In today's special fashion edition of Teatime with Jennifer, I'm wearing my own version of Moschino's dry cleaner dress.
First, Nordstrom sold fake mud jeans and now Moschino is selling a dress that is modeled after the bag you get at the dry cleaner. Moschino sells this dress for around $737.
This truly reminded me of the episode of I Love Lucy, where Lucy and Ethel are in Paris longing to own a true Parisian haute couture gown. Ricky and Fred decide to trick them and construct a potato sack dress to tell them this is high fashion.
Lucy and Ethel are thrilled and wear their potato sack dresses out and about. When they discover they have been tricked, they throw their dresses away in contempt!
But the next day... they see the chicest Parisian models wearing potato sack dresses.
Trendy fashion will come and go, but classic styles endure! I hope you enjoy my commentary and fashion show in today's Teatime with Jennifer video :)
News
My book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS, will be released in the fall of 2019 from Chronicle Books. Read all about it here.
Take my new eCourse on the ten-item wardrobe. With over an hour of never-before-seen video instruction, notes and quizzes, you will feel prepared to create your own ten-item wardrobe. For those of you who already do the ten-item wardrobe, this course will keep you on track and provide further inspiration. The course is self-paced and includes a lively comment section with other ten-item wardrobe enthusiasts. Enjoy!
Here is another great testimonial on the ten-item wardrobe eCourse from Nora, who writes, "Hi Jennifer, I am so enjoying this course. I had (what I considered to be) a pretty minimalist wardrobe before, but I actually ended up donating 13 items of clothing after the first lesson! That might not sound like much, but I promise you it was a good chunk of my small wardrobe. I found a lot of value in this lesson, too. Your solution for people who don't like many (or any!) of the pieces they are keeping--update gradually with pieces that reflect your personal style--spoke to me on more than one level. There are a few pieces in my existing wardrobe that I'm not sure fit my personal style, but I also have found recently that I am SO OVER all of my home decor. I have replaced my old sectional with a lovely, modern couch and repainted my living room, but I find myself wanting to scrap it all and buy all new furniture right now! Your advice to slow down, save and budget, and replace pieces gradually in a responsible way has really helped me reframe my mindset about redecorating AND building my wardrobe! Thank you so much! Nora"
Hi Nora, I loved your comment! It's great to see that the ten-item wardrobe has given you self-discipline in other areas of your life. You will enjoy your new living room so much more if you take it slowly and don't go into debt over it. Congratulations!
D.S. Porter shares her favorite books...
Comment of the Week
On last week's Thanksgiving post, DJ writes,"Jennifer, I loved all your tips. I'm glad you mentioned the bathroom as often it's forgotten! Always best to leave out extra supplies - extra roll of tissue, a few extra hand towels - go in and toss out the old hand towels after a while and hang new ones! Everyone appreciates a fresh bathroom! Something that saves me stress is to get my house immaculately clean the week before Thanksgiving and then all I have to do is tidy up the house the day before and add some fresh flowers. Use up the food in your refrigerator the week before and totally clean the fridge as you won't have room for any old food once you start using the fridge on T-day! I love Robyn's idea of keeping notes from year to year! Wish I had done that. Of course you should allow guests to bring a dish! When I'm a guest along with a dish or two, I bring the hostess a large poinsettia to help her start off the Christmas season the next day!"
I loved your comment DJ. It's a great idea to get your house prepared in advance for hosting Thanksgiving. I'm wishing you and all of our American readers a very happy Thanksgiving this week!
Today, I would love to know... what do you think about Moschino's dry clean dress? Would you pay $737 for this dress? What do you think of absurd fashion as seen on celebrities on the red carpet? Let me know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.
There will not be a post on Thursday, in observance of Thanksgiving, but I will see you on Friday for a planning for Christmas video (with free printables!) See you then!
