7.26.2009

The Shining

Many people associate shiny fabrics strictly with evening wear, and woe to those "fashion victims" who wear "too much" bling during the day. That kind of mentality is really a shame, since it seriously limits the number of times the shiny fabrics could be worn.

Functionally speaking, too much shine during the day can be a bad thing because it is literally glaring; one should not have to wear sunglasses just to have a simple conversation with a "radiant" companion. However, it is not hard to incorporate shiny pieces into the daytime rotation. I've done it quite a number of times in the past (gold lame shirt, satin strapless dress, lurex dress, gold lame shirt again):





The trick is to tone down the shine with layers and pieces that are decidedly casual and non-reflective, like cotton hoodies or t-shirts with sandals or flat boots. My latest experiment with this concept took place a number of hours ago, when I went out to an art show/fundraiser. I wore the shiny dress for the party, but I threw on a denim moto jacket afterwards so that I would not look overdressed in a cheap late-night food joint. I'm really liking this combination; come fall, I want to wear it with tights.

[Bubble necklace made by me, XOXO denim jacket (had it for years), Richard Chai for Target dress, rings from Etsy, vintage clutch, Givenchy wooden sandals]

4 comments:

Elaine said...

I think you hit the nail on the head. You literally look PERFECT. I couldn't have done it any better than you did here. And I actually don't have anything shiny in my wardrobe.. But seeing all your outfits here, i want to try it out now.

Soph said...

awesome. Great article on how to incorporate the shiny with a "regular" wardrobe so it all works. I may have to take some of your ideas and apply it to my wardrobe now. =)

Eli said...

love it! you've tackled a problem with great success, most people wont go into that wardrobe territory before the sun sets

ambika said...

I'm definitely an anti-satin girl--subtle sheen I can take but full on reflection just daunts me.

You look fabulous however and are making me think twice...

& I so want to have a clothing swap one of these days!