WHITE LIGHT WHITE HEAT
Head-to-toe white with a contrasting belt and decidedly late 70s flare? Check. Check. While these two looks have a lot in common, I think I’d choose the modern Yves Saint Laurent number for a turn about Studio 54. True, the defunct club lacks a modern equivalent but I can easily imagine the women of taste who used to frequent the hotspot wearing this ensemble in its day and again to something glamorous in the 21st Century. While it would take someone rather large in stature and drenched in savoir faire to pull off the feather jacket without looking like a disemboweled duvet, the menswear ensemble beneath it would be really something on just about anyone. If your style icons are powerful women like Katharine Hepburn, Bianca Jagger, or Cate Blachett you may want to consider a monochromatic trouser look for your more spectacular after eights.
Stylist’s Note: Choose a pair of wide leg trousers with some manners – they should not grab your rear but graze it and look apologetic for doing so. Make sure the style you choose forms a relatively straight line from the fullest part of your bum to the floor otherwise you may be entering bell-bottom territory.
Illustration by Michelle Ricks: feather jacket – $30550, blouse – $1790, trousers – $1490 at Yves Saint Laurent, Image: L’Officiel de la Mode No.638, 1977
