Colour blocking is here to stay, and it’s even coaxing me into introducing a little bit of colour into my wardrobe. I bought these:
My legs do not exactly look like this in them, but I don't care. I'm wearing them anyway. Image from: http://www.saba.com.au
Which are not only colour, they are technically jeggings, which are against my own rules. They have a zip so I’m trying to pretend they’re just really tight actual jeans.
Anyway, one of my very first blog posts was about the foresight that young adult horror writer Christopher Pike had in the ‘80s to predict this trend. The characters in his books totally rock the colour blocking look. I’ve been working my way through my old copies of his books and continue to find examples.
Take The Star Group. Its copyright is 1997, which is almost a decade past when he first started getting published. But in Christopher Pike’s world the ladies are still wearing bright, loose clothes. Their tanned slender legs also appear to be eternal.
“She had on baggy white shorts and a red top. Her legs were lightly tanned, totally acceptable.”
I'm guessing the boys in Christopher Pike's books would find this look totally acceptable. Image from http://www.glamour.com
This is Pike’s description of the character of Gale as the hero Daniel approaches her to ask her out on the last day of school…I remember loving this book when I first read it in 1997. I read it many times. The 2012 reading didn’t hold up so well. Somehow, 14 years later, the idea of an alien communicating via automatic writing just didn’t seem as plausible to me…moving on.
In 1985 the girls in Slumber Party are matching shades of pink and red: “Lara climbed out of bed and put on her unused pair of burgundy cords – cursing the fact that she hadn’t brought a dress – and a flimsy pink shirt that needed both pockets, not to be indecent.” (Strange comma placement. Made me think of the way Chandler speaks in Friends. “She needed both pockets, not to be indecent”.)
The high-waisted cords are a brave move. Love the top and the belt. Want the belt. Image from http://www.alovelyescape.blogspot.com
They’re also looking better in ‘dress trousers’ than anyone has a right to: “Rachael, dazzling in tight, white dress trousers and a black turtleneck sweater minus the bra sat by his side, laughing gratefully at whatever he was saying, letting her fingers do all the things Lara had feared.” Sans bra! That’s one sassy outfit Rachael.
Marilyn did this look first and she did it best Rachael. Image from http://blueshoes.posterous.com
On to Chain Letter. This was a favourite of mine – Alison (who incidentally has just moved into a brand new housing estate) and her friends receive letters asking them to do ridiculous and embarrassing things otherwise the writer will reveal their big secret. It’s all very I know what you did last summer. I read this book back when chain letters still existed and were rarely seen, unlike the forward-this-email-to-15-people-otherwise-your-wish-won’t-come-true crap that hits my inbox daily. I also read this book after moving into a new housing estate and I allowed this similarity in our circumstances to freak me out unnecessarily every time I read it.
“Alison dressed for the date with care, several times in fact, hampered by a lack of information on what Tony had planned. She donned an expensive flowered dress, squeezed into a pair of tight jeans, finally settling on what seemed a compromise, a green plaid skirt and a light turtlenecked sweater.”
Coveting the coat. Image from http://www.thebudgetbabe.com
So Blair could be wearing a turtleneck sweater under there. She could be wearing an expensive flowered dress. She could be naked. Who cares – look at her coat!
Christopher Pike’s fashion genius continues…
