Pouf! The Bubble Skirt is Back!

Hi guys! I’m fresh back from traveling and I must say, it’s good to be home. I recently returned from a fabulous three-week trip to London and Paris, where I saw so much in the world of art and fashion. In London I shopped the chicest districts including the legendary Harrod’s department store; popped into the millinery ateliers of both Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones; and even saw a bit of the grittier side of this amazing city, or “real London,” as my friend refers to it, that friend being Polish-born Londoner, jewelry designer Marcin Giebultowski. He’s definitely a hidden gem! And I’ll tell you more bout him, later. So stay tuned.

In Paris I went to mind-bending couture exhibits at The Louvre and Musée du Quai Branly and scoured the fertile flea markets of France for hidden gems. And FYI, a flea market in Paris is really something to see! They are nothing like American flea markets, which are dirt lots filled with a bunch of undesirable junk, used household items and cheap knockoff handbags.

A good French flea market, in contrast, is ripe with shopping adventure. The eclecticism and array of goods is unreal. Merchants bring their wares to the streets, literally, I’m talking, spilling up onto the sidewalks! Canopies of umbrellas crouch together, huddled over tables bulging with piles of curiosities, both old and new, from all around the world. It’s literally a melting pot of international beauty.

For example, I saw the most adorable vintage soapstone tortue (turtle, en francais). Its origin was actually Vietnam, and it would have been ideal for a collector friend of mine, but I missed the opportunity. At a French flea market, remember, many vendors only take cash…and by cash, I mean Euros! So if you’re slow on the draw, like a tortue, you just may miss out on a great deal! By the time I came back from exchanging my dollars, the tortue had, sadly, walked away.

Also spotted were some tribal cuff bracelets from Africa and a lot of high-quality designer jewelry: Chanel, YSL….even rarities to Americans, like Christian Lacroix, can be found! But these pieces don’t always come with a “flea market” price tag; a pair of stunning vintage gold drop statement earrings were marked at a self-assured $400!

Somehow, all these beautiful things seem to have collectively migrated, as if pulled together by one divine magnet, to The City of Lights. Fashion truly springs from the streets in Paris. It’s everywhere.

Several trends I spotted in Paris are worthy of style reports, but my favorite is the return of a French classic: the bubble skirt. The bubble is, in my opinion, the *best* way to show off a stunning pair of stems! I honestly think every girl should have a bubble or two…be it short or long…understated, or stuffed with crinoline for maximum volume and impact! The bubble is frankly flirtatious and challenges traditional skirt hemlines with its witty irreverance, like an overturned bloom. If you’ve been harboring hopes of a blatantly blithe wardrobe, your shipment’s come in!

I *love* the way Christian Lacroix executed the bubble skirt back in the 1980s, like the one seen above. Literally decades ahead of his time, Lacroix pairs the bubble with opaque sueded black tights and a lace veil! A lace veil! Oooh, the intrigue! How wonderfully disarming is this look in fashion? Birthed literally forty-plus years ago, this ensemble excites me even today. But truth be told, Lacroix did not invent the bubble. The bubble actually originated in the haute couture of the 1950s, below. It’s at-once sexy and adorable, and resounds powerfully of French couture! A bubble skirt makes a lady feel like a girl again, but there’s no denying that she’s a woman!

Nowadays the bubble can be styled a few different ways. Helmut Lang, for example, does an understated bubble that I just love. Had to have that one. But, being a purist, I must say I prefer the effervescence and the drama of a short bubble with a bit of volume or crinkle, like the Lacroix bubble skirt from 1988, below.

Two designers are really nailing it lately with regard to that unmistakeable bubble silhouette. I’m really feeling the designs of a Texas-based couturier, an iconic visionary, Enid Almanza, as well as ‘Project Runway’ whiz kid, the prodigious Christian Siriano, who was the youngest winner in the show’s history.

Siriano’s creation is shown below, styled in a polka print and with patterned stockings! FYI: A bubble skirt partners perfectly with both those elements! The polka print looks playful and creative hosiery elevates the look, especially during the chilly fall season. And I adore the way Siriano combines these trends in his newest collection.

And now I urge *every* fashion house to get creative, and blow some beautiful bubbles!