Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

Knickers Are the Next New Thing

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A gorgeous friend who is aware of my “Never is the next new thing™” fashion philosophy asked me last week what the next new thing would be. I said that I didn’t know because I didn’t see anything that would provoke the “I would NEVER wear that!” reaction that has predicted fashion trends including skinny jeans and leggings; boyfriend jeans; big shoulders; double denim; leather shorts; clogs; and Lady Gaga (is there any female pop star NOT wearing leotards like Gaga?).

The very next day gorgeous blogger Stacy and I went to the Brioni showroom and I realized what the new “never” was: knickers, as we call them in the U.S.  Oh, stop getting your knickers in a knot, British peeps. It irritates me when y’all act faux-scandalized about that term: “OH EM GEE, she said ‘underwear’!” It’s as annoying as when Americans are like: “OH EM GEE, they said fag!” Yes, yes, the words have different meanings depending which side of the Atlantic Ocean you’re on. Vive la différence, as the cheese-eating surrender monkeys would say.  What?! At least I didn’t call the French “knicker-wearing fags”! That wouldn’t even make sense. Why would a cigarette want to wear panties? Anyway, here’s a picture of Stacy holding the “knee trousers” that I expect you’ll disdain now and love later.

Click to read Stacy's Brioni post.

These jumped out at me because I’d recently read a blog post by someone who wore knickers and got grief for it. (I can’t remember who that was, so if it is you, please identify yourself in the comments.) I also recalled how cute Jennine of The Coveted looked in a vintage pair she got last year. So I feel the look is in the air, getting attention from the fashion-forward types whose job it is to expose the rest of us to new looks.  The style could definitely work for fans of tights and socks. You’ll be able to show off your interesting legwear in the winter while staying warmer than you would in a short skirt or dress.

Brioni really committed to the style, offering knickers in several different fabrics: double face cashmere felt, silk sateen and silk jacquard. All of their fabrics are divine. I think fashion companies that start out with menswear have the best fabrics and tailoring. Look at the seams in this jacket.

A jacket on Stacy.

I could see this sleeveless dress with padded shoulders would create a flattering silhouette.

I liked it even better in black leather.

I could barely be separated from a Mongolian fur jacket.

It reminded Stacy of my vintage monkey-fur coat, but it reminded me of a turquoise Mongolian lamb chubby (another one of those words with more than one meaning: I’m referring to a jacket style) that I saw on the ground floor of Bergdorf Goodman years ago. In my recollection, that piece was by Marc Jacobs and this took place in the ’90s, but I could be wrong. What I remember for sure is that I didn’t have enough money to buy anything there and I didn’t dare try on the turquoise chubby, but I did think, “If I believed in an afterlife, I’m sure heaven would be just like this.” Sometime after that, I determined that the Javits Center was hell. That’s another story but, if by any chance there is an afterlife, I feel well prepared for either option.

Among the other items we played with at the Brioni showroom were long, long gloves worn ruched to the shoulder in the line’s Fall/Winter 2010 runway show. At first we just giggled over them.

Glove you long time.

Stacy's gray suede glove can also be...an elephant trunk!

Then Stacy patiently pulled one on, and it looked amazing. Like leggings for your arm. An arming?

Glovely!

They’re definitely not for everyday wear, but these gloves can make it off the runway and into real life for the right occasion. They would be perfect with a sleeveless wool dress. Hmmm … maybe this winter you’ll all be wearing sleeveless tops with armings and knickers with fancy socks! Be sure to send me photos.

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Comments

  1. LOVE the knickers! Seriously! Oh and the gloves! I have been coveting ultra long gloves for years now. I hope you get them!

  2. Ms. Wendy: You are hilarious! I love that glove on Stacy and the leather sheath is great.

    Knickers are the new never. Who’dah thought?

  3. Jennine’s knickers are great so I could see these being fun too better than capris to be sure. I’d wear mine with patent oxfords. I wish I could get a pair of sky blue satin ones but have no idea what I would wear up top.

  4. It makes sense that knickers (uh sorry, knee trousers) are gonna be big, there is so much attention to legwear lately. Those gloves were amazing… so was everything else in Brioni’s showroom! The Mongolian fur has your name all over it!

  6. I can see it now… late autumn, a pair of two-tone oxfords, some lovely knit socks, knickers… still gotta work on the details, but I see something coming!

  7. Drooling over your shoes, Ms. Wendy! I also love those 2 dresses and the gloves! Ack! I would totally wear to the next art gallery swankiness!

    But…eep! I wore knickers back in oh…1981? I had a brown cord pair and a blue cord pair. I thought I was the cat’s meow. I’m pretty sure I wore white tights with them. Oh, and boots. They look great with really high boots. I don’t know, though. Now? Must ponder…

  9. well, now. the gloves (me glove you long time – hee) would just not cut it if i wanted to go outside and smoke a fag wearing my knickers. 🙂
    (but i am old enough to remember fashionable knickers back in jr high or was it high school? mom told me not to wear them because they just made me look chubby)

  10. (seriously, where do you get these fabulous anti-spam words – mine is milan, which I think is a fabulous idea).

    Brioni – who would have thought. LOVE the black leather dress.

    The gloves are wonderful (I like Rick Owens cashmere ones better, so soft) but the ultimate, there-really-is-no-other … Daniel Storto … who just happens to live in Gloveville.

  12. Forgive my Welican (Welsh-American) confusion, but I have always referred to said trousers as “knickerbockers” and not “knickers.” In the interests of international harmony and world peace, I will continue with “knickerbockers.”

