City of lights

Who knew my mother could be so right on the mark when it came to fashion? The woman has spent most of my young adult life telling me to cover up my tatas. And now, wouldn’t you know it, trends have been taking a more conservative route.

Perhaps with the proliferation of what I like to call the vagina monologues – or paparazzi photos of celebrity crotch shots – people have been looking to cover up rather than expose more skin. Now that Pamela Anderson’s looking a bit rough – making even the perviest of internet bloggers wince at the random nip slip – the world’s starting to realize that maybe more is more.

The likes of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and, lately, Britney Spears flashing their "lady business" upon exiting their vehicles have caused more than a stir. Conan O’Brien recently joked about Paris Hilton’s excuse for canceling as host of the Billboards awards show (she said the jokes were insulting to her peers), saying, "She’s standing up for the skanks."

On Saturday Night Live, Amy Poehler on the Weekend Report segment commented on the recent – and consistent – crotch flashing. "Ladies, you need to cool it," she said, addressing latest BFFs Britney and Paris. "No one wants to see your baby factory."

Poehler’s final verdict: "You guys are making Tara Reid look like Audrey Hepburn." Ouch.

Coincidentally, the oft-reviled Reid, who made news the world over when she posed for paparazzi at a red-carpet event with a recently-augmented breast exposed, has been undergoing a makeover of late. Telling People magazine that she redid her bad tummy tuck and boob job and is trying to make a go at improving her image, the canceled reality show star has been getting good press. After showing up at some movie premiere – which she had no part in FYI – dressed in a classy cocktail ensemble, some gossips gasped that hell really had frozen over: Tara Reid was actually looking good.

The tide has turned, ladies. Instead of hiking up frocks to expose panty-less buttocks or wearing a dress cut so low it leaves nothing to the imagination, some designers are suggesting something a wee more appropriate for out-of-house occasions.

"For me, the new sexy is not showing skin," says designer Puey Quiñones. "It’s the way you project, the way you carry yourself. It’s the in the eyes."

For the YStyle cover, he dressed model Ria Bolivar in frocks that covered her practically from collarbone to ankle. "Confidence makes you sexy," he remarks, "even if you’re covered up."

For the holidays, he created dresses that transform. "The black dress can be worn front to back. It can be shortened or the sleeves draped to form a tube dress." Like the universal dress – except not as kitschy or tacky – Puey’s made his frocks versatile enough for anyone who’s busy hitting the party circuit. "During the holidays, there are so many events. So with one dress, you can attend many parties and look really different."

"Even the white dress, the one that looks like an apron, can be changed," he says. "Adjust the front and it’ll be a cocktail dress with an asymmetrical hemline."

The designer, who’s often garbed in a long skirt, created dresses that were versatile enough to become a wardrobe regular, instead of the usual more formal garments that are worn once and then hit the back of the closet almost immediately.

"It’s practical dressing," he explains. "I can’t afford to buy a lot of clothes so I arrange certain pieces differently." A shirt, for example, can be draped and made to make a skirt.

Don’t think Puey’s kind of skirt is the type drag queens wear – not that there’s anything wrong with that – but his is about as feminine as burly Scots’ kilts.

"It’s comfortable," he says of his sartorial choice, "and it’s different." No doubt. Not that I disagree. After spending my formative years in a plaid uniform skirt, moving on to jeans just felt wrong.

For his upcoming fashion show, Puey created – what else – a series of transformative dress. Romantic is the theme and the fabric chiffon. He’s made gorgeously ethereal frocks in the past and this upcoming show seems to be in the same vein.

On a personal style front, he’ll be dressing in all-white this coming Christmas. Puey, who just broke up with a significant other, just wants everything around him, including his own garments, to be pretty and fun. "That and I don’t want to look like a beggar," he says with a laugh.

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Puey’s show, dubbed FAME (fashion, art, music, experience), alongside other artists, is on Dec. 23 at Nuvo in Greenbelt 2, sponsored by Globe Platinum and Fresh Look contact lenses. You can contact the designer at 895-0596/0916-7763098.