Aliology

With all the midcentury inspiration showing up in today’s fashion, I love that tie-dye, too, is surfacing again in contemporary, mainstream style.

Normally when I think of tie-dye, I think of the over-sized tees dyed in primary colors I used to make at school or buy as souvenirs as a kid. I love that these reinterpretations are truly for a modern audience – one who appreciates the graphic nature of high contrast stripes, geometric patterns and color-blocking.

Moving away from the iconic, freeform and psychedelic tie-dye of the American sixties, designers are opting for designs with more intention, creating complex patterns or simple ombré. With modern color palettes and global influences in dying technique, especially Japanese shibori, I think the results are truly stunning.

I always feel like the most interesting pieces and outfits combine seemingly opposing elements – the hard with the soft, the thick with the sheer, the matte with the shiny, the traditionally “masculine” with the traditionally “feminine.”

In the Mark Lupfer and Theory dresses above, mixing stretch jersey and leather panels preserves the edgy flare of black leather dress but allows for a more flexible, body-conscious fit. I’m obsessed with the way designers are adding leather (or “leather”) patches, sleeves, bustiers and other details to everything right now, like on my favorite Zara tee and FACTORY by Erik Hart leggings.

Or else they just convert entire looks to leather, the way Blessed are the Meek recreated this little white skater dress in cream leather. Almost everything is better with a little leather.

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Fall collections have already walked the runways of New York, Paris and Milan, and now summer is almost at a close. As much as I love the changing of the seasons, I want to hold onto ‘flowy,’ voluminous clothes that embrace the breeze just a little bit longer.

Full and circle skirts, flutter and bishop sleeves, high slits and high-low… with the right cut or just a little extra cloth, lightweight fabrics create beautiful movement and drama. As it cools down, we’ll start to bundle up against the wind – but for now, let’s just enjoy the warm summer air.