à la mode: One Woman Army

Do you remember when Ciara debuted with the song “Goodies” in 2004, and from then on until around 2009 the standard look for girls became skinny pants with high-top tennis shoes or knee-length boots, cropped hoodies, and fitted hats; a trove of girls looking like “Goodies” extras. Now, in 2012, Ciara is slated to be releasing her 5^th studio album, entitled “One Woman Army” in October, and as you can see below Ciara has a new look! When I got word that she released her album cover, I was floored when I saw her feathery long and blond hair, and her loosely fitted American flag sweatshirt, a pretty, very American, Farah Faucet look contrasted with the camouflage netting background that translates, “One Woman Army” in a simple yet very Ciara-edgy fashion. I was taken aback even more, when I realized her oversized sloppy looking leg warmers were actually detached and distressed pant legs from the also distressed shorts she is wearing. I felt this was a cute trend that I applaud for thinking outside the box because it brings a very personal and dynamic touch to the look she is going for on this album.

Album to be released in October 2012

I can see girls wanting to add this personal touch to their pants themselves and, in my fashion, I can think of a few creative ways to enhance the look for added effect and personalization—think to add colorful tights or leggings, shorts with mismatched leg warmers combos, and just think of what other pieces would go along with this new take on legwarmers. It wouldn’t surprise me to see more girls being daring enough to wear such a hard look, but considering this Fall we will see an upsurge in pants and a fall in skirts (as we can expect from Miuccia Prada herself who states in this month's US Vogue, "Dresses have become too trendy"), this trend will be a diverse addition to the concept of wearing bottoms, and in my fashion, would be a defining trend of our decade, per said popularity.

I predict success for Ciara and her 5^th album; considering her style, she would come back out when pants are going to be all the rage in fashion, considering it’s quite hard to dance the way she does in a skirt or long dress…hmm, long dresses. That would be an interesting and different approach, for her, in my fashion.