'Can't and Must'

Chloe Fall-Winter 2010

I stared at myself in the mirror of the Zara dressing room on 5th Avenue, wondering if the Barnum & Bailey circus would consider hiring me as a clown wearing a pair of Zara navy linen pants.

The spring arrivals in the shop window had beckoned me inside the store and I couldn’t stop myself from heading to the dressing room once I saw a pair of high-waisted pants, low-slung in the crotch and tapered at the bottom on the rack. For a couple seasons now, I’ve been eye-balling this cut, admiring its seeming comfort and effortless chic. With a button-down blouse it was stylish for the office, but with a tank top it was off-duty coolness.

At that moment, I had ruled that I was unlike models Karlie Kloss or Sasha Pivovarova who wore the same style trousers for the Chloe Fall-Winter Collection in Paris – I was neither 5”10 or gifted with long slim legs. Unless designed specifically for a more petite frame, this style would not do.

Checked off of my spring must-have list was the pair of the slouchy pants, and these are the first two that remain:

Tye-dye on the Spring-Summer '09 runways

1. Tye-dye

Just last weekend I had the pleasure of shooting a swimwear fashion editorial with photographer Troy Paul in an industrial area a few blocks from the Brooklyn Bridge overlooking the water. Whether it was shopping for a tye-dye one-piece bathing suit from Victoria’s Secret or a pair of tye-dye shorts from T-Bags for the shoot, it was easy to spot the print because it was virtually everywhere. And I mean everywhere.

It is the surest print to achieve the surfer girl look: laid-back, spirited and always sexy.

Stripes on celebrities

2. Stripes

It springs to mind my romantic image of the Breton from Bretagne – the French province best known for its Normandy beaches and its sea-faring people who have made the eponymous maritime uniform a major trend. ‘Breton stripes’ date back to the mid-1800s when the striped knit shirt was the official navy uniform for all Frenchman, especially for those from Northern France.

But enough about history – pair this striped shirt over dark pants, skirts and jeans for a nautical look, or experiment by mixing it with another print or sporting it underneath a romper.

For more on my must-have list, don’t miss the next post!

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of the stolenorchild.com; styleforblondes.com; www.stylebakeryteen.com