There's something tempting yet troubling about this whole 70's vibe thing that is oozing out of stores this season. I can't quite decide whether there's some innate buried trauma that I must have experienced back in the day, when as a child my mother would parade me in all sorts of bizarre but very 'then' outfits. It's all that I can come up with that can explain this weird 'want to like it but can't quite bring myself to' feeling that I keep encountering and no amount of style advice that I can give myself can seem to shake it.
Take the cape - there are some fabulous versions around that scream drag me to Aspen and throw me into an A list apres ski bar. Whilst Ralph Lauren and Loro Piana have been punting them out (probably since the 70's) there are younger designers giving the look a go - L'Wren Scott, Stella McCartney & even Victoria Beckham are jumping on the trend and producing them for half the price of the old grandees.
My issue however is that although many have landed in my checkout cart online, none have actually made it through to full purchase. There's a niggling doubt in the back of my mind that mutters 'little red riding hood' or worse an old photo of me in a dated version wearing a tartan kilt and patent Mary Janes. The old adage: if you wore it the first time round don't touch it the second time, springs to mind. But there's still something infinitely attractive about the notion of it.
I've managed to get over this diverse fear when it comes to wedges and have positively encouraged my skinnier & younger buddies to throw themselves headlong into the jumpsuit of the season. But the cape purchase keeps stalling.
If you don't have the same irrational mind set, the key to wearing this look well is to think about proportion - most importantly yours! If you have been blessed with a height gene then feel free to pick a voluminous version and go mad on double breasted detail. If like me however, you are on the shorter side, take a look at the cropped versions and stick to single breasted to give the impression of a longer silhouette.
I guess the only way round my phobia is to embrace the fear, take the plunge and test it out - I can always save it a for a rainy day in fashion week next February and make believe I missed the decade...
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