  17. The fur jacket looks stunning! Everything does, really. And that’s it, I’m finding a way to wear the ishly knickers that have been languishing in my closet for a year and a half with only one wear.

  18. Oo those gloves! You look great in that mongolian lamb coat, but you have me drooling thinking about a turquoise one! I do love mine, they’re super cuddly and warm in the brutal NY winter!
    XXX
    Suzanne
    PS I think they’re called “knickerbockers” in the UK, and there might be another term for them but its not coming to mind… more coffee please!

  19. your post had me in stitches! think of all the words just begging to be trademarked in it like ‘Arming’ hehhee

    i love that leather dress!
    xoxo
    marian.

  20. Those gloves are pretty insane! But you never know! I’m sure we’ll see the trend at the local supermarket pretty soon!

  21. Didn’t you even try on the knickers? I think I can see you in them with some very cool shoes. Just you wait…And that leather dress? Gorgeous.

  22. I must be ahead of the game for once … I’ve been admiring knickers for months!

    And lord, lord that leather dress is stunning.

  23. Once a girl named Patty had a knack for making knickers, until she nicked her sewing hand and the knickers became out of ‘whack’.

    There’s a pun in there, but I’m too lazy this morning to sort it all out.

  25. I have wanted a pair for a while! Once I found a wonderful pair in H&M but I didn’t have enough money on me, boohoo. Well, since Wendy B has predicted a trend, I’m sure they’ll soon be in stores everywhere!

  26. I absolutely died at “lamb chubby” and the subsequent explanation. Apparently, I have the mind of a 12 year old boy?

    On a side note, my anti-spam word was “suebubbs”. Is your anti-spam a secret fan of Susie Bubble? 😉

  27. I tried on some knickers from a Canadian eco fashion label earlier this year. They didn’t look quite right on me, but that hasn’t dissuaded me from looking for a pair. 🙂

  28. My spam word is just so fitting for my feeling after reading this: Amusing.

    I am going to roll my eyes today knowing full-well I will see the dowdy and fashion backwards in Houston wearing knickers in 2012 (it takes about 2-3 years before anything other than rocky mountains and ugs catch on here).

    Didn’t we wear these as kids growing up? I know I did (oh damn, I think I just dated myself. Yup. Oh well). Bring on the knickers.

    Seriously, though – I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the coat and freakishly long gloves. I would wear those to work and dare, no, double-dog dare someone to ask me about them!

  34. Love the seams on that jacket. In Grade 10 I once turned a pair of thin cotton pants into knickers by tucking them into my socks. I liked the look, but others gave me askance glances.

  35. I think knickers are brilliant, and would be egg salad with those shoes you have on. Together with ribbed charcoal-gray cashmere knee socks, and some sort of really great thick cashmere cowlneck sweater (in cream or dove gray) you would be all set. Top it with a very well-tailored houndstooth jacket if you’re feeling jaunty and Englishcountryside.

    Knickers would be perfect in my climate. I can just imagine what kind of fantastic Prada shoes would go with them.

    (my captcha was “dreamseq”!)

  36. I really have to add: All those clothes from Brioni you featured are superb. The black leather dress is really the living end. I love the gloves, too. Maybe together.

  37. I like enc’s outfit idea, that sounds fabulous. I’m afraid that I’m going to have to call them knickerbockers too, because thats what they’re called here. I thought your post was going to be a hell of a lot saucier than it was when I saw the title, dammit.

  40. One of my best outfits when I was 8 was comprised of light denim knickers with multi-color stripe socks. It was a weird outfit at the time….visionary.

  41. Yep, those would be called ‘knickerbockers’ in UK-speak. My favourite US expression is ‘don’t get your panties in a bunch’. You do say that, don’t you? The Uk equivalent is ‘don’t get your knickers in a twist’ but yours is better.

    The gloves are gorgeous.

  44. I have fond(?) memories of stylin’ a pair of soft blue pinwale cord knickers in seventh grade. I looked so fine(?) when I wore them to a Bat Mitzvah… my ensemble included a collarless puff-shoulder shirt with thin stripes in pastels and metallic gold, and I’m sure a pair of white Capezio jazz shoe knockoffs… why I remember this in such detail 25+ years later, who the hell knows? I can pretty much guarantee that I will not be sporting the trend this time ’round. Unless for the next Big Apple Tweed Ride.

  45. Oh, I’m ALL OVER the knickers–I wear the one pair I’ve been able to find in my price range to death. What’s brilliant is “Never is the next new thing™” because it’s so completely true.
    Every time I think “I’ll never wear that” (usually followed by “again” as I’m all old now), “that” becomes the next big trend that I simultaneously love and despise. Stupid fashion.

  46. 1. I love the knickers. I can totally picture them with sky high platforms looking FIERCE!!!

    2. Love the “arming”… I NEED some of those for this winter…NEED!

    3. Thanks for stopping by my blog 🙂 I appreciate it! and yes, I’ve learned my lesson with the “nevers”…I say all it takes is the right person, wearing the wrong thing, the right way to change your mind…

    xoxo,
    Eboni Ife’

  47. Hells bells yes to the knicker (….bockers – couldn’t resist!). There was a woman that used to go to my university who pretty much lived the ’20s, from the hair to the clothes she sourced from the period. I remember her walking in one day in knickers (it feels wrong writing that), two tone brown leather and canvas lace ups and a beautiful cream blouse. Stopped me dead in my tracks, it looked stunning.