Unusually daring fashions appeared on the runways this spring. Hip-hop artists and other pop stars went after them immediately, but it remains to be seen if civilians will have the nerve.
Here are the shockers in the fashion news: Gentlemen's suits and ties and blazers and button-down shirts. Pinstripes and regimental stripes. Shoes that are made out of leather instead of canvas. For ladies, blouses that are opaque enough to shield the bosom from direct and detailed view. Underwear to be worn entirely under the outerwear. Skirts that partially cover the leg, not to mention the thigh. Sleeves that partially cover the arm. Shoes that cover the toes.
Those crazy designers — what will they think of next?
Actually, they think of something very much like this every couple of years. Usually nobody but Miss Manners notices, because a renegade designer discovers a new body part to reveal, and the opportunity to buy less cloth for more money becomes irresistible. That year's versions of the Ladylike Look and the Executive Look are hastily discarded.
This routine is almost discouraging enough to make Miss Manners agree with those who feel they must abandon dress codes to attract the young to their public venues or social functions. Terrified of being considered stuffy, they surrender to ever-lower standards, believing that increasing informality is a trend that will never end.
But there has to be an end, even if Miss Manners is exhausted from waiting for it. Fashion, which requires novelty and informality with its jeans, T-shirts and sweat clothes, has been static for some time now. Meanwhile, daringness is within sight of its limits; we can't risk having everyone suffering from perpetual colds or sunburn. Stuffy finds itself on the cutting edge.
There would have to be a deeper reason, though, for fashion to find another focus for more than an instant. And what could be as powerful a lure as leisure and sex?
Power, for one thing. People who dress as if they have nothing urgent to do, or as if they are desperately hoping to entice new partners, do not look as if they are of great consequence.
And for another — dare Miss Manners claim this? — manners. Behavior is influenced by the clothes people wear, and the behavioral consequences of sloppy and shocking looks are not pleasant.
Small items of evidence that these forces are at work have come under Miss Manners' notice. As if hip-hop artists in pinstriped suits weren't alarming enough, several designers have announced new lines in a middle-price-range that will assume that ladies of means want to look more serious than their daughters.
An airline has made it a priority, in the midst of financial troubles, to put its flight attendants in more formal designer-made uniforms. There seems to be a connection here with the problem of air rage. The hope, said the designer, is that passengers might be inspired to dress up as well.
Then again, maybe the grown-up look is just the latest version of the prison look that had teenagers letting their pants hang down in imitation of prisoners whose belts had been confiscated. Only this time, they're copying the responsible look that the prisoners have in court before they have been convicted.
Dear Miss Manners: What is the proper response to a person who claims that what you say is not true?
For example, if I were to tell someone something that I know to be fact, and the person responded with, "I don't think that's true" or "I think you're wrong" or something to that effect, should I continue reassuring said person of the accuracy of my statement, or give up altogether?
Gentle Reader: The traditional response is, "Are you calling me a liar?" followed by the choice of swords or pistols. Miss Manners does not advise this, and, at any rate, it seems unwarranted in this case, where the implication seems to be that you were mistaken. The non-lethal response is, "I think if you check, you'll find I'm right."
Feeling incorrect? E-mail your etiquette questions to Miss Manners (who is distraught that she cannot reply personally) at MissManners@unitedmedia.com — if you promise to use the black or blue-black ink you'll save by writing those thank you, condolence and congratulations letters you owe. © Judith Martin
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