Guest Blogger: Bring on the Bling

I was walking along Madison Avenue during the Pre-Fall season, and I noticed the twinklings of a trend in the storefronts. Showcased in glimpses from Dior to Barneys was a hard silhouette that was hard not to notice: a subtly-fitted waist that sloped, darted, or folded into a nearly geometric hipline. Diamond Hips are upon us.


How did this look skip my attention from all the shows last February, which seemed more about black, show-stopping footwear, and a sidelong glance of an intellectual femininity? And how could I miss it, since I’d placed a secret bet with myself three years ago that this trend would be back into play about this time last year? I now recognize the power of Madison Avenue.


Diamond hips. What are they? In the grand tradition of fashion illustration of the past century, there is an iconic look that has hovered in my consciousness over the years: a woman stands in a fitted suit, skirt tapered at the knee, with her angular hips jutting forward. Shoulder pads or no shoulder pads, long sleeves or three-quartered, knee-length or tea-length skirt, what you notice about her are those hips. Those pointed, unnaturally-sharp hips: precise as the cross-section of a brilliant-cut diamond.

Well, almost as precise. There are variations on the look, and I’ve even discovered some variant names for the shape.

A “peg skirt” is one that tapers at the knee, but it’s almost always paired with piecings, gathers, or pleats that give it a pronounced pelvis, sometimes round, sometimes square.

A “stem skirt” or “pencil skirt” is form-fitting to the knee with front darts that sometimes take a boxy turn up at the top. And “cowl pockets” denotes the pocket treatment whose layered folds either crisply or loosely give one a truly brilliant profile – if creating that diamond a little lower from the waist, at times.

Where did it come from? It’s not hard to find the forerunners of this look over the past few seasons. For about two years we’ve seen the M.C. Hammer pant inching its way back into acceptable visibility. All those waistline folds and gathers aren’t so far from those glorious cowl pockets, which seem like an abstract, pared down version of the same. And with the return of high waistlines and wide belts, 80s nostalgia, and the beautiful tailoring of the series “Mad Men,” it’s easy to see that tailored hip treatments would come to the fore.


There isn’t really as much of a Board of Directors dictating the upcoming seasons as one might be led to believe. Trend is like a shape-shifting jackal, a shadow-creature that weaves in and out of culture like a coyote in the tall grass. It pretends to come from the runways, and it’s said to come from the streets… but it’s probably a bit more than a bit of both: it rises and falls with the spirit of the age… a fluttering of action and reaction to the times, the economy, emerging technologies, business practice. And aesthetically it’s something of the collective human spirit in all of us, not only running into the arms of the ever-new, but also taking part in a type of great conversation of the beauty, history, and style that we use to color our days.


Perhaps a wonder in your mind is how to wear the look. Expertly executed in very crisp, formal fabrics (see the Dior coat), I also saw variations in funky and frolicking draped silk dresses (Balenciaga) that are ready for a night on the town. A Vuitton pant with cowl pockets makes use of fitted, tucked-in tops to accentuate the pockets’ flair. If you took a look at the recent Spring shows, there were quite a few variations on cowl pockets enticing the world to put them on… Tops worked well tight, cropped, tucked in, or layered. With dresses, a more relaxed waist, flapper-style, works best with cowl pockets to de-emphasize a curvy frame and still rock the casual geometry. It’s an exciting look.


I am wondering, come next year, if we won’t find these diamonds are a girl’s best friend?

Nina Gapinski is a men’s denim designer for Rocawear living in New York. She’s been a fan of vintage clothes since the seventh grade (which was over 20 years ago!), and she used to stake out a particular Goodwill in Arlington, VA in the early 90s. Lately on her playlist: Rush, The Chameleons, Mighty Crown, Della Reese, Nigeria 70 Lagos Jump, and wefunkradio.com. She can be reached at triflefly@gmail.com.