Dress to Impress? No...Dress to Distress!

Antonio Berardi Spring 2009 - Sexy but not First Date Friendly

We all know that people dress for different reasons. Sometimes women dress to impress men, sometimes to impress other women, but hopefully most of the time you dress for yourself. Sometimes I look at my wardrobe and I find myself feeling like I have nothing to wear when it comes to certain occasions. When the time comes for a first date, I usually try to tone down what I would normally wear a couple notches. Nothing too fashion forward, nothing too tight or too sexy, definitely nothing that is uncomfortable or fussy either.

Gareth Pugh & Maison Martin Margiela Fall 2009 - Pretty Boy Unfriendly :)

Recently I had another dilemna, finding myself the object of some unwanted affection, I tried my best to dress to distress. Have you ever gotten dressed in hopes to discourage someone you're not interested in? So far I'm thinking boy-unfriendly options could include jumpsuits/rompers, trapeze dresses, perhaps really avant garde pieces. What else do you think qualifies?

I See London I See France I See...

Left to Right: VPL, Thakoon, Prada

Left to Right: Antonio Berardi, Alexander Wang

Underwear as outerwear is no new concept. Ever since the Material Girl wore that iconic pointy bra it's been in and out of fashion over the years. I was even watching some old Sex and the City episodes (from Season 3) the other day and my roommate pointed out that the entire time that Carrie first started dating Aiden she went through a phase of see through shirts.

The bra top and visible underwear were strongly shown throughout the Spring 2009 collections but I wasn't sure if this trend would actually become a reality until I saw this photo of Gwyneth Paltrow wearing Antonio Berardi's dress that offers X-Ray vision into the world of her skivvies.

What Gwyneth does the rest of the world seems to soon follow. Remember her Gladiator sandals and other fierce footwear last year?

I don't think this trend is for everyone, there is a good reason we all embraced the babydoll and trapeze silhouettes a while back. But just be on the lookout as it could soon be hitting the streets around you come warmer weather 2009.