Week 3 – Reportage

 

Skinny jeans are everywhere.  Young people, middle aged people, old people all wear their own version of skinny jeans in Spoleto.  Even in the workplace, skinny jeans are paired with a sport coat or a professional blazer.  Camouflage patterns, floral patterns and just plain blue or black jeans parade the sidewalks and piazzas daily.  Tucked into boots or topped with a tunic, tight pants rule.  Vibrant colors and a variety of patterns offer plenty of combinations for individual expression.  Blouses, sweaters, jackets, t-shirts, tunics all combine to create a unique look for the young and the old, the hefty and the model-thin. 

 

This is the advertisement that I imagine people are buying into.  There is no mention of body type or what styles flatter each type.  Wider legs at the bottom balance wide hips, or a larger mid-section, preventing the illusion of a lollypop on a stick.  Belts help give definition to a thin, small hipped frame.  For small busted women, ruffles can create an illusion of balance with hips that are relatively larger.  Large busted women, however, should wear dark colors on top and a v-neckline that draws the eye down or, conversely, a scarf around the neck that draws the eye upwards. 

 

All of these hints concerning how to look your best no matter what your body style seem to be consciously ignored in a land where skinny jeans rule.  This creates a landscape of lollipops and pencils where few body shapes are actually flattered by the look that skinny jeans exemplify.