English Version | Luck be a lady

It's Truman Capote's fault. It always has been. The fact that Ryan Murphy resurrected his eternal swans in the series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans was just another excuse for something that had been announced for a long time - the return of feminine, formal, elegant, in short, totally lady-like fashion. The New York socialites who gravitated around the author of In Cold Blood, Babe Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest and Lee Radziwill topped the lists of the best-dressed women in the world for years, admired for their sophistication and charisma. Rich, distinguished and glamorous, Capote's “swans” were the elite of society at the time, who didn't allow themselves to commit faux-pas in public. But it would be unfair to blame only the American writer for this comeback. After all, the announcement of the premiere of New Look, on AppleTv, about the life and work of Christian Dior, provoked an unbridled search for pieces that recall, even vaguely, that innovative silhouette launched in the post-war period. From one moment to the next, the looks of the ladies who lunch became the most coveted of the season: pearl necklaces, knitted cardigans, cashmere sweaters, A-line skirts, laced shirts, mid-heeled shoes (how do you think the Mary Jane craze started?)... In short, the closet of Hitchcock's characters - distant heroines, with a beauty as icy as it is sensual, but with a keen sense of style. Of course, in this 21st century version, dressing “like a lady” doesn't mean following a series of rules that corset your personality. The rules, in fact, have been thrown out of the window, and the old rigid codes have been ignored, because the past only brings inspiration.

Transparencies, lace, silk, there are a thousand and one ways to turn lady-like into something unexpected and, why not, fun. A seemingly unsuspecting black velvet dress can have all the right pro- portions (i.e. it can be glued to the body). If you combine it with a long fur coat with a leopard pattern, you'll elevate the outfit to mob wife status, while still being a lady. The proposals from Carolina Herrera, Erdem, Miu Miu, Victoria Beckham, Aläia and Dior, among many others, are proof that the femininity we thought was lost is definitely back. Easily adapted to everyday life, even by those who prefer a more minimalist style, “dressing like a lady” is no longer synonymous with carelessness or lack of creativity. Take Jenny Walton, for example, one of the most authentic content creators, who has made a mix of vintage and classic pieces her trademark. Walton is proof that the lady-like trend doesn't have to be boring, quite the opposite; her elaborate looks, always constructed with a touch of innocence and fun, are an invitation for any of her followers to do the same. The references associated with a “ladylike” closet no longer have to be limited to black and grey suits - just look at Bottega Veneta's wonderful two-tone leather skirt, which, despite being below the knee, is as modern as anything new presented in Milan. Or the unsettling black pencil skirt with a sky-high slit that Michael Kors added to a traditional tailleur. It's details like these that give this trend an upgrade. Then it's a question of accessorizing: red lipstick, an unexpected mix of colors, a bet on total red, the use of belts (plural) to mark the silhouette, the choice of leather pieces to deconstruct the impact of textures and proportions... Does anyone know who got Radziwill's estate?

Originally published in The Mother Nature Issue, from May 2024. Full stories and credits are in the printed version.