So Out It's In: Fun With Feathers

New Year's Eve is to short, sequined dresses as the Kentucky Derby is to fancy, oversized hats. Stored in backs of closets and hard-to-reach shelves, the dresses and hats have a few hours each year to make a statement; even if that statement is "Hey, I think it's still cool to wear this."

You might not own a Derby hat but chances are you've worn or seen the unspoken sequined uniform on NYE. It's showy, it's short, and it's a great excuse to look like a disco ball. But in these unflashiest of times, there seemed to be a shortage of sparkle this December 31st. Light wasn't bouncing off dresses like it did back in 2007. (Women across the country had apparently thought twice about reusing that flapper-girl Halloween outfit.) Savvy ladies instead turned to the other ostentatious mini, and I for one loved it.

Once reserved only for Bob Mackie and Big Bird fans, this trend has been slowly gaining mainstream steam for a few months, and now the feather dress is so oiut that it's in. (Note that I wrote feather "dress" and not "headdress"--didn't want any confusion on that front.)

The old feather look and the new feather frock:

Mischa Barton totally agrees that bird is the word:

Blake Lively goes cuckoo for feathers:

Feathers on the Spring '09 runways: Soaring to new heights? Tuleh and Christopher Kane think so:

Louis Vuitton Feather Mini on model, on Madonna:

Spring plumage might not be for everyone, but little accents here and there can really make an outfit interesting without going over the top. Subtle and feminine feathers on clutches, shoes, and hemlines look chic and add texture to simple, clean-cut outfits. Where the sequin left off, the feather is picking up.

Get a grip on these:

Feathered feet from Christian Dior and the Chanel runway:

So have your sequins wait out the economic crisis in an old suitcase under the bed and don't be shy of a little plume action this spring. And when Saturday, May 2nd rolls around, bonus points if you put a feather in your hat.

Comments

[AmericanPieInTheSky]

Personally I prefer to not wear clothing that leaves a small trail of molted feathers wherever I go. Have you ever seen those feather dresses worn at the awards shows? They practically have to have a cleaning crew going behind them vacuuming up the feathers and down from the red carpet.

[Mihal]

Feathers should only be worn to add a funky flare and, as mamacat said, when one has a sense of humor. Moreover, can we agree that they can only be used as accents? The full-feather dress/skirt/top is totally unnecessary.
www.snapsanddaps.blogspot.com

[PatA]

Yeah, it's tons of fun for the birds. Ever think about where "feathers" come from?

[mamacat]

The conclusion seems to be, that in order to make feathers work, one has to have a sense of humor. And a lot of money.

[tigerlyly]

Feathers=Adorable

I will be supporting the trend for as long as it lasts!

[TruthAndTheory]

How is this any different than fur?

[ladyeleaf]

In the summertime, the entire feather falls away from the bird's body (the feather with the quill). Then the bird (still happily alive) grows all new feathers. Down also is shed out by birds. So a farmer could raise a flock of geese for an unending supply of eggs, with new down and feathers shed every year that he/she would use for stuffing pillows, comforters, beds, making pen quills, etc. And the geese are alive and well throughout the years and die of natural causes as they get old.

Rainforest birds shed feathers naturally every year as well. Make for beautiful Indian headdresses and body decoration.
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With fur, the fur is attached to the animal's skin. The animal has to be killed.

I'm anti fur and I'm anti bird slaughter.

[madfashionista]

Thank you, dahling...you have no idea what a relief it is to read that. Although that is no excuse for some of Philip Treacy's hats.

[tigerlyly]

Really?!

[ladyeleaf]

Birds moult. They shed a huge amount of their feathers every spring and summer. I have boxes and boxes of naturally shed feathers from geese. Exotic parrots drop their feathers as do peacocks.

[madfashionista]

I also found the feathered outfits and accessories depressing...it's one thing for feathered pretties to be vintage, but there's no excuse for killing birds for something as superficial as fashion. And believe me, I am superficial. It's my credo, in fact. "Superficial At All Costs."

[CitizenKane16]

You cannot seriously believe that you have to slaughter a bird to retreive feathers?? Does shedding come to mind at all???

[sansego2000]

Looks like people wearing dead animals. Especially that green thing, that woman in brown on the runway and those purses look like they are carrying dead animals.

[QueenCeleste]

Yes, feathers are exotic and beautiful--on the original wearer. It's never good news for the animals when bits of their bodies are used for "fashion." Or when designers think up new ways of using their skins or plumage.

[LeeCalif]

What kinds of birds are being slaughtered for these looks ?

[SwingVoter]

Where is the animal rights group?

[janmarbol]

yeah, birds are thinking the same thing "feathers are in" - they're also wondering where theirs went!

[TaxTheRichNow]

I sooo love fashion. It's so fun. It's so sexy. It's so very, very silly. We humans need a lot more silly in our lives to keep us happy and sane.

[JustAHumanOnEarth]

Remember the Dodo Bird!