Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Aunt Bee . . . Chic?

I don't know why, but a look which I had assumed already gasped its last is now making a troubling resurrection. Specifically, crochet. 
http://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/dolce-crochet.jpg
I'm seeing it everywhere, and I don't like it. 

Why, you may ask? What crime could have innocent grandmotherly knitwear committed to garner my dislike?

I'll cut right to it. Rarely does it look good. 

Fashion is supposed to fake what diet and exercise can't achieve. That bulge of belly? Gone beneath a peplum waisted jacket. Those childbearing hips? Muffled beneath layers of poof. 

Crochet does not slenderize the body. A bulky fabric, it visually adds poundage.

The shapeless nature of the fabric makes it incredibly difficult to morph it into a structurally flattering garment. 
http://cdn.is.bluefly.com/mgen/Bluefly/prodImage.ms?productCode=2070745&width=300&height=300
Not only does it not love the wearer, it is still, no matter what, associated with the World War II era and rocking chairs. 
http://graveyardsdb.com/auntbee.jpg
Aunt Bee
It can be pulled off in small details, like a hem or sleeve or collar, where structure isn't necessary. 
http://aff.ysi.bz/assets/87/665/l_p0014466587.jpg
But rarely does it suit as a full-sized garment.

3 comments:

Yedid Nefesh said...

um lots of the cloths coming out these days is not flattering to the body. I think fashion is trying to get the grandmother days back in w/ awkward body shapes

Elisheva said...

This post is so cool because you intelligently argued against a fashion trend with a reason deeper than "it looks like something my grandma would wear." It's great!

Princess Lea said...

Yedid: Remember what Elaine looked like in the early episodes of Seinfeld? That was the era of the grandma dress. Brrrr.

Elisheva: Thanks. That is how I was bred to analyze clothing - it must suit and flatter. Otherwise, it's given to the thrift store.