels, and Valentino’s and Chloé’s knee-high gladiators.

This is what we’ve learned: Wear the heel and style that work for you,

and—repeat after me—you don’t have to sufer to be beautiful. ➤

Saint

Laurent

sean cunningham

WorldMags.net