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Some thoughts about how COVID-19 is changing the way we're dressing, in my particular milieu:
Make-up:
Lipstick is out, mascara and eyeshadow are in. I find make-up a bit nasty to see smeared all over the inside of a mask, so for me, skincare rather than spackle remains the way to go. The Japanese and South Korean brands focus on skin-care rather than make-up and are available at every price point from pharmacy to ultra-lux, many of them on-line (though some of the Japanese ones, being Japanese, aren't - Yojiya, I am looking reproachfully at you). It is not necessary to buy Sulwhasoo or Shiseido to get good results.
Though of course it is not strictly necessary to use much in the way of formal skin-care either. I know several old ladies with exquisite skin achieved by a lifetime regimen of parasols, green-tea-drinking, soap-and-water, and Pond's Cold Cream. Basically, any regimen that includes clean skin (none of this nonsens of going to bed without removing one's make-up, apparently people actually do that, ugh), moisturiser, drinking a lot of water or plain green or black tea, and a healthy diet with a lot of fruit and vegetables and not too much alcohol (or, need I say it, tobacco or suntans - just take your vitamin D pills, it's better than a melanoma), will yield acceptable results.
Hair
Short or tied-back/plaited/in a bun, obviously. Long flowing locks can look very messy with a mask.
Masks:
Now that sensible nations have made wearing masks compulsory outdoors, even the people who wear or need (whether they get it or not) medical-grade PPE for work will have occasions of less exigency for which a mask must nonetheless be worn. This is where you have the chance for a bit of fun. Washable masks are a bit more eco-friendly, and are easy to get online, or make at home. Matching them to your outfit isn't hard. Since they should be washed daily, it's good to have least three basic ones. I have gradually been collecting them for different occasions:
Plain cotton or synthetic two or three-layer masks for informal daily use, low-density-area errands or exercise. Those with ventilators built in are the most comfortable, but they're not always easy to get. Mine so far are just black or white, but you can go wild with colour and pattern so long as they are suitable to the person and the occasion (the minions know without having to be told that pop-culture characters, logos and slogans are out of the question).
I like tight-woven silk masks with tight-woven cotton linings (and, ideally, a filter pocket) or formal daily use and special occasions, either matching or complementing one's outfit. Emmanuel Macron is the object of emulation here for men in suits; the mask should match or complement either the suit or the tie.
Serious technical masks with a low-permeability synthetic outer layer, a cotton inner layer, and a replaceable filter layer in between are correct everywhere. Mine are South Korean; I use them for high-density-area or long-duration errands like supermarkets, markets, shopping-centres or public transport. If you must, they're the ones to wear for nightclubs, bars, or large-scale entertainment, sporting, religious or political events, if you are unfortunate enough to be in a country that allows such superspreading opportunities.
I am gradually accumulating matching or toning ear-savers. Crocheted acrylic for daily use, nice stitched cotton or silk ones for formal occasions.
Jewellery:
Large or dangling earrings are obviously contraindicated, small studs are the least trouble.
No rings if you can avoid them, what with all the handwashing and sanitiser-rubbing we are all doing.
Bracelets, bangles and necklaces are better close-fitting, rather than loose or long.
I'm wearing a lot of brooches, myself.
Cuff-links and tie-pins continue to be fine for men who wear suits.
Gloves
I don't wear them myself, but I've seen women wearing the traditional summer, white cotton wrist-length gloves. Japanese ladies have always worn them, and I think it's a fashion worth adopting. To be washed daily, of course.
Make-up:
Lipstick is out, mascara and eyeshadow are in. I find make-up a bit nasty to see smeared all over the inside of a mask, so for me, skincare rather than spackle remains the way to go. The Japanese and South Korean brands focus on skin-care rather than make-up and are available at every price point from pharmacy to ultra-lux, many of them on-line (though some of the Japanese ones, being Japanese, aren't - Yojiya, I am looking reproachfully at you). It is not necessary to buy Sulwhasoo or Shiseido to get good results.
Though of course it is not strictly necessary to use much in the way of formal skin-care either. I know several old ladies with exquisite skin achieved by a lifetime regimen of parasols, green-tea-drinking, soap-and-water, and Pond's Cold Cream. Basically, any regimen that includes clean skin (none of this nonsens of going to bed without removing one's make-up, apparently people actually do that, ugh), moisturiser, drinking a lot of water or plain green or black tea, and a healthy diet with a lot of fruit and vegetables and not too much alcohol (or, need I say it, tobacco or suntans - just take your vitamin D pills, it's better than a melanoma), will yield acceptable results.
Hair
Short or tied-back/plaited/in a bun, obviously. Long flowing locks can look very messy with a mask.
Masks:
Now that sensible nations have made wearing masks compulsory outdoors, even the people who wear or need (whether they get it or not) medical-grade PPE for work will have occasions of less exigency for which a mask must nonetheless be worn. This is where you have the chance for a bit of fun. Washable masks are a bit more eco-friendly, and are easy to get online, or make at home. Matching them to your outfit isn't hard. Since they should be washed daily, it's good to have least three basic ones. I have gradually been collecting them for different occasions:
Plain cotton or synthetic two or three-layer masks for informal daily use, low-density-area errands or exercise. Those with ventilators built in are the most comfortable, but they're not always easy to get. Mine so far are just black or white, but you can go wild with colour and pattern so long as they are suitable to the person and the occasion (the minions know without having to be told that pop-culture characters, logos and slogans are out of the question).
I like tight-woven silk masks with tight-woven cotton linings (and, ideally, a filter pocket) or formal daily use and special occasions, either matching or complementing one's outfit. Emmanuel Macron is the object of emulation here for men in suits; the mask should match or complement either the suit or the tie.
Serious technical masks with a low-permeability synthetic outer layer, a cotton inner layer, and a replaceable filter layer in between are correct everywhere. Mine are South Korean; I use them for high-density-area or long-duration errands like supermarkets, markets, shopping-centres or public transport. If you must, they're the ones to wear for nightclubs, bars, or large-scale entertainment, sporting, religious or political events, if you are unfortunate enough to be in a country that allows such superspreading opportunities.
I am gradually accumulating matching or toning ear-savers. Crocheted acrylic for daily use, nice stitched cotton or silk ones for formal occasions.
Jewellery:
Large or dangling earrings are obviously contraindicated, small studs are the least trouble.
No rings if you can avoid them, what with all the handwashing and sanitiser-rubbing we are all doing.
Bracelets, bangles and necklaces are better close-fitting, rather than loose or long.
I'm wearing a lot of brooches, myself.
Cuff-links and tie-pins continue to be fine for men who wear suits.
Gloves
I don't wear them myself, but I've seen women wearing the traditional summer, white cotton wrist-length gloves. Japanese ladies have always worn them, and I think it's a fashion worth adopting. To be washed daily, of course.
