THE BOTTON DOWN TREND,YES OR NO?

Can a piece that’s been worn since forever by both men & women, in a casual and professional ways be more than a staple? Are we such great sartorials that we can reinvent a piece as simple as a button-down? Apparently so.

For 2014 Spring & Summer designers’ collections had one thing in common: the reinvented button-down. How is it that such an old and really boring thing can be so trendy and new?It’s got to do with HOW you wear it, whereyou button it (around your neck only, leaving your tummy out in the open, cause you know the crop top trend is still massive.), and extend the look from shirts to dresses.

Also forget just-the-professional-side-of-a-shirt, cause a button-down shirt worn however you like it (tied at the waist, unbuttoned, loose) can go from morning to evening from office to beach. Jazz it up with necklaces and pile on jewellery for evening, wear it as a jacket over some mini dress or shorts for weekends, or do the half tuck in jeans for a simple but chic style. When it comes to this staple the sky’s the limit and the styles are infinite. Best button-down shirts this season to take you anywhere and save you from any style predicament are: the denim button-down, the white button-down, the animal print button-down, the black one, the blue one and maybe the plaid one if you will. A pair of ripped jeans, loose cutoffs and some gladiator sandals and you’re set for a chic style. Go for smart trousers or pencil skirts for office outfits. Saving the best for last – The Button-Down Dresses – are by far my favorite. When last month one of my friends bought errr like 10 of them I was thinking how great! (doh) but also was wondering if buying too much of a staple turned trend is really that great. IT IS! There’s something so irresistibly casual and effortless about a button-down dress, so versatile (easily dressed up and down) that it’s like discovering fire all over again. A long sleeved chiffon/silk mini one tied around the waist looks great for summer casual days with flat sandals, and a massive bag. Leave it loose and untied around the waist if you’re going for a boho-chic style or yo’re thinking of layering it up with a short denim or leather jacket. This last style would also look fab with heels. And then come those retro button-down dresses that literally take me back in time, before my time in 70’s when every woman loved those DVF wrap dresses, long to the knees, or over the knees, tied at the waist and a bit loose otherwise. The button-down is just this – the sexiest way simple-casual-effortless style comes in. To make it occasion appropriate play with fabrics and accessories. Silk, chiffon, long, maxi or tea length dresses in one color or in funky prints paired with a long thin necklace, or bold earrings, unbuttoned up to your tummy, with a high slit, and quite loose, but cinged at the waist, paired with high stiletto sandals is pure evening perfection. The same style, in any fabric, with a tea-length hem, cap sleeves, more fitted around the hips and breasts, paired with chunky heels or flats is instantly Sophia Loren vibe. Retro, sexy but on the go, without the slightest effort. It actually feels great when a basic staple we pretty much take for granted becomes a massive trend. It’s both refreshing and dares us to get more creative with pieces we’ve already got and wear them still, but in new ways. From morning to evening, from workdays to weekends.