>> I always thought the term 'candy striping' sounded a little wrong. In my hyperative and muddled up head, I kept mis-read it as 'candy stripping' a few times whenever I came across it in yup… you guessed it… Sweet Valley High books. I'm not going to lie. There were some terribly outdated conceptions of American culture that I picked up through those books only to have them dispelled when I did make it across the pond on my own accord. Candy striping is one that I was always dubious of its actual/real usage and rightly so, I THINK he term as well as the associated sickly pink striped outfits that go with hospital volunteers aren't really in use anymore…
However, the whole candy striping thing as well as the associated memories of my youthful befuddled reading of American 'culture' (oh Francine Pascal, you have so much to answer for…) came flooding back when I saw these extra piece from Emilio de la Morena's S/S 11 collection not seen on the catwalk but added later I think for sales purposes.
There's no fumbled confusion here though. These are of course dresses/tunics that are far too beautiful for hospital volunteering and it's merely the white stripes and the pastel palette that prompted the memory. Obvious sculptural elements took a backseat in this collection in favour of clean lines and strong colours (in particular, a shade of pepto bismol pink that I'm coveting), both of which shows a different side to de la Morena's work. These stripes may not have sit neatly with what was in the show but I'm definitely still glad for their candied, gradiated and saccharine existence.
