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Should I wear my coat over my shoulders or should I let it hang?

Superficially, it’s just two ways of wearing a coat; apparently, two opposing styles; aesthetically, two philosophies of life that aren’t so different...

[dropcap letter=”I”]

n general, placing your coat over your shoulders is regarded as sign of distinction. This way of wearing your jacket so like a diva or a lady from the 50’ has been coming back in trend for a few years now partly because of Melania Trump. Since her arrival in the White House, she has ended up leading the trend.

And the item of clothing doesn’t matter as much (it works even with a thin summer cardigan), as the fact of doing it (strutting around like a bird that spreads its tail like a fan). Increasing the size of your body, the living space it occupies, increases the level of security and self-control and diffuses a subtle message of empowerment to the world. With this in mind, many possibilities to extend the human presence have been offered throughout the history of clothing: hoop skirts, top hats, heels, shoulder pads…

The American First Lady strolls around the world with her coats on like cloaks (making her back look bigger) as if her security guards weren’t enough and she longed for more protection. Not even the empty sleeves -with which she deceives her husband so she doesn’t have to hold hands with him in public- that restrain her or limit her freedom of movement and action necessarily seem like a sign of weakness, rather of ostentation: royalty and the elite don’t need arms (that’s what servants are for…).

As a faithful social portrait, fashion always ends up confronting archetypes every season. In these last cold weeks we’ve got left, the idea of relaxing codes becomes stronger, confronting the classic lady. If wool coats cover our shoulders, anoraks and down jackets discover them. Brands such as Balenciaga, Dior and Acne Studios put oversized, studiously neglected silhouettes on the catwalk. And although this hang in the fabric, with such a grunge “I don’t care” attitude (on the arms down to the elbows), apparently clashes with the superiority and authority that the widening of shoulders provokes, it also fosters indifference and inaction in the end. Lucky (or not) those who can afford it. 

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Should I wear my coat over my shoulders or should I let it hang?

Superficially, it’s just two ways of wearing a coat; apparently, two opposing styles; aesthetically, two philosophies of life that aren’t so different...

[dropcap letter=”I”]

n general, placing your coat over your shoulders is regarded as sign of distinction. This way of wearing your jacket so like a diva or a lady from the 50’ has been coming back in trend for a few years now partly because of Melania Trump. Since her arrival in the White House, she has ended up leading the trend.

And the item of clothing doesn’t matter as much (it works even with a thin summer cardigan), as the fact of doing it (strutting around like a bird that spreads its tail like a fan). Increasing the size of your body, the living space it occupies, increases the level of security and self-control and diffuses a subtle message of empowerment to the world. With this in mind, many possibilities to extend the human presence have been offered throughout the history of clothing: hoop skirts, top hats, heels, shoulder pads…

The American First Lady strolls around the world with her coats on like cloaks (making her back look bigger) as if her security guards weren’t enough and she longed for more protection. Not even the empty sleeves -with which she deceives her husband so she doesn’t have to hold hands with him in public- that restrain her or limit her freedom of movement and action necessarily seem like a sign of weakness, rather of ostentation: royalty and the elite don’t need arms (that’s what servants are for…).

As a faithful social portrait, fashion always ends up confronting archetypes every season. In these last cold weeks we’ve got left, the idea of relaxing codes becomes stronger, confronting the classic lady. If wool coats cover our shoulders, anoraks and down jackets discover them. Brands such as Balenciaga, Dior and Acne Studios put oversized, studiously neglected silhouettes on the catwalk. And although this hang in the fabric, with such a grunge “I don’t care” attitude (on the arms down to the elbows), apparently clashes with the superiority and authority that the widening of shoulders provokes, it also fosters indifference and inaction in the end. Lucky (or not) those who can afford it.