The Dictator | Where to find metallic skirts and charcoal skincare
The spring-summer 2016 skirt trend is still going strong with both designer and high street brands; activated charcoal has uses in everything from dental care to face masks
I just went to Italy and it seemed like every other woman was wearing one of those metallic, long, pleated skirts. I remember Gucci had some. Do they all shop at such posh boutiques there? Is it some sort of national discount that keeps them looking so stylish or do they have a source I need to know about?
For Pleats Sake, Happy Valley
The Dictator rules: Hmm, isn’t that metallic, pleated midi trend from spring-summer 2016 looking a little dull already? Well, apparently, a few of us are in on their secret. Are you ready for it? Fashion is cannibalistic. No, not in a flesh-eating zombie sort of way. Brands feed off each other, especially from the bottom up.
There are not-so-secret stores that specialise in reproducing catwalk must-haves at a fraction of the cost, and situated in prominent retail spaces in Hong Kong. One you really should get to know is H&M, where you could pick up a silver pleated skirt for only HK$299. Gucci’s comes in iridescent green lurex and silver leather (HK$13,200 and up). And, of course, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Stella McCartney, Loewe, etc, have created variations on the theme.
You should also make Zara your best friend; it’s got them galore, from metallic pastels to various shades of silver in plissé or accordion pleats (HK$189 to HK$499). The street stylers you spied could just as easily have been wearing low-priced iterations by Topshop, Forever 21, Asos; the list goes on.
But you don’t have to go to extremes. Between lunch money and rent, there are fashion brands you should be able to afford. Vivienne Tam has made her sparkly lamé pleated skirts in solid black or deep red (HK$2,200) and Alice & Olivia makes a dark grey metallic maxi skirt in a silk blend (HK$4,790).