Its stock is climbing this season, thanks to shapes that suit many figures and fun contrasting tights.
By Elizabeth Wellington
Inquirer Fashion Writer
Designers predicted that by spring 2006,
we'd be all about the dress.
But last summer, we were still consumed with full skirts and fitted jackets. Bermuda shorts set off a lively debate about whether or not they were office-appropriate, worn with heels or not. And leggings with tunics - a trend we were deathly afraid would make us look and feel rotund - has become the high-fashion uniform for trend-chasers and regular people alike.
Amid these distractions, however, the dress has been quietly working on its chic quotient. We embraced the dress on our terms, starting late in August with the popular kimono style. Whether it was a dress from the L.A.-based company Single or an Easy Pickins knock-off, it became the outfit of choice for late-summer soirees.
What has followed are updated wrap dresses - long-sleeved trapeze dresses, coat dresses, cable-knit dresses - need I go on?
"It's so great because I'm seeing so many variations," said Elisa Buratto, owner of Sugarcube, a boutique in Old City that mixes vintage and contemporary clothing. "And that makes women with all body types feel good whether they are tall or short, whatever size they may be... you can find the dress you need."
Buratto said sales for dresses picked up in her store right around September. Her hot sellers are silk jersey dresses from California-based designer Three Dot as well as designers Laura Seymour and new company APC.
Buratto noted that dresses tie in with other popular looks: "Dresses are helping people get used to the leggings look who may not have warmed up to the footless tights otherwise."
In fact, sales of dresses at department stores have increased 7 percent from this time last year, from $974 million to more than $1 billion, according to NPD Group, a New York-based market research firm.
Part of the reason dresses are hot this season is that women have decided we need to dress up more, while still maintaining a certain level of comfort. When women abandoned the dress for the pantsuit, we thought that not having to wear hose and a slip would simplify our lives.
Instead, pantsuits became just as complicated as dresses, thanks to the coordinated shells (that later became the sexy camisoles), pointed high-heel shoes, and mini bags we had to carry with them. And despite the layers of jewelry and low rise of the pants, the pants still weren't as feminine.
What makes dresses so much fun to wear this season are the contrasting tights. And, as we ease into the holidays, we will have plenty of opportunities to wear our black wrap dresses with gray or brown tights (to the office) or maybe a pair of burgundy fishnets (to the office party).
Erica Salmon, the owner of the Pitman-based Fantasy Fashion League, agrees. Salmon has bought at least three new dresses this season, including a brown wrap dress from Nordstrom, and she's eyeing a black Ann Taylor cocktail dress for the holiday party season.
"At the meetings I've gone to, people are a little more dressier this year, more so than this time last year," Salmon said.
"And last year I invested in some really nice boots, and you can't see boots under pants."
I've become a bit of a dress addict myself; I can't seem to stop buying them. First came the burgundy faux wrap dress from the Limited, followed by the soft, black real wrap dress from Banana Republic. Then I couldn't resist the soft brown-and-white striped, curve-hugging knit dress from Leehe Fai or the long-sleeved purple and black trapeze dress from H&M.
Whew... .
The good news is that my dress obsession won't be relegated to one season. During the spring 2007 shows, designers Donna Karan, Diane von Furstenberg, and Derek Lam showed lots of flowing goddess dresses in pale colors. Michael Kors dazzled spectators with dresses that had a dance theme - read, more silk matte jersey - and boutique owners report they have ordered several new styles to fill their racks.
I'll go so far as to predict that the sleeveless trapeze will be the dress for spring. But I must stop now.
I'm getting ahead of myself, as I don't even have the right wedge boots - I'm searching for gray suede - to match all my winter frocks yet.
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Contact fashion writer Elizabeth Wellington at 215-854-2704 or ewellington@phillynews.com. Read her recent work at http://go.philly.com/elizabethwellington.