Southern Belle Fashion

As soon as we think about the Southern belle image, stereotypical big hoopskirts and huge hats come into our mind. The Southern belle style still appears on the scene of catwalks and fashion magazines. Though women don't stroll on the streets wearing hoop skirts in their everyday life, yet, we can trace the typical belle image in the fashion world. One of the evidences about the influence of the Southern belle on contemporary fashion is Ralph Lauren's spring collection in 2010. The world-wide known ELLE fashion magazine dedicated its trend riport to the Southern Belle in March 2010. As we see from the photos, the Southern belle image preserved its true feminine character, but altered in several ways. Just like the definition of the Southern belle figure, fashion also altered according to modern times. Huge hats are still very fashionable. As far as colors are concerned, feminine colors are still in dominance. Regarding patterns, light floral patterns and plain textiles are the most popular. A true Southern belle is still faithful to skirts and trousers are neglected from her wardrobe. Besides the strong feminine character, mystique is another feature that appears in her clothing. Sunglasses are perfect accessories of the Southern belle look. What is more, the Oscard Award winner movie, "The Help" inspired many fashion designers to rediscover the Southern belle image of the 1960s. Many fashion houses, such as Rodart or designers like Alberta Ferretti or Gucci reinterpreted of the Southern belle model of the 1960s and dressed up their models inspired by the belle image.
As we can see, the Southern belle image is constantly reinterpreted on the catwalk as well and influences the fashion world also. Though it is adapted to current trends, it preserved the feminine and fragile aristicratic look.