What did Delaware?

I'd like to preface this entry with the following: There's a thunderstorm outside right now! In April! In Boston!

Anyway. Why do many women deem it appropriate to wear pajamas in public? That's right, I'm talking about jersey. Here are the pros: it fits nearly everybody, it's washable and travels well, it's inexpensive to manufacture, it's COMFY! Here are the cons: it can be sloppy and be mistaken for maternity clothing. In its latest incarnation many designers have added to their dresses an empire waist or A-line, which pushes this fabric from "I can get away with this at work" to "I hope people don't ask when the baby's due."

Jersey hasn't always been this way. The postwar designs of Claire McCardell introduced the idea of wearability in women's fashion: jersey was used in suiting separates, dresses and wrap-around designs to adapt to the active lifestyle of the working woman. Her influence carried later into the wildly patterned A-line minidresses of Pucci in the 1960s. A brief flirtation with disco in the 1970s introduced jersey to the club scene with jumpsuits for men and wrap dresses -- thanks to Diane von Fürstenberg -- for women. All of these examples shed a functional light on jersey. When something that's already well-made fits, function follows form.

So far, so good. Let's talk about the 80s -- a disaster on all fronts. Along with shoulder pads, stonewashed jeans and power suits, the jersey tunic came into style. Similar to the ideals of the active working woman, these tent dresses allowed the wearer freedom to seamlessly (no pun intended) transfer from day to evening. The modified shift dress, when worn with flats and leggings, constituted a playful alternative to polyester and painful high heels.

So why the above graphic? Generation gaps allow trends come and go in cycles of twenty (or so) years. This is why the bell-bottom came back into style in the 1990s and the reason for the appearance of leggings (to be saved for a later entry) in the aughts of the 21st century. New generations reach adulthood and yearn for the clothes they were too young to wear as children. Thus, loose-fitting jersey came back en vogue. There are many ways to wear it, tailored or flowing, but here are some tips:

1. Know what you're buying: a $200 a-line dress is not made any better than a $50 dress from the Gap.
2. Buy something that fits: if your body can't fit in a wrap-around style, don't buy it.
3. Please please please (and I'm begging here) do not add leggings to a short tunic and expect that to constitute an outfit. Tights are also not pants.
4. Be careful to separate what's work-appropriate from casual or beach clothing. Sometimes the color can make a difference.

And please do not spend $169 on the Ella Moss tent dress pictured in this entry.