DECEMBER 2017 209
“The rules of
eveningwear
have become
more f luid.
We want our
customers to
be able to wear
a piece to a
black tie event
and afterwards
to a casual bar
without feeling
out of place”
dramatic, is difficult to pin definitively to an era, or a Valentino long-
sleeve velvet evening gown that could be worn easily today.
t the height of his career, Cristóbal Balenciaga,
consumed by fabric and cut, would often only
venture into fussy embellishment at the wearer’s
behest – Ava Gardner once requested ostrich
feathers attached to the sleeves of an opera coat and
a flower trim added to a monastic black evening
cape. Should we be relegating sequins and flair to
the back of the cupboard?
“The opulence in eventwear should always be present, even if it has
become subtle,” says Gilbert, who says today black tie could mean
asimple black slip with minimal make-up. “There seemed to me to be a
time when dressing down was more cool for an evening event, but there
has been a shift in this because women relish a chance to dress up,” says
Matches Fashion buying director Natalie Kingham, who suggests
sequins, lamé and crystals from labels such as the two-collection
powerhouse Halpern, Paula Knorr and Gucci this party season.
Fragis, who worked with London vintage couture boutique William
Vintage to sell 500 original Versace pieces – many from the raucous 1980s
- exclusively on Farfetch, knows that even the eras that were the most
outrageously decadent can be a rich well to draw from when stepping
out today. “Versace has an element of decadence and rebellion embedded
within its DNA and this has such a poignant relevance right now, as
consumers search for ways to express their individualism,” she observes.
That same era was one that Smith says she sees a lot of freedom of
experimentation in. “You go back to that whole idea of decadence and
luxury and women had money, they were working, designers were
creating extraordinary fashion,” she says. ”Women could wear whatever
they wanted as long as it was flashy.” In 1984, the Ne w York Times
commented on the fashions of the time. “At a dinner table, a slender
shift encrusted with brilliant stones and with one covered shoulder
faces a woman in a satin dress with puffy sleeves the size of basketballs.”
If the more excessive looks from the era overwhelm, take then only the
attitude: wear what you want. Or look to more silhouettes making their
presence felt in fashion right now. “Hindsight can be a wonderful thing
and can take you to unexpected
places,” says local designer Rebecca
Vallance. “Midi-length skirts and
dresses are definitely still alive and
well today. That 1920s feel,
championed by Coco Chanel, feels
relevant for any occasion. Falling
anywhere from below the knee to
mid-calf, the look feels feminine and
can be worn in a modern way, with
flat sandals, heels or sneakers.”
The robe dressing of cult favourite
Attico and new Israeli label Marei
1998 equally taps an early 20th-
century feeling, the kind of opulence
the masterful Paul Poiret applied to
his louche gowns, coats and
nightdresses. He dealt in the
unexpected, putting into fashion
elements that people hadn’t
considered, like modernist art and Greco-Roman dress. Kathleen
Buscema, womenswear buyer at Harrolds, where Attico will be stocked
from next month, believes finding that surprise element is the perfect
contemporary interpretation of this spirit.
She advises trying a sequined or beaded pouch or clutch as a focal
point with the most shine instead of jewellery, or if you do choose
statement jewels, leave the hair undone and make-up minimal. “Party
season should be fun, playful and sexy,” she says. Kingham also
encourages embracing what hasn’t been as thoroughly explored in
occasionwear in the past. “Flat shoes are now acceptable within this
category,” she advises. “There are plenty of evening flats around that
are still really elegant paired with a gown, from Sanayi 313, Nicholas
Kirkwood and Christian Louboutin.” A favourite look for her is a Racil
tuxedo in candy pink with a simple slipper.
Elsa Schiaparelli once said that a dress has no life of its own until the
wearer puts it on and “another personality takes over from you and
animates it”, something Buscema believes is true today. “I’ve always felt
that eveningwear should be a way to showcase an alter ego,” she says.
“Gone are the days of being a mannequin. She now wears the dress, not
the dress wears her, so anything goes if she can confidently feel free
enough to do so.”
If only those McGill girls could hear her, they would sashay in their
slacks out into the night and not come home until dawn. ■
A
ATTICO S/S ’18
ROSIE ASSOULIN RESORT ’18
Above: models in
Madeleine Vionnet,
in 1930. Below, from
left: a model wearing
a Balenciaga gown in
the Palace of Versailles,
France in 1952; an
Yves Saint Laurent
dress from Paris
Vogue, 1970.
