Dan's Papers - June 29, 2007 - Skin Deep with Samantha Altea

A few weeks ago I bought a wrap dress from renowned fashion designer, Diane Von Furstenberg. But it wasn't until eyeing some vintage Furstenberg while meandering around the spectacular new DVF store in downtown Manhattan that I realized how little the iconic wrap dress had changed over the years. The simple, classic little black dress that I was carrying wrapped in beautiful tissue paper had cost around $300 and was almost identical to some of the vintage pieces that were hanging in front of me. The main difference was that when the wrap dress first hit stores in the 70s it cost around $20. Yes, the fabric might have been a little different back then and some of the prints as well, but they seemed to stand the test of time. Looking at them in store, there were certainly items that I could have proudly slipped on and strutted, and I mean strutted, around town in today, still feeling like a million dollars. This week we're talking about the resurgence of two classics that are still fabulous on any figure and have been around for decades. For summer the wrap dress and the baby doll are just as popular and wearable as ever!

The wrap made its debut in the early 70's and is one of Diane Von Furstenberg's staples as a designer. In 1975 she was hailed a fashion queen and sold over five million wrap dresses in just one year. Over thirty years later the wrap dress is as current and fashion forward as ever and I can hardly imagine how many sales have occurred in that time. This summer the wrap can be found from the original, DVF style, to knock offs like the one I also just bought for $19 at H&M to everything in between. This classic little number seems as if it will be as current in another 30 years as it was 30 years ago, but why? Most women can wear the versatile wrap for starters. It's comfortable, flattering, simple, yet classic and chic. It can be dressed up, with heels and accessories, as well as dressed down and even slung over a bathing suit. Long sleeved versions can be donned in winter with boots and tights. Sleeveless, short-sleeves and mini's are great in summer.

If you don't have a wrap dress, get one immediately. Let's face it, you can pretty much bet that if you invest in a quality piece it won't go out of fashion any time soon. Simply put...it's just a wrap!

Another dress that is huge this season, but that has never really gone out of fashion is the baby doll dress. Think Twiggy, the 60's icon who epitomized the baby doll when it made its debut in 1966 and the prepubescent look that evoked the name "baby" doll. Also known as the tent dress, the baby doll is as wearable as the wrap, possibly even more so because it hides a multitude of sins under its expanses, or layers of flowing fabric. The baby doll silhouette is usually fitted to just under the bust-line and then tents out, and these days, falls to varying lengths in hemlines. A huge baby doll influence this year can be seen in tops and shirts that are fitted to under the bust and then flow out almost to as long as a mini dress would be. The baby doll type dress is also being seen in droves this season whether in casual summer dresses, or chiffons and silks for partying. The baby doll has always been wearable and a classic fashion piece that can easily make an appearance at any occasion if worn the right way. However, the last time it was seen in such abundance was in the 90s where it was often seen worn, for example, over funky type spandex biker shorts. They didn't try to be doll-ish at all. But not this year. Be as girlie as you like! If there are two must have pieces that are sure to stand the test of time and that most of us can wear and look like a million dollars in, invest in both wrap and baby doll dress.