Fashion expert Betsy Thompson readily admits that her assessment of styles for the approaching holiday season may be somewhat influenced by the movie Cinderella, which she has watched several times recently with her young daughter. “Elegant, ladylike touches of lace, faux fur, brocade, sequins, velvet, satin and long ropes of pearls are trimming the wardrobe,” enthuses the director of public relations for Talbots, the national retailer. “Cocktail dresses and dressy separates have sweeping, sleek lines that seem almost musical in inspiration. We’ll see a continuation of fall's artful, often romantic mix of influences from multiple eras. The expected hints of sheen, sparkle and bejeweled touches are key.”

All fairytales aside, the experts do promise that for the 2005 holiday season, fantasy will be fairly grounded in reality. Aspiring princesses and commoners alike can prepare to feast on a merchandise assortment of fancy capelets, flouncy skirts, lacy tops, sparkly tops, velvet jackets and form-flattering dresses that evoke the by-gone Edwardian and Victorian eras. “It’s about a feeling of extravagance, like the ruffle, or the lace edging, or the sumptuous use of fabric that can almost be described as dandy,” explains Claire Dupuis, senior trend forecaster for Cotton Incorporated.

Jenna Lyons, senior vice president of design for J.Crew, offered a rather specific must-have list for holiday, “A tuxedo shirt, a velvet blazer, a peep-toe heel, a flirty skirt, and a touch of bling.”

“There will be plenty of vintage-inspired looks that have been updated and speak to the tone of this season,” affirms Joanna Stoner, proprietor of Edressme.com, an online shopping destination. She notes a distinct influence from Eastern Europe, reminiscent of Doctor Zhivago and Anna Karenina which boast, in her words, “elaborate embroidery, traditional Russian ornamentation and folksy details.” With gorgeous frocks such as these, she promises, “Women will be dressing up more.”

Data from the Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ suggests that the trend is likely to continue. When asked how they preferred to dress for a party, 55% of female respondents stated that they slightly overdressed in 2004, up from 52% in 2003.

“We have customers looking for that little extra something to spruce up their everyday wardrobes,” shares Jodi Bell, manager of Anik Boutique, an upscale shopping destination in Manhattan. “For holiday, they want that proverbial bling, which is a good way to describe the updates that they want for the season.”

With the words fancy, indulgent and decadent describing today’s holiday fashions, might it seem counter-intuitive to what one may expect for the close of what many would consider a very difficult year? Not exactly. “Women are trading off and trading up in fashion,” explains Dr. Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a consultantcy based in New York. “It’s similar to how people bank their calories when dieting; women have been holding back on fashion and now they are ready to show off a bit. They are ready and welcoming any upcoming good things to celebrate.”

But that clearly doesn’t mean that women aren’t keeping it real, as it were; their penchant for that great equalizer known as denim remains strong and its position as a fashion staple for holiday is solidly in place. “Anything can be worn back to denim,” promises Scott Morrison, designer and president of Earnest Sewn, a premium denim collection based in New York. That’s good news considering denim is a top pick for women; according to the Monitor, nearly three in four would wear jeans while having dinner out and nearly seven in ten would wear jeans dancing. “Whether it’s the little blazer or a beautiful blouse, anything will complement denim this season,” Morrison completes.

“The blouse is really important for holiday,” Dupuis from Cotton Incorporated insists. “It can be worn stand alone with a skirt or pants, or utilized under a jacket or sweater to great effect; layering is still important. There are ruffles, laces and button and cuff details that make this season’s blouse special. It’s about creating a quality look that is truly polished.”

With the attention on these small details so acute, you just may want to mix and match vintage and jeweled buttons on everything from that basic white cotton shirt to the most romantic blouse, surmises Joyce Perhac, executive director of the Home Sewing Association, a national trade organization. “Why wear the basic white button when, with just a few stitches, you can go from simple to simply fabulous?”

In terms of fabulous, expect color palettes to be rich and alluring. “Black and winter white are important, of course, but we also see women opting for teals, greens, plums, cranberries, reds and a variety of jewel tones,” says Bell, the Anik boutique manager.

The return to dressy would be nothing without the dress, assess the experts. “This is going to be a very strong dress season,” promises Dupuis, the trend forecaster. “It can easily go from work to an evening out.” Adds Thompson from Talbots, “It always comes back to the dress.”

Dress or denim and all the points in between, with fashion designed to spark the appropriate festive note, it will be easy for every woman to dress like the belle of the ball.

This story is one in a series of articles based on findings from Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ tracking research. Each story will focus on a specific topic as it relates to the American women’s wear consumer and her attitudes and behavior regarding clothing, appearance, fashion, fiber selection and many other timely, relevant subjects.

Publisher: cotton inc
A research and promotion company funded by US cotton producers and importers of cotton goods into the United States designed and operated to build demand for cotton in the US market and for US cotton in world markets.
Published: November 2005
Region: usa

DISCLAIMER
Information in this report relies on sources including Trade Shows, Associations, News Releases, Government Reports and other public sources. Infomat can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof.