By our guest writer – Marianna Tigani

It occurred to me the other day. Attempting to escape the heat, I indulged in a Mad Men marathon (in my opinion, the best thing on TV since the Sopranos) and found myself gawking at the phenomenal show’s phenomenal women. Set in the early 60s, these women swathe around Manhattan in an array of full skirts and twin sets with perfectly coiffed hair and flawless make-up. Throw in perky hats, matching shoes and a strand of pearls and you have Stepford wife perfection: feminine, sophisticated and completely girly.

Five decades later you would be more likely to usurp the latest It-bag waiting list than see a woman so impeccably attired and presented. Somewhere in between the second wave of feminism and Twilight taking over the world, girls ditched the frills, bows and matching handbags and got themselves leather pants, studded bags and gladiator heels.

This past year I have strutted the city streets of Paris, London, Melbourne, Milan, Sydney and my home town Brisbane alongside a seemingly endless army of women donning a homogenous set of style rules: keep it short, sharp and sleek. Embellish with chain and stud details. Mismatch accessories. Structured volume is fine. Full skirts are not. And if you must go for a girly piece, toughen it up with messy hair, big clunky shoes or a leather jacket.

Clothes are so much about communication. Our social whims and inner desires are written all over what we choose to wear. Fifty years ago women wanted (or were limited to) marrying well and keeping house. These days women want to fly jet planes or cure cancer. When you’re trying to break glass ceilings, a blush pink ruffled dress just won’t do the trick. Better off with Balmain’s pagoda shoulder jacket and studded Prada snakeskin pumps. That way everyone will know you’re serious.

Australian fashion designers also provide female urban warriors with armour. There’s the structured and studded attitude of Ellery while Dion Lee’s dresses literally carve a strong look for the female form.

Ellery (left) and Dion Lee (right)

Yet amidst this jungle of strength and determination, aren’t there some days when you just want to be a girl: a real girl, a complete damsel in distress, capable of little but looking pretty and smiling sweetly. On these days, I curl my hair, rouge my cheeks and crave pink Oscar de la Renta.

Soon, it may be even become fashionable to dress all girly again. Overseas catwalks abounded with pastel pretty looks from Burberry and Louis Vuitton. Maybe 2010 will be the year Aussie girls ditch the studs and get back in touch with their softer side.

But don’t ditch the tough girl uniform just yet. Though I look forward to seeing Australian designers interpret this softer look (hint: keep an eye on Juli Grbac) there are some days when the world seems more dog-eat-dog than fairy floss and heaven knows, on these days, a girl needs all the black leather and studs she can get.

Juli Grbac

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Please be aware that this fashion article was last modified on the 11th December, 2009. Although Australian Fashion Review Blog endeavours to keep the fashion information as timely and as relevant as possible, we may not be 100% up to date.

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