The Fashion Problem

Is there anything quite as lovely, flirtatious, and sexy as a skirt caught in a light Summer breeze? Especially the ones that are all the rave this year: over the knee or under the knee, lots of fun movement of fabric, vivid colours and patterns - and low on the hip to emphasize those seductive curves. But how many curves can fashion take?

Last year's Summer wonder was the strapless top, which initially seemed just perfect in as much as it emphasized the bust, kept the belly well out of sight, and didn't leave any tan lines on the shoulders. However, while there were no tan lines, boobs were more often than not squeezed out of shape by the massive amount of elastics and the lack of support; and the fat hiding element made anyone (who is not a mannequin) wearing this particular design look five months pregnant. Even men noticed!

So this year everyone is wearing hip hugging skirts with waist lines so low that the belly ends up spilling out over top, catching the eye instead of those sensuously swinging hips. Teenagers whose puppy fat has yet to disappear; college girls living on fat induced diets; young professionals whose bodies have grown up and therefore cannot get rid of that, which my friend Pia calls the 'oestrogen pouch': the layer of abdomen fat that will not go away, no matter what you do to it. They all seem to have forgotten that skirts do not necessarily have to reveal that, which most try to hide. But they do...

And that is the problem with fashion. It is not necessarily that we have all decided to let it all fall out, it is simply that fashion is generic. Cut, size, and shape - all too heavily molded on the assumption that a certain waist measurement goes with a certain length of legs or a certain cup size. Shall we just make do with the limited selection that mass producing clothing companies put before us - it would seem that we have no real choice. From the Gap companies to H&M and even to high fashion, the seasonal styles are almost identical in spite of the 'everything-goes' philosophy of recent years. The bohemian and the preppy styles may initially look different, however, a skirt from one style has practically the same cut as one from the other: the details and the fabrics and textures may be different, but the lack of cut diversity is the same.

Not two people are the same. One person may even have different left and right sides (I do) so let's not settle for less - let's go for that perfect cut.