Style Challenge

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June 28, 2008

The death of Worldbeat

A photographer who shall remain nameless, told me she was perplexed by her new beau's sense of style.
"He's cute," she said, "but his whole Worldbeat thing is freaking me out."
These days, clearly, the term "Worldbeat" comes with some serious baggage.
Worldbeat, in the context of this article, refers to Western music that incorporates non-Western folk elements. (Think Paul Simon in South Africa, Damon Albarn in Mali etc.)
Often, it also means things like blond dreads. Unkempt facial hair. Drum circles on the beach at sunset. Hydroponics. Bong hits, GreenPeace, and B.O.
Being in college in the 90s, basically.
Back then it was sexy, a public statement of personal freedom, a flag of probable marijuana/shroom possession, a sign of fun times ahead. Yet, unlike so many things from the 90s that went on to earn vintage status—Marc Jacobs' Grunge collection for Perry Ellis, neon raver clothes, New Kids On The Block—Worldbeat didn't age very well. Today, in fact, the Worldbeat look remains virtually untouchable, the final frontier of fashion irony—a frontier no-one outside of Burning Man seems brave enough to cross.
Case in point: a stylist friend sent out a mass email, encouraging her friends to attend today's Los Angeles Social Forum event in Downtown L.A. She received virtually no response, and didn't understand why. Eventually, someone on the email list wrote back. "Sorry," it read, "but you lost me at 'drum circle'."
And then there's the issue of those Worldbeat dreads—beautiful on Rastafarians, less so on Trustafarians. Last night, a friend who once had long dreads and a set of bongos back when they were fashionable, described her horror upon finally getting her hair cut. "There were things in them, creatures," she whispered. "Never again."
"Hold on," the defenders of Worldbeat may exclaim. "Isn't this summer's style supposed to be all global and stuff?" They're right. Flip through the pages of Vogue and Harper's and whatever, and you'll read all about the "ethnic print explosion", or more accurately, the "heathen print explosion” (the dictionary definition of "ethnic" is: 'relating to a people not Christian or Jewish; heathen'. Charming.).
Dries Van Noten's Spring/Summer 08 show (pictured), Oscar de la Renta's mudcloth print dresses, YSL's safari chic—all showed sub-Saharan tendencies. June's Vogue reported how Liya Kebede, a Tuareg pop festival in Timbuktu, was having a fashion moment. Add to that Ryan Gosling contributing to a book about the Darfur crisis, baby Shiloh, and Madonna's adoptee, and it's clear that Africa, whose music inspired the World Beat movement, is absolutely the most fashionable place on the planet in 2008, although you won't be seeing Madonna, Ryan Gosling or baby Shiloh wearing dreads and chewing twigs at a World Beat drum circle any time soon.
Why?
Because pretending to be from Africa isn't sexy any more. Africa, on the other hand, is.
(Disclaimer: The views contained in this article are not menat to target anyone living in the Venice Beach or Santa Cruz areas, both of which hold World Beat National Park status and whose dreadlocked residents, being historical artifacts, remain exempt from criticism.)

June 28, 2008 in STYLE CHALLENGE | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 3, 2007

Style Challenge: How to Wear a Visor

 Not quite a hat---though hardly a headband---the visor has always been a fave of ours. Pucci is showing a darling print visor that ties in back and Burberry offers a checked one at Saks.com that screams, "My backhand will reduce you to a pile of pudding!" 
With temperatures rocketing to triple digits lately, The Stylephile would like to encourage readers to stay cool and avoid sun damage. Impossible, you whine. Not with a visor, we retort. The best way to wear a visor, by the way, is to pair it with a high ponytail. A low ponytail looks dowdy; hair down defeats the purpose of wearing the visor in the first place. (The band in back should always be beneath the ponytail -- it's like a push-up bra for your hair and will hold the updo in place.) Lastly, the way not to wear a visor is to advertise a rental car company on the brim, as Tatum O'Neal once did back in 1980.

July 3, 2007 in STYLE CHALLENGE | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 14, 2007

How to Wear Red Lipstick

Every woman should see red once in her lifetime. This summer, perhaps fueled by celebs like Claire Danes wearing a fiery pout, we're seeing plenty of red puckers. But don't even consider jumping from a pale pink lip to a vermillion smirk without some practice. The best colors for amateurs are ones that are semi-sheer like Flaming Dust by Nars ($23; sephora.com). Another easy way to try red is a pearlized rosy-red hue like Lorac's Nibblin ($18.50; sephora.com). Medium to dark skin tones should opt for warm orange or brown-based reds. Fair women look best in colors with cool undertones, like blue and pink. Also, be sure to line lips with a nude pencil first, as red pigment can bleed into lip lines and cause clown grin. Once you're ready for the big league, pick up Chanel's Rouge Allure in Lover, ($29; sephora.com). Got a style challange?  E-mail me at Monica.Corcoran@Variety.com.

June 14, 2007 in STYLE CHALLENGE | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 6, 2007

Style Challenge: How To Wear A Headband

   The Stylephile has covered this ground before and quite frankly, you ladies went absolutely ape for headscarf counsel. And so, we revisit—first with a quick look back. Brigitte Bardot preferred her headband to pull back every tendril, but also exposed her hairline; Edie Beale created a snood out of her damn underwear.

   The key to making a headband work is to first determine the shape of your face. Frederic Fekkai says: "An oval shaped face is best with a thicker headband." That means all you hearts, squares, and round-faced gals better opt for a skinnier sash. If you could sell ad space on your forehead, darling, be sure to pull out a few wisps to soften that vast expanse above your brows.

   Check out the selection of exquisite bands at jenniferbehr.com – which offers a very Prada-esque satin turban style. Also, knock-off shoe purveyor Aldo sells stretchy jersey headbands in primary colors (green, yellow, red) that can be worn as wide as pennant flags or folded over for a more subtle look. FYI: A black turtleneck with white pants (slightly flared) and a Kelly green headband is chic enough to silence any petty fashion critic.

Got a great tip for where to find a cool headband? Help a sister out and comment here.

June 6, 2007 in STYLE CHALLENGE | Permalink | Comments (0)

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