Beauty in Skirts

Beauty in Skirts

Throughout the decades, the skirt has undergone countless¹ transformations². 1)Hemlines have gone up and down, but four basic styles have proven that they have what it takes to withstand the test of time.

When women want to feel dressed up or sometimes just for fun, the full skirt hits the bill. It was Christian³ Dior who put the full skirt on the fashion map with his first collection in 1947. After the lean years of World War II, Dior’s new look was a 2)revelation with some of his designs using up to fifty yards of fabric⁴!

With the rock-and-roll era of the 1950s came the full poodle-skirt named for the 3)appliques sown on by teenage 4)bobbysoxers. This 5)whimsical look became an instant classic. Kevin Jones, collections manager at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, explains, “The poodle-skirt is absolutely synonymous with the 1950s. You really cannot get away from it you mention the name the poodle skirt and girls today hark back immediately to, to the bobbysocks.”

Another important 6)silhouette⁵ is the pencil skirt. It’s ultrafeminine and brings a touch of mystery to the woman wearing it. Betty Grable showed off this 7)streamlined style in the 1930s. Marilyn Monroe chose the same silhouette to show up her curves in the 50s and the look has endured for decades to come.

If there’s one little word that fits with skirt, it would have to be mini. Introduced in 1966 by Mary Quant, this shocking silhouette created quite a stir.

Kevin Jones: It’s just like a brand new skirt nothing like it had ever been seen before, uh, it’s not quite the miniskirt we have today, it was about two inches above the knee, but when Women’s Wear Daily stated that Jacqueline Kennedy looked wonderful in her miniskirts suddenly it was the fashion to wear.
 
Andrea Linett: We always see a fickleness⁶ in the hemlines from season to season, but it seems that the miniskirt will always come back round.

Our next style might be the most timeless of all, the A-line skirt has just enough 8)flair⁷ to flatter any figure. Fashion icons⁸ like Audrey Hepburn made the A-line a stylish⁹ staple¹⁰ and today the look continues to be as popular as ever.

Andrea: If I were to have to pick one style of skirt that every woman should own it would probably be the A-line skirt. It’s very comfortable and it’s very flattering to the hips¹¹.

Full, pencil, mini and A-line even with these four favourites there’s still a dizzying variety of choices out there, and women love to wear them.

Useful Tips

Remember for petites, avoid excessive detail and look for simple designs that hit just below the knees.

If you’re top-heavy, stay away from plunging¹² necklines; search for dresses that are slightly loose and draw the attention away from your bust¹³.

For a fit waist, avoid a baggy¹⁴ fit; wrap dresses work best.

If you’ve got more of a boyish figure stay away from straight dresses, look for biased¹⁵ cuts and formfitting silhouettes¹⁶, and for a pear shape avoid clinging designs—a full skirt or an A-line dress are ideal. 

注释：
1) hemline [5hemlain] n. 底缘，底边
2) revelation [7revi5leiFEn] n. 新发现，启示
3) applique [A5pli:kei] n. 嵌花，贴花，缝花          
4) bobbysoxer [5bCbi7sCksE(r)] n. 十三岁至十九岁的少女 
5) whimsical [5(h)wimzikEl] a. 古怪的，奇特的      
6) silhouette [7silu(:)5et] n. 侧面影象，轮廓 
7) streamlined [5stri:mlaind] a. 流线型的
8) flair [flZE] n. 才能，本领

婀娜裙姿

    数十年来，裙子的款式经历了无数次的变化。裙子时长时短，但有四种款式是经历了时间的考验而历久不衰的。
    想要穿得隆重一些或者只是想弄点新意思时，长裙便是最合适的。是克里斯汀·迪奥在1947年把他的第一个长裙系列引入时装界。第二次世界大战后，他的新设计令人倍感清新，部份设计甚至使用了长达50码（约46米)的布料!
    20世纪50年代的摇滚时期，出现了贵妇狗图案裙。它因为少女把贵妇狗图案绣在裙上而得名。这种新奇的图案立刻就成为一种经典。凯文·琼斯，服装设计与贸易学院的系列经理是这样解释的: 贵妇狗图案裙是50年代的代表。当你提到贵妇狗图案裙时，即使是今天的女孩子也会立即联想到50年代的少女。
    另一种重要的样式是贴身及膝裙。它非常女性化，使穿着它的女性具有一种神秘感。贝蒂·嘉宝曾在30年代展示过这种流线型的样式。玛丽莲·梦露在50年代也选择了这种款式来展现迷人的身材，数十年来这种样式经久不变。
    如果说有一个词和裙子最贴切，那么它可能是“迷你裙”。它在1966年由玛丽·奎特推出，这种大胆的设计掀起一股热潮。

凯文·琼斯:这是一种全新的设计，前所未见，它跟现在的迷你裙不完全一样，长度在膝盖以上大约两英寸处，当《女性时装》说杰奎琳·肯尼迪穿迷你裙很迷人时，穿迷你裙突然间变成了一种时尚。

安德里亚·李纳特:虽然每一季的裙子长短不一，但迷你裙一直大受欢迎。
下一种样式也许是最耐看的，A字裙适合各种身材。一些时尚引领者如奥黛丽·赫本使A字裙成为一种时髦主流，并且时至今日这种样式仍然大行其道。
安德里亚:如果我要挑选一款每位女士必备的裙子，非A字裙莫属。它非常舒适又能够突出臀部线条。

    长裙、贴身及膝裙、迷你裙和A字裙，虽然这四种款式是首选，但还有各种各样的选择，令人眼花缭乱，深受女士欢迎。

小贴士

    身材娇小的要避免过于花巧的款式，而要选择刚过膝盖的简单设计。
    上身较胖的，不要选择太夸张的领口，应选择较宽松的款式，把视线从上半身转移开来。
    腰围适中的话，千万别选择宽松的样式，紧身的款式最合适。
    如果身材没有曲线，别选择直线型的款式，而应选择斜线的剪裁和合身的设计。梨型身材的，不要穿贴身的款式，长裙或A字裙是最理想的。

 

 

 

 

 

1 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

2 transformations   

n.变化( transformation的名词复数 )；转换；转换；变换

参考例句：

• Energy transformations go on constantly, all about us. 在我们周围，能量始终在不停地转换着。 来自辞典例句
• On the average, such transformations balance out. 平均起来，这种转化可以互相抵消。 来自辞典例句

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

5 silhouette   

n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓

参考例句：

• I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。
• I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。

6 fickleness   

n.易变；无常；浮躁；变化无常

参考例句：

• While she always criticized the fickleness of human nature. 她一方面总是批评人的本性朝三暮四。 来自互联网
• Cor.1:17 This therefore intending, did I then use fickleness? 林后一17我有这样的意思，难道是行事轻浮么？ 来自互联网

7 flair   

n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力

参考例句：

• His business skill complements her flair for design.他的经营技巧和她的设计才能相辅相成。
• He had a natural flair for business.他有做生意的天分。

8 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

10 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

11 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

14 baggy   

adj.膨胀如袋的，宽松下垂的

参考例句：

• My T-shirt went all baggy in the wash.我的T恤越洗越大了。
• Baggy pants are meant to be stylish,not offensive.松松垮垮的裤子意味着时髦，而不是无礼。

15 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

16 silhouettes   

轮廓( silhouette的名词复数 )； （人的）体形； （事物的）形状； 剪影

参考例句：

• Now that darkness was falling, only their silhouettes were outlined against the faintly glimmering sky. 这时节两山只剩余一抹深黑，赖天空微明为画出一个轮廓。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• They could see silhouettes. 他们能看得见影子的。