How do we make the fall/winter collections relevant in our country? We don’t have these seasons here. What will make us buy with the current unstable political and economic climate in our country? The magic of fashion is that it makes us look and feel good despite the turmoil we are experiencing. Fashion has turned away from the logomania and status-driven looks of the past to a more realistic approach. It’s all about practical indulgence. However, this season’s collections are not like the minimalist Nineties. The difference is in the contradiction and the unexpected.
There are two sides to many women’s personalities. The battle of the sexes has returned – not between man and woman but between the dual personalities of a woman – the
yin and
yang. The best clothes summed up hard and soft in one outfit. Designers mixed tough-chic accessories like leather with soft fabrics such as chiffon and silk.
To get in touch with her
tomboy nature, a Marc Jacobs’ Marc girl strutted the runway in slim cropped varsity jackets, rugby shirts, bomber jackets and felt school blazers. Donna Karan’s muse was Mad Max(ine), a stylish warrior in jersey pieces with disheveled leather, while Calvin Klein presented a collection that was simultaneously hard-edged and classic. It was all about cut, proportion and comfort. He used superfine merino wool, matted cotton, nappa leather, and other luxurious fabrics for his creations. It was sexy with a touch of tough chic at Narciso Rodriguez. For Alexander McQueen’s last Givenchy collection, he showed a pearly gray leather suit softened with a waterfall of ruffled gold lace trailing from the hip. At Versace, a full-length chiffon gown was slashed at the back with a crisscross of leather straps. One of Dolce & Gabbana’s tough muses wore extra-long trousers paired with flowery blouses that reflected the label’s feminine but hard-hitting style.
The corset stages a comeback. Mod versions have returned on the runways of Chloé, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Martine Sitbon, Sophia Kokosalaki and Tuleh. Victorian and vintage styles dominated Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli. At Christian Dior, Galliano deconstructed floral Edwardian gowns for his evening collection, while a street-smart Edwardian-inspired denim jacket and prairie skirt at Marc Jacobs are must-have items for fall. Valentino’s delicate dresses in pale shades, equipped with painstakingly embroidered jabots, also evoked Edwardian times.
Marc Jacobs’ muse for Louis Vuitton seemed to be Jacqueline Kennedy during her White House years. The suits were pretty and ladylike. There were little fitted jackets with cropped sleeves and bell skirts, princess coats and soft empire-waist dresses. While Miuccia Prada revived a Twiggy-like silhouette at Miu Miu and Prada. Gucci’s collection was youthful and sexy. For his finale, Ford featured semi-transparent baby-doll dresses in silk, crepe and velvet, with nicely naughty bustiers. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana showed baby-doll dresses, too, like the kind former British designer Ossie Clark used to make, in floral prints similar to the designs of Clark’s wife Celia Birtwell. Sweet girlishness ruled to a very different effect in Fendi’s collection. Karl Lagerfeld presented an ode to Courreges, the shape that rocked the Sixties. While at Chanel, he whipped up chiffon baby-doll dresses for evening.
Many designers opted for romance. Ruffled, gathered and gypsy-inspired frocks turned up all over the runways. The mod Sixties were revived in short capes, perky shift dresses and fitted little suits. Anything and everything that made you feel like a natural woman – from flounces, tulles, pleats, chiffon veils and drapes – ruled the season.
Tom Ford’s second collection for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche sums up the trend with his ruffled, romantic and very grown-up collection. He based his designs on the late Sixties, when Saint Laurent went bohemian and ethnic. There were long unevenly ruched skirts with off-the-shoulder peasant shirts and billowing silk blouses worn over skinny men’s style pants. For evening, Ford’s chiffon gowns smothered the body like a second skin, plunging dangerously in the front and the back. Oscar de la Renta rekindled his ongoing love affair with Spain and brought an assortment of dramatic ruffles to Balmain. Lawrence Steele played up a girly sensibility with a mature twist. Then for the sophisticated, there’s Louis Vuitton’s dark, romantic sheer blouse. There was also an extensively ruffled skirt at Givenchy with a transparent net top and a blue tulle dress scattered with flowers. Soft, colorful gypsy seductiveness with exotic embroidery took over Christian Dior.
