A classically versatile garment gets dressed up for a new generation
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Lindsey Clark has fond memories of her wrap dresses.
"I remember wearing them through high school, into college and at the beginning of my professional career," says the co-owner of the Shannon Boyd boutique in Oakwood. "I liked the comfort factor, their versatility. I could wear them for my carpools and into evening. We're just glad she's back."
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"She" is Diane Von Furstenberg, the glamorous designer who revolutionized the fashion industry in the 1970s when she came up with the wrap concept. By 1976, she'd been on the cover of Newsweek and had sold more than 5 million of the signature dresses.
"The idea of the wrap dress had not come out of a strategy session or a market analysis," the designer writes in her autobiography. "I had gotten the idea watching Julie Nixon Eisenhower on television wearing a wrap top and skirt of mine she had ordered from the Lord & Taylor catalog. 'Why not combine the two pieces into one?' I thought."
Von Furstenberg says the V-neck wrap design fits a woman's body like no other dress: "snug around the chest and arms, tied flatteringly slim around the waist, full enough over the legs for a woman to take an unrestricted stride, yet tight enough to show off her bottom."
The garment could be made dressier by adding higher heels and the right jewelry, or toned down with a lower heel.
When a new generation of women — caught up in the retro trend — began discovering wraps in vintage shops and grabbing them up, Von Furstenberg realized the time had come to re-introduce her classic. Now she's making news again — and, once again, was recently featured on Newsweek's cover.
Knock-off versions of her wrap are everywhere this season — you can pick them up, in solid colors and pretty prints, at moderately priced stores such as Macy's and Kohl's. If you'd like a Von Furstenberg original, they're priced at $425 at Shannon Boyd; the store also carries other Von Furstenberg separates, such as silk blouses and sweater shrugs.
Clark says the wrap is ideal for travel because it packs well and can be worn in a variety of ways.
"It looks great when you put a blazer over it," she says, "and women today are also wearing them as maternity dresses.
I just wish I had kept my originals."
PHOTOS: Wrap dress making a comeback
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@coxohio.com.
