The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

Going Mod, Black and White Style

If you have noticed the increasingly black-and-white outfit choices of many celebrities, as well as striped shirts creeping up everywhere, you are not the only one.

Early summer forecasts predicted that the fall of 2005 would bring a trend that had been hiding for quite a while: black. Whether flying solo or arm-in-arm with its best friend white, black was the color of choice for the Fall-Winter season.

Lace saw a huge comeback, as well as the crisp white t-shirt. We can only expect that this trend will continue toward the Spring and Summer collections.

Even though black will be present this Spring, there are two trends that have been creating great expectation on the Spring runways: Mod and Nautical.

You have already seen part of this huge trend beginning to sweep the nation. Lindsay Lohan was all about nautical chic on her amazing Vanity Fair photo shoot.

Sienna has been strutting her 90 pounds of hotness wrapped in mod stripes (with her nympho-come-arm-candy Jude in matching outfit), and virtually all stores have started displaying striped garments. Why is every designer suddenly seeing stripes?

Nautical inspired fashion has a long history. Brigitte Bardot holds part of the key to the puzzle. Possibly the most beautiful woman to ever walk this planet , she is still the patron saint of fashion designers everywhere.

With her big tousled blond hair, smoky eyes and pale lips (in case you didn’t know, that’ s where the pale pink lips and black-rimmed bedroom eyes look come from), she turned striped cotton t-shirts into an erotic fantasy.

If this whole black and white term sets off a little voice that screams “Mod alert! Mod alert!” in your head, you are not going crazy.

Mod and nautical are perfect for each other, and this Spring you will see both these power houses coupling into yet another celebrity power couple. Why? Well, very simple.

Sienna Miller is in the works of filming Factory Girl a movie that will probably have a bigger footprint in fashion than in cinematography (Sienna, next time you get a script where characters change outfits every scene, and each outfit has been designed by an avant-garde, up and coming name, put it down and walk away).

Ms. Miller plays Warhol muse Edie Sedgwik who, according to Warhol, was “a beautiful blank”.

This summer there are a few key items you should have in your closet: a black machinist hat, a black and white striped shirt, black ballet flats and black Capri length spandex.

When you wear your new mod-tastic getup, make sure you channel Brigitte Bardot, because overdoing this trend will make you look more like a zebra than a cool mod cat on a sailing trip.

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Going Mod, Black and White Style