For the season, Armani sought inspiration in the world of ballet. He used light fabrics, such as tulle, chiffon and gabardine. A simple knit shell paired with sequin-flecked tulle ballerina skirts stopping just above the ankle was a key look for evening. The effect was pretty and easy, almost princess-like. Armani liberally used layers for this collection. Exaggerated volumes and precisely cut basics were a great combination at Olivier Theyskens. Marni’s Consuelo Castiglioni went for delicate prints, lightweight fabrics and delicate femininity. Marc Jacobs mixed references to schoolgirls, French maids and Popeye’s Olive Oyl. He also showed delicate dresses with
trompe l’oeil detailing and edgy jersey dresses that were extremely pretty. Chanel kept its feminine charm, thanks to classic touches. Pearls dripped from necks, dangled from waists, and clustered on fingers and toes. Rosettes added flair to necklines and shoulders, while the evening looks had just enough ruffle. Lacroix’s collection also included embroidered leather pants with metallic fringes, chiffon and lace tunics and ruffle-edged sleeves.
Due to the rising economic uncertainty in the American markets, a turn toward more wearable, utilitarian clothes seems sensible. Nothing sends the message more clearly than dressing in black. The return of black might look on the surface as fashion’s new pragmatic attitude. However, looking closely at the collections, you will see intensely-worked pieces and luxe materials.
Viktor & Rolf embraced the none color. The show was titled "The Black Hole," and indeed, everything was black, from the models’ inky hair and powdered matte skin to the sleek Fifties-style leather pumps by Christian Louboutin. The collection experimented with shapes and volume. Through various textures and light, shades of black were produced. For example, they paired a densely-knit black cowl neck sweater with a shiny satin ball skirt. The result was multidimensional. Capasa’s color palette for Costume National was black, black and more black. Other collections also came mostly in black like those of Helmut Lang, Balenciaga, Valentino, Alberta Ferretti, Oscar dela Renta, Calvin Klein and Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche.
Versace used lilac and deep violet, while Calvin Klein also added aubergine to his black, brown and asphalt palette. Mauve also surged in Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Givenchy, Carolina Herrera and Prada.
The blues will never go away. Denim is still strong next season. The Chloé girl continues to don jeans. For fall, chains on the back pocket were added and were cinched at the waist with a purple sequined belt. John Galliano used Indian mirrored embroidery on jeans for Christian Dior. Newly appointed Bottega Veneta designer Giles Deacon rocked the traditional house with puffy bombers and extra-wide denim pants. Jeanmania was all over Mui Mui, Celine, Chanel, Gianfranco Ferré, Max Mara and Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Designers paid homage to designer and style icon Coco Chanel who caused a social revolution when she changed the way women dressed. Junya Watanabe went wacky with Chanel-inspired tweeds and deconstructed it as if a schoolgirl went wild with the scissors and raided her mother’s closet. Cacharel revived her white collar and cuffs. Her classic plaids were also seen in Valentino and Anna Sui.
Who else is better than Yves Saint Laurent to create variations on the tuxedo? At his couture collection, there was a button-front dress, a smoking jacket that could be transformed into a full tulle skirt, and of course, an updated version of the masculine tux immortalized by Helmut Newton in the Seventies. Designers from Olivier Theyskens to Alexander McQueen and Ralph Lauren took possession of male tailoring to make the tux the new dress code for evening. And, Helmut Lang’s signature hipsters and long dress coats were paired with tulle tops slipped around the neck and fastened with a belt.
Yohji Yamamoto turned to athletic gear for inspiration. He managed to blend his draped silhouettes with bomber jackets, sporty trousers and must-have Adidas sneakers. Yamamoto blended technical fabrics and active sports looks with his own color palette and original form. There were zip-front jogging sweatshirts finished at the knee or big-necked sweaters curled around the head. With a collaboration with Adidas, he presented brilliant boxing boots, flat-footed blue tennis shoes and black ’n’ white brothel creepers with the designer’s name etched on the sides. Satin-boxing robes also gave Christian Dior a sporty look. Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren showed a luxe take on equestrian chic. The outdoors in a refined city-girl look appeared in riding boots, jodhpurs, cable knits and saddle leather.
Economy aside, let’s face it, we shop to get happy. Well, at least I do!
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