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If you haven't already read it, you would love "Overdressed" by Elizabeth Cline. She does in-depth investigative work about the fast fashion industry (which is quickly becoming just about every retailer we are now familiar with). Because they have so many cycles of merchandise available so frequently, brands are capable of generating something like 52 "trends" a year! The result is that basically nothing is even available long enough to be a 'trend' anymore, because after a week or two it's eclipsed by something else. She also discusses how this is related to the declining quality of clothing, and the havoc it has wrought on our finances. I think high fashion has gone in such an absurd direction because fast fashion is capable of creating copy-cats within weeks of a runway show. People will loose interest if they can buy H&M's version two weeks after the show for a fraction of the price. At some level, one aspect of fashion has to do with status. High fashion in particular is a non-verbal signal to others that you have lots of expendable income to use on your clothes. That's certainly not all fashion is useful for, but it's one component. You can still signal wealth in your appearance if you choices are not co-opted by less expensive clothing chains. As a less extreme example, think about the logo bags of Louis Vuitton or even Coach. You have to buy those things to get the that logo - it's a trademark and cannot be copied. As you explain in many of your videos and in your books, fashion is about having respect for yourself and your life and not about showing off -- and quality is often a better investment. But I think it's probably true that many people ARE interested in those things for the information they signal to other people, and that's probably why these absurd trends exist.
ReplyDeleteBut you forgot your clothes hanger hat and tube sock purse! Oh my goodness -- this was so hilarious!!! You wore it SO much better -- Love it!
ReplyDeleteThis was a lot of fun to watch! I can't imagine that I would ever buy such a dress- but beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I watched a few fashion shows online and the one thing I just don't understand- why do the models not smile? I saw some exquisite designs but the models wearing these gorgeous clothes looked miserable! If I had the opportunity to wear Oscar de la Renta or any other great designer, better believe I'd be smiling about it. What is the saying? You're not fully dressed without a smile? When you asked who wore the plastic dry cleaning bag better- the answer is you! Just goes to show, even if you are wearing a plastic bag- it will look better if you smile! ;)
ReplyDeleteLoved your runway walk. That was so funny. You wore it so much better. Tuck it away if for Halloween next year. Takes no storage space and costs next to nothing. Would definitely be a conversation starter.
ReplyDeletePeople are stupid! Jennifer, please do your fall/winter 2017 wardrobe fashion show video. Its been ages! Waiting for it eagerly!
ReplyDeleteThere is one positive to the dry cleaning bag dress - if you spill your tea your clothes stay pristine! Lolol
ReplyDeleteI love this! This is exactly the point of fashion de l'absurde, and théâtre de l'absurde, to provide entertainment, to pique curiosity, to stimulate creativity, to challenge norms! Sometimes it's only in going so far outside of the normative realms that true discussion can take place. I assume (and hope) that the designers behind the mud-jeans, dry-cleaning dress, etc. are going for the absurd and trying to shake the masses out of their usual head-space; to incite a different perspective, a dialogue, perhaps self-reflection about what they are buying and why, but not truly believing these are fashionable items for wear. The fall-out (as exemplified in the I Love Lucy episode) is about the sheep-like nature of people, of fashion, and of our culture in general. When I was in junior high & high school teachers were talking about how phonetics and critical thinking exercises were being removed from the curriculum and how it would impact future generations. I believe it has negatively impacted our culture as a whole. These fashion antics act as a barometer measuring independent thought, not only in whether or not people purchase these items, but in what they have to say about them. Do we follow like sheep, do we reject out of hand, or does it act as a causative of meaningful dialogue and shift in perceptions. For entertainment value alone they have merit. Hilarious video Jennifer! Loved the surprise & levity! Keep up the conversation!
ReplyDeleteYou wore it better, Jennifer! But next time don't forget the hanger head piece!
