Resort 2009: Borrowed from the Boys

I know I'm a little late on the resort reviews, but it's better late than never right? I love resort. It's such a ridiculous concept (who buys clothes for a cruise season normally? And in this economy?), but I feel like because of that designers tend to take more risks and have a little more fun. This was one of my favorite resort seasons ever! It seemed more playful than usual. One of the big trends I saw in Resort 2009 was pieces 'borrowed from the boys,' taking masculine pieces and making them feminine and sexy.

Thakoon, Yigal Azrouel, Rag & Bone: That Thakoon outfit is so adorable. The shorts, with the wide cut and paper-bag waist, are very boyish, but the bright floral top just screams girly. The overall effect is confident, relaxed, and just really fun. Yigal Azrouel was my favorite resort show, which surprises me to death because I usually can't stand his stuff. Even the turbans were working for me! The baggy tee and the cropped pants are both very masculine pieces. What keeps the outfit from looking like menswear is the touch of color with the scarf (so. cute.), the statement necklace, and the cropped length of the pants. Rolling up the hem of any pair of men's pants makes them totally on-trend and girl-appropriate. Rag & Bone took a bunch of men's pieces, the blazer, button-up, and vest, and then put them over jean jophur leggings. While I'm not a pair of the jeggings, I think the concept of all those layered men's pieces over a pair of slim, cropped pants is a great idea.



Diane Von Furstenberg, Burberry Prorsum, Anna Sui: I'm 99% sure that the fuschia DVF piece is a blazer, so I'm gonna go with that. Taking a long, menswear blazer in a girly color, and putting it over boyish shorts and an athletic tank (I love the sequin pocket!!!) is so genius. Each of the pieces is masculine in construction, but has a feminine element like shiny fabric (the shorts), sequins (the tank), or a girly color (the blazer), which gives the ensemble this great, insouciant, carefree vibe. Burberry Prorsum is always reliable for things that I want to buy, and this is no exception. The jacket is a classic tuxedo/blazer, but pushing up the sleeves and pairing it with a slinky top and slim pants makes it very sexy. I love the idea of all black for resort. It's so unpredictably chic. As for Anna Sui, again, take a boyish tuxedo jacket, crop it a bit, and pair it with rolled up boyfriend jeans and a fitted tee, and you've got an adorable mix of girl and boy. Now I just wish I could fix that model's fried hair...


Bottega Veneta, Alexander Wang, Adam: I love this look from Bottega Veneta. The colors are so rich, and work so well together (I would have never put them together, but they look fantastic!). The loose blazer and pants are very boyish, but pushing the sleeves up and cropping the pants exposes enough skin to make them slightly feminine, as does the deep v-neck of the top. And how sick are those shoes? Of course Alexander Wang did a biker jacket. It's essentially a very manly piece, especially when paired with those boxy shorts. I think what saves this outfit from being too boyish is the proportions. The exaggerated waist-band of the shorts and the length of the jacket hit right at the waist, giving the outfit a more feminine shape. I love the styling of this last look from Adam. Taking the oversized, double-breasted blazer, and pairing it with basic shorts and no shirt is no chic (never thought I'd say that). I must have that blazer. Now.


Image Sources:
Adam: style.com, Alexander Wang: style.com, Anna Sui: style.com, Bottega Veneta: style.com, Burberry Prorsum: style.com, Diane Von Furstenberg: style.com, Rag & Bone: style.com, Thakoon: style.com, Yigal Azrouel: style.com