Slip Into Something

 
One of those looks that has never quite gone away but is suddenly having a moment is the slip dress. That could only happen in Fashion.

There have been slip dresses throughout history as they obviously began as slips. The flapper chemise took its shape and name from the simple garment worn under a dress.What could be more daring than wearing your underwear in public? At the hands of the masters (Chanel, Vionnet, Lanvin) these chemises were hardly slips.

The  slip dress of the 1990s was the first time I recall a trend starting from the street. Suddenly one hot New York City summer black skinny-strapped silky slip dresses were everywhere. The first designer jumping on the bandwagon, as I remember, was Calvin Klein. The slip dress fit his sensibility of easy and minimal.

Brad later gave Gwyneth the slip

They were ubiquitous for several years, worn day or evening (with sandals and a tan) or winter (with boots and a jacket). Slip dresses came in all colors, patterns, fabrics and lengths, though most were long-ish. One of the very worst combos was the slip dress and a t-shirt. I am guilty of wearing that, but I'll let a very young Penelope Cruz illustrate the point:

Penny for her thoughts...

After a while we all got tired of slip dresses. Not entirely banished, just put aside or making rare appearances for evening in dressy fabrics.

Now, as we think ahead to winter, the slip dress is back. The New York Times this week gave us the word. I've been seeing them in stores myself and on a few young women these sultry days.

The New York Times 8/6/15

Young. Now that is the rub. The slip dress does not flatter the saggy, the bony, the rippled flesh or the bursting-at-the-seams. In other words for me personally time in a slip dress has slipped away.