What Women Are Really ‘Asking For’ With These 5 Donna Karan Outfits
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Donna Karan, a fashion designer who is surprisingly not known for designing long-sleeved dresses that go all the way down to your ankles, defended Harvey Weinstein on the red carpet Monday evening by suggesting that women nowadays are “asking for trouble.”
“I think we have to look at our world and what we want to say and how we want to say it,” said Karan. “It’s not Harvey Weinstein, you look at everything all over the world today, you know how women are dressing, and what they are asking, by just presenting themselves they way they do. What are they asking for? Trouble.”
According to Donna Karan, clothes are never just clothes. Every afghan is a question. Every crop top is a request. Every cardigan is a declaration of intent.
But this can be confusing for even fashion savvy English majors. You don’t want to run the risk of wearing shoes that say “I want to have sex with you” when what you really meant to communicate was “Here are the contracts you asked for, Mr. Weinstein, can I help you with anything else?”
So the Schmooze has done our best to help you out by elucidating the intentions behind five of DKNY’s hottest fall looks:
1.ITEM OF CLOTHING: Long-sleeved Cozy Cardigan
WHAT YOU’RE ASKING FOR: Tea and to be paid less than a man for the same work.
2.ITEM OF CLOTHING: Cropped Jogger Pant with Foldover Waistband
WHAT YOU’RE ASKING FOR: Gatorade and for a man twice your size to chase you down the street into a narrow alley from whence there is no escape.
3.ITEM OF CLOTHING: Scuba Logo Skirt
WHAT YOU’RE ASKING FOR: Front row tickets to the New York City ballet and for a strange man to covertly slip his iPhone under your skirt for a sneak picture on the subway ride there.
4.ITEM OF CLOTHING: High Neck Puffer with Hood
WHAT YOU’RE ASKING FOR: A brand-new snowboard and for Harvey Weinstein to hopefully not notice that you are a woman.
5.ITEM OF CLOTHING: Modern Lace Plunge Underwire Bra
WHAT YOU’RE ASKING FOR: Scented bubble bath and absolutely zero access to reproductive healthcare.
Now go forth into the world and let your outfit do the talking! And remember — if someone misinterprets what your shoes are saying, it’s definitely your fault!
Becky Scott is the editor of The Schmooze. Follow her on Twitter, @arr_scott
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