ReplyDeleteThis is EXACTLY the belly laugh I needed the week of Thanksgiving!! Thank you! You are so awesome! I was cracking up and giggling right along with you through your whole video! I would not pay that much for a dress period, unless if was a classic dress and our income increased drastically and yes, I think it is just for a reaction. Of course YOU did it better!!! And to top it all off, I KNOW you had way more fun wearing it. The model is not happy! ;)
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving! I'm truly thankful for the laugh!
Fashion has always had an element of the absurd. What about the silly towering wigs and dresses French royalty couldn't sit, breath or walk in? And everyone wanted to emulate it. It's a power play, I think. "Look, I can make those gullible people make themselves look ridiculous. I can make them do anything!!" Queen Elizabeth's poisoned white make up and silly ruff. Chinese who bound their daughters' feet. They couldn't walk and were deformed for life. Jeans that are already worn to tatters. Look what they can make us shell out for.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED this video - so fun! And you, of course, wore it better.
ReplyDeleteAmazing! keep the comedy alive, you are not only trained in acting, but also a natural comedienne! laughed so hard!
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer, I understand you did this for a laugh and you are adoable funny. But in this current climate I suggest we also pay attention to the message delivered by the words on the Moschino dress... We love our customers. Free pick up and delivery...those specific words are rich with sexual innuendo that is not funny at all and demeaning to women. So I believe that the Moschino dress is much much worse than just an absurdly expensive plastic bag but adds insult to injury with its intentional play on words.
ReplyDeleteThis would go perfectly with my garbage bag raincoat!
ReplyDeleteThis is too funny and I adore the way you show the absurdity in fashion and various parts of our pop culture. Of course, you wore it best, and I got a huge smile recalling the "I Love Lucy" segment on the potato sack dresses. Brilliant all the way around.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to look into getting one of those stunning hanger headbands to complete your chic look!
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Hilarious video - I honestly thought it was a joke until I saw the real runway pics - omg... My comment is about your hair and makeup in this video - you always look amazing, but particularly flawless in this one! What foundation, etc. were you wearing? Please share! Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer! My name is Karolina, I’m 22 years old and I’m from Poland. I like so much your sense of humor and I really enjoyed your video! It shows exactly what modern fashion looks like. Actually, it reminded me of a short tale written by Hans Christian Andersen- The Emperor's New Clothes. A vain emperor cared about nothing except fancy and expensive clothes. He wasn’t satisfied with what he already had, so he paid two weavers to make him the most luxurious suit of clothes that they say is invisible to those who are stupid or incompetent. So obviously nobody dared to question the existence of the Emperor’s new clothes. And what happened? An innocent child in the crowd blurted out that the emperor was wearing nothing at all. His vanity led him to public ridicule. And that’s the point! This Moshino dress, what was the designer’s purpose in creating such an extraordinary piece of clothing? Poeople are afraid to criticize high fashion brands and even desire their costly clothes. Just because they’re famous? Your idea with dry celan dress was brilliant! In this video you acted like the child from Andersen’s story :) You just showed the truth :) Thank you so much for this video! Greetings from Poland! Pozdrowienia z Polski! :)
ReplyDeleteLoved your take on the dry cleaning dress! I especially appreciated your runway styling. You were missing the hanger head gear, but I think you could go with a more traditional breadbag rain scarf.
ReplyDeleteLove you!
I somewhat feel you miss the point on some of these things, which is to draw attention to the bigger, deeper and social issues, why this dress now - it is to draw attention to global environment and on our impact on environment. Same stands true for Gaga's meat dress -
ReplyDeleteYes, this sort of high fashion is unsettling and shocking, but that is the point of it.
To follow the "missing the point" post above, common to our current times is the taking of one's self entirely too seriously. Decrying constant problems like Chicken Little, yet the dress does not propose or declare a solution, does it? Maybe the rest of the show did. But I will concede that I launder all of my family's laundry in Seventh Generation brand detergent and largely air dry my own wardrobe to preserve the fiber and form of the garments. Is that the point? Models, so beautiful, are always the billboard for someone else's ideals. That would be trial.
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