The Directrice Normals Up

 
After reading the comments on the Key Set, I felt compelled to advise, perhaps assure, all of you that I often look extremely conventional.
 
O.K. I sometimes like extremely conventional.
 
O.K. I occasionally look extremely conventional.

 
 
I am not trying to look conventionally attractive. I simply find the clean lines of a classic dress or jacket appealing.
 
Like this:
Normalling
Normaling*

So regular
So regular
 
 
I think I recommended this Brooks Brothers dress to you last year. In fact, I know I did; proof lives on the internet.
 
It’s a simple sheath, but with sleeves (such a bonus) and lovely seaming that gives it a gentle, pretty shape.

 
I am playing this one on the level. No scary necklace, no Saran Wrap brooches.
 
If I owned this brooch, I would be wearing it right now. But alas, he does not belong to me.
Something Very Beautiful: Brooch by Sayumi Yokouchi
Something Very Beautiful: Brooch by Sayumi Yokouchi

 
 
The delicacy of that brooch might pass for normal.
 
But when you put pressure on it, it changes shape. It’s alive.
Would that it were
Would that it were mine

 
 
Back to the dress. In addition to an elegant, classic cut, this dress is made of a beautiful wool crepe — Tollegno 1900 — manufactured in Italy. JCrew uses material from this mill in some of its products, too.
Seaming
Tollegno 1900 wool = beautiful hand; also, note seaming

A little something extra; almost makes dress more conventional
A little something extra makes dress more conventional
 
 
If one thought that the stark simplicity of this dress was itself an avant garde statement,** we can add a belt to make it more normal. Flick your eyes to the left and see what I mean.

 
 
This belt is just a bit different. The smallest bit. Arguably, that bid for interest is a lament of normalcy.
I do like this belt
I do like this belt

Dress: Brooks Brothers; Belt: Emporio Armani; Shoes: Tory Burch; Bag: Coach; Watch: Michele CSX
 
* You may remember when trips to Bed, Bath & Beyond became a fetish on 30Rock?
 
** Last week, there was a very interesting article in the New York Times on the high fashion trend toward modest clothes.

5 thoughts on “The Directrice Normals Up”

  1. Speaking of modest clothes, one of my favorite new sites is a web shop called Modist. https://www.themodist.com/ It goes to show you don’t need to wear dung-colored sack (as discussed in the article) to be modest.

    The tension between the audacity of the fabrics, colors, proportions, and their modest presentation is striking. The owner also has a great eye for mixing the unconventional. Hover your cursor over an item and you’ll see her styling. Also the magazine and edit pages present the vision. Very clever shop and I wish I could afford to buy their clothes.

    Reply
  2. Love those shoes! Long live the block heel, I thought those were from J.Crew, but will have to check out the Tory Burch site (uh-oh!).

    Reply

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