It's the little things - brought to you by Kate's broderie frocks

Style into Action thought that these three broderie anglaise frocks had some interesting details both in the fit & their styles - worth chatting about.  Because if you overlook the details, your look will suffer. This I promise you. 

The front bodice of dress #1 by Zimmermann has a stiffness about the fabric which doesnt allow her curves to show as well as they should. I do however like the skirt. 

The parts of dress #2 (colour, fabric, sleeves, bodice, skirt etc) are very nice. However when I step back & look at it, it creates a scarecrow look to her body. Even though the fit is technically perfect, the "step back & look at the forest from the trees" scarecrow thing is where less experienced designers fall short compared to more experienced designers.

The Alexander McQueen #3 dress is the super expensive one of the three. I love its skirt, the peplum & the vee neckline.  But I see three things wrong with it - these will be minor to the layperson's eye, but they stand out for me. 

First, the torso of the dress seems a touch long for her body - as it is wrinkling & I dont see her leaning forward, that's the only conclusion I can come to. 

Second, it has a self belt. The one way that guarantees a garment to look more expensive is to substitute a self belt with a leather belt. I have never seen an exception to this rule. 

Third, the beauty about hideously expensive garments is their construction. All the stuff that goes on behind the outer fabric - I call it the scaffolding. 

Generally though, for traditional clothing, scaffolding is only "beautiful" when it is invisible. Making a traditional dress with visible scaffolding misses the point. 

If however the dress is art, say like at the Met Ball or something that Anna Dello Russo would wear, then it's OK for the scaffolding to be on display. 

Kate's dress is not one of these standouts; its traditional. Yet the scaffolding is showing up as thickness around her midsection, immediately above her belt. I think she can do better. 

So what does this mean?

Paying attention to the details is vital in looking fabulous, well dressed & pulled together. The more you read fashion, the more your eye gets used to the details. 

The details include:

No creases
No peek-a-boob
No scuffed shoes
Nothing tight or pulling
Nothing see through (where see through isnt called for)
Harmonious accessories
No visible undergarments
No runs in your stockings (keep a spare pair)

Get the drift?

Style means keeping your eye on the details.