One of the hottest items — in terms of popularity, not us thinking they're something you should wear outside — for spring 2010 on the New York runways were bottoms that look like a hybrid of panties and diapers. Designers including Alexander Wang and Marc Jacobs, among others, showed them for women, while Duckie Brown even showed them as swimsuits for men. Duckie Brown designer Steven Cox explained they wanted to do a sexier collection for spring and so they decided to make their swimsuits tighter (they did not explain the garment's bunchy girdle qualities).
The trend puzzles for many reasons. Partly because about .000000001 percent of the population has the lower quarters to pull them off. Partly because it's just plain indecent to walk around without pants. The world my be your oyster, but it is certainly not your beach. Also, diapers should be reserved for people who cannot control their faculties. Will these catch on with the masses? Like the harem pant, probably not. But Prada just showed a slew of them in Milan, so we certainly expect to see more of them on the runways.
Then the question remains: Why are designers making these things in the first place? Maybe they're cheaper to produce and buy since they require a scant amount of fabric. Or maybe this is the evolution of the harem pant — another way to walk around and look like you're carrying something unsavory in your bottoms. And maybe that is the designers' way of saying "fuck you" to everyone who hasn't been buying their clothes lately. Trying to make us look absurd could be their cryptic revenge.
Trend of the Season, in Brief [NYT]
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