The trend is everywhere. Call it ombre, call it degradé, call it passe - it's unavoidable. The colorful rainbow progression of colors from dark to light can be found on virtually any type of clothing and accessories this spring. Think of it as grown up tie-dye for 21st century flower children. And as with many great trends, Prada kicked it off a few years back, with her Spring 2004 collection.The DCGF fell head over heels for outfits like the one to the right (ah, Daria, you looked to cute back then!). Note how the waistband is almost flesh-toned and slowly, beautifully, the skirt reveals itself into a gorgeous chocolate-brown shade. That's ombre at its best.
Miuccia has still played around with ombre off and on over the past few seasons, as have designers like Alexander McQueen and Chanel. But the biggest surprise is how this somewhat-hard-to-wear trend has found its way down to department store and mall speciality store.
I resisted ombre for a long time, but this season, I might finally give in...
The good news is that the current ombres are more subtle and therefore more versatile than their designer predecessors. It's like fashion evolution kicked in and - for once - made a trend better over time instead of worse (I'm looking at you, skinny jeans). Take for example the Stuart Weitzman shoes to the left.They're in a classic pump style, but the shift from a dark heel to a bright red toe is very striking. They're sophisticated and grown-up while still having a bit of an edge, which in my book makes them just about perfect. I'd wear them with black tights and a mini dress or a classic black pants suit; either would look just fabulous.
The patent finish gives an especially fun kick. And at $255 from nordstrom.com, they are by no means cheap, but they're certainly less expensive than anything you'll find at the Prada store.
If a handbag is where you like to try out trends, then might I suggest the St. Bart's Solid Shopper from Elliot Lucca. It's not a handbag line whose name is terribly well known, but their leathers are amazing and I think this bag has just the right amount of color shifting in it to be modern, yet it won't look dated two years from now. It retails for about $328, so it's definitely an investment bag.I just love the woen detail on the handle, though, and the fact that the strap drop is long enough to carry it over one's shoulder. Because as cute as all those clutches are this season, most of the time you just want to toss a bag over your arm and be on your way!
Finally, if you want to go all out with ombre, then you'll want to purchase a dress sporting the color scheme. There are many to choose from: strapless for evening, cotton for daytime, even silk patterned versions.
The one I'm diggin' on is from Alice + Olivia and is currently on sale at shopbop.com for $483. Yes, that's expensive, but it's a sequined silk number, so you'll definitely get what you pay for in this case. In fact, most of shopbop is on sale when you enter code TAXBREAK08 in at check-out, fyi. I guess they want us to spend those economic stimulus checks, eh? Ha.Anyway, I'd probably wear this dress as a tunic over my white linen trousers and with metallic gladiator sandals for the summer. It would draw attention up to my face and away from my hips! Always a good thing...
I'm really warming up to ombre this year, but I don't know how much longer the trend will last. Do you love it or loathe it? Found any bargains on it out there?
As soon as I find a piece at Goodwill, I'll let you know. Keep your fingers crossed!
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