Fashion Week tries casual elegance for bad economy
September 13, 2008 - 12:30pm
AP Fashion Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Despite all the harem pants and corset tops _ or maybe because of them _ the spring styles previewed at New York Fashion Week received a mostly warm reception given the elephant on the runway: the down economy.
Designers seemed collectively aware of the harsh times at the spring previews that ended Friday, but they had many different approaches for conquering the slump, which has hit the apparel industry hard.
Some big department-store names such as Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger promoted optimism with classic American sportswear. Happy, upbeat colors and styles are something retailers look for when customers are pinching pennies.
"They have to make it enticing, it has to be something the customer is going to want to add to her closet," said Ken Downing, senior vice president fashion director for Neiman Marcus.
Even with different road maps, many designers got to the same place. The dominant silhouette was easy and loose, but not messy, with a focus on casual elegance.
That meant many designers turned away from embellishment and frills. Luca Luca's new creative director, Raul Melgoza, offered bustiers and corsets, but also one-shoulder, bias-cut gowns in satin that looked liked liquid silver.
"There's a fine line of economics," he said. "I'm using luxurious fabrics but a lot less embellishment, which is very expensive to do. I'm not doing it only as a cost-cutting measure, but it doesn't hurt."
Others took the opposite approach. If you're going to spend $6,000, after all, the dress had better be special. Neither Carolina Herrera nor Oscar de la Renta pulled back on the luxurious handiwork they've made their names on.
"Last season there seemed to be a direct impact _ a lot of gray, banker's strips _ that all seemed to be directly impacted by all the thoughts of the economy," said Jayne Mountford, vice president of trend reporting for Stylesight, a fashion-forecasting company.
"But for spring, people are coming away from that. Designers feel they have to make very special pieces so if someone is going to spend a lot of money, they're going to get a show-stopper."
Donna Karan and Vera Wang stuck with looks that jibed with their desire to provide strong and sexy clothes to women; Ralph Lauren toned down the glitz but not the glamour, while Franciso Costa, the head designer for Calvin Klein, went with a high-concept artful look.
Narciso Rodgriguez courted a hard-core customer with a Ninja death-star print. Marc Jacobs shook up an early 20th century look in a kaleidoscope.
There were two strong palettes of the season, both rooted at the beach: natural sand colors and tropical brights, including the blue hues of the ocean.
"We love the color, we always look for color," said Downing. "We are loving the floral prints, they really speak to our customer."
Mountford, the trend analyst, identified the muse of the season as the ethereal type who loves layers. She's not so angelic, though, as she also wears toughened-up accessories. Top fashion editors were already wearing that look by the week's end, Mountford noted, stomping around in studded, lace-up high heels with their dresses.
Dresses have been the big story for several seasons, and for spring a draped, easy cut is a must-have, said Suze Yalof Schwartz, executive fashion editor at large for Glamour magazine.
"There's a return to ease and clothes you feel good in," she said "Clothes are loose but it's not about volume. This look won't overwhelm."
Pleated trousers with a relaxed shape, cuffed or rolled right above the ankle, were offered along with contemporary utility pants, made softer and more luxurious by washed silk fabrics.
Then there was the harem pant. An interpretation of a genie pant or at least a track pant with gathered ankles was on almost every catwalk.
Perhaps it was an extension of the influence that the mid-'60s to mid-'80s had on the collections. DKNY, celebrating its 20th anniversary, might have made the most obvious references to highlighter colors, miniskirts and jumpsuits, but it certainly wasn't the only one. Isaac Mizrahi's models wore visible neon unitards under glamorous gowns, and Alexander Wang, a mere baby in the decade of excess, fully embraced the vibe with crystal-studded sweats.
The first time Yalof Schwartz saw the harem pants on the runway, she thought they looked modern for a young trendsetter, she said. But after eight days she had seen too many.
"They're good for girls who didn't experience them in the '80s," she said. "For the rest of us, don't go back, go forward."
(Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL
AP Fashion Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Despite all the harem pants and corset tops _ or maybe because of them _ the spring styles previewed at New York Fashion Week received a mostly warm reception given the elephant on the runway: the down economy.
Designers seemed collectively aware of the harsh times at the spring previews that ended Friday, but they had many different approaches for conquering the slump, which has hit the apparel industry hard.
Some big department-store names such as Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger promoted optimism with classic American sportswear. Happy, upbeat colors and styles are something retailers look for when customers are pinching pennies.
"They have to make it enticing, it has to be something the customer is going to want to add to her closet," said Ken Downing, senior vice president fashion director for Neiman Marcus.
Even with different road maps, many designers got to the same place. The dominant silhouette was easy and loose, but not messy, with a focus on casual elegance.
That meant many designers turned away from embellishment and frills. Luca Luca's new creative director, Raul Melgoza, offered bustiers and corsets, but also one-shoulder, bias-cut gowns in satin that looked liked liquid silver.
"There's a fine line of economics," he said. "I'm using luxurious fabrics but a lot less embellishment, which is very expensive to do. I'm not doing it only as a cost-cutting measure, but it doesn't hurt."
Others took the opposite approach. If you're going to spend $6,000, after all, the dress had better be special. Neither Carolina Herrera nor Oscar de la Renta pulled back on the luxurious handiwork they've made their names on.
"Last season there seemed to be a direct impact _ a lot of gray, banker's strips _ that all seemed to be directly impacted by all the thoughts of the economy," said Jayne Mountford, vice president of trend reporting for Stylesight, a fashion-forecasting company.
"But for spring, people are coming away from that. Designers feel they have to make very special pieces so if someone is going to spend a lot of money, they're going to get a show-stopper."
Donna Karan and Vera Wang stuck with looks that jibed with their desire to provide strong and sexy clothes to women; Ralph Lauren toned down the glitz but not the glamour, while Franciso Costa, the head designer for Calvin Klein, went with a high-concept artful look.
Narciso Rodgriguez courted a hard-core customer with a Ninja death-star print. Marc Jacobs shook up an early 20th century look in a kaleidoscope.
There were two strong palettes of the season, both rooted at the beach: natural sand colors and tropical brights, including the blue hues of the ocean.
"We love the color, we always look for color," said Downing. "We are loving the floral prints, they really speak to our customer."
Mountford, the trend analyst, identified the muse of the season as the ethereal type who loves layers. She's not so angelic, though, as she also wears toughened-up accessories. Top fashion editors were already wearing that look by the week's end, Mountford noted, stomping around in studded, lace-up high heels with their dresses.
Dresses have been the big story for several seasons, and for spring a draped, easy cut is a must-have, said Suze Yalof Schwartz, executive fashion editor at large for Glamour magazine.
"There's a return to ease and clothes you feel good in," she said "Clothes are loose but it's not about volume. This look won't overwhelm."
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