Sunday, September 20, 2009

new york fashion week round up

Rachel Comey's was by far my favourite collection for it's sheer wearability and the aesthetic parallel to the sartorial references that have been buzzing about in my head of late. Namely thigh grazing summer shorts (bye bye denim cut-offs!) and little seventies dresses, belted. The kind of outfits that make perfect sense when worn kicking about a flower market on a Sunday; a mixture of suitable hardy with buttoned up (all the way) blouses and overall dresses but with girlish charm thrown in in the form of flirty necklines and dainty prints.

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If the sexy, studded, body conscious look was the zietgiest of Summer 2009, then Comey's show symbolises that the first spring of the new decade will favour the 'less is more' mantra. Think preppy but in a tomboyish Brooklyn way over any Upper East Side pearls and twinset stereotype. Brits may think of the 1970's sitcom The Good Life and channel an updated Barbara Good. Otherwise Michelle Williams and Au Revoir Simone are the poster girls and the "keep one half covered" rule shall resume with cheeky hemlines perfectly balanced along with elbow patch cardigans or oversize blouses in hawaiian prints. Instead of the edgy accessories or tough fabrics favoured over the past two seasons, a bike, knapsack or straw basket will do to finish off an outfit.

As biased as I am towards Rachel Comey, she wasn't the only one headed in a more modest direction. In addition to many a boyish nod witnessed on the runways last week in New York blazers still reigned at Charlotte Ronson and Rag and Bone and even Marc Jacobs declared himself sick of "seeing young girls wearing black and studs" (I could kiss his feet for saying this).

Perhaps the most surprising and reassuring evidence of the new mood was Alexander Wang's evolution.
The main force behind the trend of all things ripped and studded, he finally proved himself in my eyes as having longevity with his line up of jocky models. Keeping hold of his burgeoning sporty trademark with an American Football theme, Wang opted for a softer colour scheme, swapping his previous love of head to toe gunmetal tones for beige and off-white greys and even a little pastel.

One thing seems to be clear; the 80s revival has finally come to an end. With any luck we can hold off referencing shoulder pads and neons for the foreseeable future. The fact that fashion is in danger of recycling a decade for a longer period of time than it initially existed for is too ironically bittersweet. Though touches of the 1990s have been creeping through over the past couple of seasons, it seems now, at the dawn of a new decade that the minimal silhouettes and simple block colours favoured almost twenty years ago are to be fully embraced. Proof came from the perfectly simple peach creations at Donna Karan and the Preen collection which I thought at some moments was subtely reminiscent of Phoebe Philo at Chloe.

Rodarte's dresses were breathtaking and though I was initally of the view that Kate and Laura Mulleavy could have done more to expand the brand's style, I'm won over by the stunning tie dye and sequin combinations which force me to take back anything I may ever have said about either of the details. A hit with the Fashion editors, I guess that the pair's designs will become editorial favourites and a preferred red carpet choice.

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I imagine the desks of Jack and Lazarro at Proenza Schouler to have had stacks of books containing underwater illustrations. At Proenza the hair paid homage to the emerging trend of zany-dye colours and was perfection; though perhaps not in the technical sense with models alternating between irregular dipped ends, in tinges of silvered purple
, metallic green or copper. A number of skirt and top combinations were equally distinctive of both electric coloured seacreatures and their inquisitive human scuba investigators. This was in the form of stretchy marine blue tops, almost akin to wetsuit texture (curiously appealing) and the textured skirts which in any other line up could be mistaken for tribal, but here were unmistakably fishy..

Either way, the collection was typically Proenza Schouler in it's shape; a formula of flawless minidresses and foolproof hemlines.The metallic colours were suitably un-bling, instead fresh, youthful -as original as ever especially when injected with the rest of the colour pallete which was darker than your average spring scheme
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10 comments:

hannah-rose said...

it'll be very interesting to see what balmain does.. as you say the 80s has got to be over now. we're moving into a more relaxed, carefree aesthetic where the girls are lovely and the clothes charming. i'm all for diversity in fashion, but there is no place for studs and rips in this mindset.

loved reading this! you have a way with words!

X

Cindy said...

two of my very favourite collections!
it's so nice to see something else besides the grunged out stud/leather look.
i think there will always be something classic about that look, related to a rock and roll attitude that will make always a part of people's wardrobes but it shouldn't be your only look. there's a time for pretty clothes and feminine dressing too. it's a freshness we've been needing and i think esp. as bloggers being surrounded by the rock thing for so long, something i've been wanting.

Rose said...

As much as i love all the black i do feel that the Rachel comey collection was brilliant i especially love the second from the left there is something very new and warm about it
i cannot wait for the rest of fashion week.

Bojana said...

Wow. Professional writing.
I missed our longer than 3 phrases posts!

Oh and I think Proenza Schouler made me fall in love with fashion again. ( I kind of stopped checking runway shows and blogging, still waiting for THE show that will make me want to write something worth-reading and spending time on again.)

Have you seen the Milly show? I actually liked it, a lot. The styling was very wearable and every-day-life suitable

Annie said...

Rachel Comey was seriously my favorite collection too. It's so wearable and adorable and just absolutely perfect. And thank the lord for the end of the eighties revival!

Emma Lavelle said...

I loved reading this! You're a really good writer.
I agree, the 80s throwback is totally over, lets have a summer of pretty feminine dressing to look forward to.
Have fun at london fashion week. I'm not jealous. At all. Honest. Hope to see lots of photos next week

Annie said...

Two of my favourites!!

molly said...

wow i envy to the moon and back
http://mollyhowes.blogspot.com/

mia said...

love comey and love the way you design your blog pics!

Anonymous said...

I LOVED Proenza Schouler collection. My fav of NY.