The chances are fairly high that there's a body-con dress in your own closet right now, stuffed somewhere between your "going-out" tops and your jersey miniskirt that you used to wear with everything. If you haven't considered it wearing it in years — well, good. There are few things that scream "I REALLY LOVED 2008" like a body-con dress. But, as the perennially chic Veronika Heilbrunner of My Theresa showed us at the Tod's-presented David Bailey exhibit opening in Milan this weekend, sometimes you just need to look at things from a different perspective.
Wearing a fluorescent-green minidress, Heilbrunner layered it over a black turtleneck, tights, and a snuggly black coat. The effect is not only loads more interesting than just the mini with heels, but it also does a couple of sartorial magic tricks. The contrasting color of the dress with the coat create an elongating effect that makes the already tall Heilbrunner look even more statuesque. The turtleneck, too, draws attention to her face, which is a completely appropriate tactic to take to attend an exhibition featuring some of the most iconic portraits taken in the 20th century, including Kate Moss, Mick Jagger, Grace Jones, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, and more (there, you can score your own mini Box of Pin-Ups, the product that launched Bailey to star-status in 1964).
The exhibition itself is titled Stardust, and is co-produced by Comune di Milano, PAC Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, and Tod's, and runs from March 1 to June 2 at the PAC in Milan. And, if you're fretting about what to wear, consider what David Bailey said to us about what makes a compelling display — "Every person is different. It's up to them to be a good subject. If I knew the secret, I'd bottle it and make millions." Not to make any promises about your future financial prospects, but we think the tincture you're looking for is in your own closet...
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