The great divide

Beware of your hips, a saleslady once said, they’ll be the death of you. If my mother hadn’t taught me better, she’d be six feet under and covered in hideous macramé belts. But saleslady advice aside, there is something frightening about revealing your body’s actual shape. Sure, tight tees and fitted jeans mold to your form, but something about the cinched look that’s been debuted at catwalks for the past year have been striking a cord in women all around the world – something, perhaps, akin to fear.

When Christian Dior launched his New Look in the ‘40s, people were aghast. It was in the midst of war and women were being told to conserve as much as they could. Due to wartime constrictions, fuel and food were at a premium. Even fabric, utilized for far more practical things than fashion, had their price. So when models debuted his corseted silhouette, with its dramatic shape and seemingly excessive use of fabric, consumers and retailers couldn't help but wonder whether the designer had a few screws loose.

But, as the trenches of glamour have shown and proven, what was once deemed radical and incredibly different soon becomes trendy and part of the design vocabulary. Dior’s silhouette clearly defined the waist, a clear shift from the loose flapper dresses that draped itself on the reigning emaciated figures of the day.

Though tight narrow shoulders and widely flaring skirts were part of Dior’s touch, they’re not widely in vogue today, unless you count southern belles in their prom attire. But the belt, a distinct feature at many a fashion show for the past year, has been making a comeback. Where has it been, you ask. Stuck in the annals of designer closets with shoulder pads and leather fringe. And while shoulder pads will never return to the runway – fingers crossed – some designers have seen fit to return to the looser version of Dior’s feminine propaganda. Stefano Pilati, Yves Saint Laurent’s designer who replaced the celebrated multi-tasker Tom Ford, focused on streamlined proportions: narrow sleeves, ruffled blouses, wasp-waists and slight bell-shaped skirts. Made in light printed fabrics like chiffon, mixed with hardier fabrics for the skirts, the look was somehow familiar, reminiscent of mother’s Vogue back in the day, but also a fresh perspective for an industry caught up in embellishment and color splashes. The writers over at Style.com raved about Pilati’s collection, claiming last year’s waist-cinching belt as "the fulcrum of his silhouette."

Readers may roll their eyes at this claim, fearing all waist-cinching accoutrements as enemies of the full-figured. While this silhouette does flatter the weak of appetite, it does not snub women with curves. In fact, the style – slightly corseted and hourglass shaped – makes any woman brave enough to try it look determined and confident. Her curves are her own. Damn the stick-thin insects who say otherwise. It draws the bust up and makes the hip curve an inviting accent to a woman’s natural shape. Forget shapeless sackcloth and baggy jeans, the new woman knows how to work with her shape and flaunt it. Nothing says modern woman like a great outfit and a little self-confidence. As my gal Missy Elliot likes to say, "Let me work it."

Garden state

Mixing prints may be a war zone for most women. As styles go, it can be the most difficult to pull off. Go simple and you look like a schoolmarm on vacation. Mix too many and you pass for a walking chintz sofa. The way to go is through proportion or color. Mix large-scale prints with small-scale, like the mini-blue floral shirt and the large sprays of flowers in the green capris here. Or combine prints with one similar color, like the mini-pink rosettes in the blue blouse with the large pink blossoms of the capri pants. Whichever way you go, don’t go to all this trouble and then wuss out with a plain belt. This floral garrison belt is just the trick to brighten this pretty combo. With that little extra touch, the outfit’s gone from gardener fodder to paparazzi-worthy.

Trappings and trimmings: Green pants with large floral print, Shapes, P699.75; blue button-down shirt, Shapes, P699.75; and belt, SM, P79.75

Brief case

Your high school principal may call hot pants the clothes of the devil, but if you’ve got fabulous legs, it would be a sin not to flaunt it. These khaki hot pants go well with any top. Paired with this embellished belt, which some could argue probably offers more coverage than the shorts, it’s clear that in the hot pants vs. high school principal battle, the pants win.

Trappings and trimmings: Shorts, Chocolate, P1,195; bangles, Fashionista, P129.75 each; belt, Alexandria, P299.75; and striped top, Chocolate, P795

Rock the casbah

Dressing up for a night out can be tiresome at times. The whole mini dress look is a tad too trying hard and pairing a shirt with jeans can get boring. The solution? A pair of really tight, mold-to-the-body jeans in a tapered cut and a cool top. This blouse, with its retro print that’s equal part ‘80s pop and ‘50s diner, looks like something too cool to be sold at any local store. Luckily, SM stocks blouses like these by the dozen. This top in particular, made by Pipay, rocks even more with its lace front and ruffle. Add a huge white belt and you’ve got the makings of a stellar evening outfit.

Trappings and trimmings: Belt, Alexandria, P229.75; jeans, Lee, P899.75; and top, Pipay, P899.75

Lacy days

Schoolgirl looks can be trying at times, particularly when the person wearing the look is far from student-age. A plaid mini and knee-high boots seem like the uniform of casually-garbed, pseudo-teens everywhere. But who can blame them? With the media celebrating the overtly-sexualized styles of teen pop tarts, there’s little else to inspire them. A re-working of the theme pairs a mini, this time in a subdued wearable tan, with black tights, flats and a lace blouse. Almost Victorian in style, the blouse adds a lowkey vintage vibe that’s sexy without being vulgar. The piece de resistance? This huge black belt with floral embellishments that puts you straight to the top of the class.

Trappings and trimmings: Tights, City Lady, P119.75; belt, Alexandria, P299.75; top, J&M, P495.75; skirt, Bissy Missy, P349.75; and shoes, Janeo, P595

Short story

Desperate Housewives’ reign may be wider than your 40-inch TV screen. Cardigans may have been the last bastion of grunge youths, but this year they return to their preppy roots in cute twin sets. Compare this look, a combination of cardigan and swishy skirt with a bright green and yellow woven belt, with Kurt Cobain’s threadbare set and see who wins. What did we tell you? The lure of grunge may be strong, but TV queens always win out in the end.

Trappings and trimmings: Cardigan, SM, P199.75; belt, SM, P199.75; skirt, Chill, P579.75; and top, Chill, P829.75

From Paris with love

Oh, those French women. Their effortlessly chic style is difficult to recreate in the Philippines. After all, this hot humid weather makes it difficult to look as smug and bored as they do. And to be honest, that’s half of it already. The ruffled blouse, so popular at Lanvin and YSL, has always been a part of any self-respecting Frenchwoman’s wardrobe. Paired with a belted trench, for a more finished look, and long lace pants, it makes for a standout look. Not quite the look to get socialite-loving photographers to froth at the mouth, but enough to get a second look from the well-traveled elite. The belted trench jacket adds ooopmh and gives this long silhouette a much-needed break. Not bad for a little piece of cloth, non?

Trappings and trimmings: Belted jacket, Liv, P1,299.75; lace pants, Avel Bacudio, P800; and ruffled blouse, Efren Ocampo, P1,599.75.