NY Fashion Week: Akiko Ogawa Fall 2006

This is what Glinda, the Good Witch, wears as a hostess gown.

Actually, I find it strangely appealing, with an emphasis on the "strange". For instance, the collar is a little sporty for plunging bespangled gauze. And somehow this dress actually repels breasts. (Which always makes me think -- why can't they put this technology into a goddamn sports bra, already?) And the sleeves, which were torn, birds-helping-Cinderella-style, from a *different* dress and tacked on at the last minute. I'm glad her evil stepsisters were temporarily distracted and she managed to get down the runway with them intact.

So I'm thinking this is the reverse of the famous Go Fug Yourself "scrolldown wtf?", in that I really like this dress from the ribbon down. It would be lovely with a sweetheart-neckline, cap-sleeve bodice. You know, with the edges of the lace extending beyond the bodice lining to frame the decolletage. You could even keep the embellishment if you wanted.

Oh, wait, now I know what this reminds me of! Did anyone else have those pink "Fashion Plates" that I had as a little girl, where you could mix and match tops and bottoms, do rubbings from them, and then color the rubbings? Totally 1970s -- I think even the bathing suit had a cowl neck. Unsurprisingly, I spent hours playing with them. This is what you got when you mixed the tennis top with the ballgown skirt. It didn't work for me then, and it doesn't work here now ...

Comments

[Anonymous]

I freakin' LOVED my Fashion Plates. I had the pink set AND the blue set, baby. I was stylin'.--Lydia

[IA]

Fashion Plates! Rocked!

[Helen]

OMG I can't believe I had forgotten about them... And sadly as a 26 year old costume designer, i still find myself tracing over figures that i like and then putting my designs on top of them. Classically trained, what can I do??!x

[Anonymous]

I too had fashion plates-- the pink set. I was especially enamored of the sort of jumper you could mzke with an A line skirt. I liked to use the plaid texture with that.My god-daughter just got a set (from goodwill) and we've been having fun playing with them!Sophia Brooks

[oliviacw]

LOVED fashion plates. Remember the bottom with the leg warmers and skates?

[Becky O.]

I had the "Mighty Men & Monster" plates. Maybey that's why I want to have a flowing cape and ray gun with every dress I make...We never throw anything out and my three sons love them now. I'm thinking at least one of them would have enjoyed the fashion plates though!

[jenny]

My daughters have the newer Barbie version; but it's just not the same. And they're completely unimpressed with the whole concept. I think that it's too low-tech for them: they're used to stepping into Barbie's animated dressing room and creating a from-scratch outfit, complete with the desired accessories, then printing it out in full color. *sigh*

[diane dominice]

i totally had the fashion plates!There was also a somewhat similar toy with pieces of fabric and a frame that held the fabric to what was kind of just the front of a barbie doll... like a draping design toy, i forget what it was called. from the 80's.

[Anonymous]

I loved my fashion plates and I used to play with my brother's monster plates too. And I actually like this dress - I think the v is too low but I like it.

[VintageGent]

Fashion plates...that brings back memories! I remember the roller skates and shorts paired with more formal blouses. LOL. And don't forget the version for boys - Mighty Men and Monster Maker. Of course we lamented as kids that the pieces were not the same size so you couldn't mix and match robots/creatures with models. ~ Chris

[Laura(southernxyl)]

My daughter had a set of Hello Kitty fashion plates. I enjoyed playing with them too.The reason the dress repels boobs in that manner is that the model doesn't have any. God knows what that dress would look like on an actual woman.