A purr-etty touch for any blouse.
While schedules and - dare I say - leisure activities have kept me from posting my midweek commentary entry, I couldn't help but to drop by in my exhausted state to report on what has been inspiring me this week.
In 2014, the year that feminism finally got back into fashion in every possible sense of the word, we have seen a host of tomboyish staples and comfort-centred paradigms, from flat shoes and backpacks to sporting motifs interpreted with brilliant sparkle. How better to see it off than with the ultimate expression of feminism in the corporate world - the pussy bow? Sure, the pussy bow blouse is an approved pre-fall trend already, embodied 70s retro as the shape of things to come in the spring 2015 Milan shows and is 'haute' property as a standalone accessory, according to Company's High Street Edit but it's also a doddle to DIY.
The pussy bow spanned the whole of the 20th century in its evolution but gained popularity in the 1960s when it was adopted by Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. Its real conceptual gravitas came in the '70s and '80s when it was worn by pioneering female executives, such as Meg Whitman, the CEO of Hewlett-Packard and of course Margaret Thatcher, as part of her trademark look, serving as a fluid, feminine Yin to the towering, power-dressing Yang of the shoulder pads. There is also more in a name than merely demure feline elegance, according to Jezebel, who put the name down to the markedly less innocuous genital references - it was business balls, feminist style!
To make your own pussy bow, simply:
- Find a fabric you like and buy 10cm of length (I've yet to come across a fabric shop that would be prepared to cut you less than that).
- Use the whole width of the fabric for your tie and cut it so that it's about 5-6cm deep, depending on how thick the fabric is.
- Fix the edges with fabric glue or fray stop to - who'd have thunk it - prevent the edges from fraying.
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