Catwalk Trends F/W 06.07

[Avant Garde]

Thanks for posting that Avant Garde!

"Lack of bling", loving it...!

No problem

 

[jennifer~]

faceless animal

 

[mixky]

Its great to see a new shape out there. Move over PAris Hilton... get rid of those fake t*ts & burn your bras

 

[softgrey]

merged with existing thread on trends for f/w 06-07

 

[DosViolines]

source:nytimes.com

March 16, 2006
Knowing What's Hot Is Easy. Explaining It? Not So Much.

By GUY TREBAY
LIKE mayflies or cicadas, some style phenomena pop up suddenly, startlingly ubiquitous, and coming from no one knows where. There are people who boast of having the prescience to spot trends coming, who claim to have foreseen the stratospheric rise of premium denim or the baffling surge of flip-flops on city streets in March. Yet those same people, one observes, tend to fall silent when trends wane and dwindle and the time comes for the Uggs life span to end.


Most fashion trends have a provenance, of course, albeit one that is often fuzzy. A lot of what turns up on runways started out at a trade fair somewhere or in a salesman's humble sample case. A lot comes straight out of the latest oddball indie film. A certain amount of designer inspiration amounts to larceny, the kind of plagiarism that, in the innocent days before appropriation became a sanctified part of the creative process, sometimes led to litigation or the occasional black eye.


But some things defy explanation. Among the curious (yet somehow fetching) elements filling the runways throughout the fashion shows that ended two weeks ago in Paris, during which designers presented clothes for next fall, are those pictured here. There were pointy-toed concrete-block shoes that called to mind a collaboration between Uncle Junior and Rosa Kleb. There were mushroom-cloud wool caps and dense cloth accretions that made an unheard-of nod to climatic realities. There was blond hair by the mile and more fur than you would see at a Palm Beach thrift shop.


Not surprisingly, a few trends seemed to beg the perennial question of whether it is those gazing into the glass of fashion, or else the glass itself, that has cracked.


Unleashing the Animal Without

"It happened all of a sudden," said Julie Gilhart, the fashion director of Barneys New York, referring to fashion's unanticipated detour into styles out of "The Clan of the Cave Bear." "It's not my job to know why. It's there, and I've just got to figure out what to do with it."


Critics, on the other hand, worked themselves into a lather attempting to define a newfound appetite among designers like Miuccia Prada for coats with fur on the dorsal side only, or jackets bristling with the woolly fleece of Mongolian goat.


It was a season of urban savagery, they trilled. Women have reclaimed their wild inner nature. Ominous, anxious times, noted a writer for an Italian newspaper, call for appropriate armor. Well, of course they do. Bring on the coats with fur sleeves!


In biology the term for nature's deployment of fur across the bodies of its original owners is "opportunistic enhancement." Four-legged animals tend to have thick dense hair on their backs to protect them from elements like rain and sun. Swamp dwellers' extremities are often lightly furred to keep them from getting bogged down in the muck.


There is no solid proof of this, but certain scientists believe that the arrangement and patterns of fur on an animal boost allure, thus ensuring successful mating and species survival. Perhaps this is a factor buyers may wish to consider come fall, when Azzedine Alaïa's fur skirt hits the stores.


Let Down Your Hair

Some may remember Tressy, an odd doll from the 1960's whose gimmick was that her hair could be made longer by pushing a button in her hard plastic stomach and tugging on her ponytail. Deploying the same basic mechanism used now for retractable leashes, Tressy's hair became short again at a touch. The idea now seems kooky and dated, and so did the hair on the runways in what was unquestionably a Tressy season. By unconscious consensus, designers and hairdressers decreed that women should look like cadres from an army of lank-haired blondes.


The hair the models wore this season was not their own, of course. How could it have been when the same girl might turn up in one of the shows scheduled hourly from 9 p.m. until near midnight with hair that was short or then long or then cropped or then down to her waist?


One might term this a hair-weave season, except that the Tressy effect was not attained using the time-consuming process of knotting store-bought hair into real. The new look for fall grew out of new technology. A company called Great Lengths has marketed a gizmo that can make Rapunzel out of Louise Brooks in a matter of minutes.


"It's like a machine where you lay the real hair down and glue on the extensions," Fabrice Gili, a designer at the Frédéric Fekkai Salon, explained. "It's all about low maintenance and wanting to change the look of the hair rapidly," said Mr. Gili, who hopes to get hold of the mechanism by the time the salon relocates to its new location at Henry Bendel next month.


"It's a trend, but only because there have been no clear trends in hair for a while," he said. "It's fun, in a way, to bob your hair one day and the next day have it long. But it's also a bit lazy and kind of a bore."


Bundle Up, and Up and Up

Strenuous is probably as good a word as any for getting dressed in the near future. The layers from Marc Jacobs or Yohji Yamamoto or Rick Owens that happy retailers have likened to everything from grunge gear to hobo rags may have looked comfortably slouchy. They certainly called for putting on a lot of stuff (which is why retailers are so pleased).


There was a time, not so long ago, when it was difficult to escape the hype and blather about technologically advanced fabrics: indestructible, superlight and capable of deflecting the rays of a sun storm while simultaneously preserving core heat atop Everest. Now designers are rediscovering that ancient staple of human survival: wool.


The market for clothes that both look smart and have the intelligence to administer a daily dose of zinc and iron may not be at an end. But the surest path to stylishness come fall will be to look as if you had stopped off at the local crofter's cottage, en route to a fitting at the upholstery shop.


The Height of Beauty

The wages of being fashionably shod, as is well known, are burdensome: pain, twisted ankles, corns, bunions and even broken metatarsals. This fall, fashionably shod will apparently mean having feet encased in shoes built atop six-inch platforms or on wedges suggestive of old-fashioned flatirons or else dire orthopedic deficiency.


Little is new about elevated footgear. Venetian courtesans of the 16th century wore cork-soled clunkers called chopines to give the illusion of a longer leg. Geishas to this day wear teeter-totter clogs known as getas. Western designers from Salvatore Ferragamo (who laid claim to having invented the wedge sole) to Vivienne Westwood (whose skyscraping platforms once sent Naomi Campbell sprawling across the runway) have taken a whack at the style. And fetishists ... well, never mind the fetishists.


Whatever their appeal in pure style terms, platform shoes are a podiatric nightmare. "People are very susceptible to injury in an unstable shoe," said Dr. Harold Glickman, the president of the American Podiatric Medical Association. So wobbly can platform shoes be that a public health group in Canada once issued a parental warning about them, also documenting an alarming percentage of shoe-related falls among girls and women between the ages of 10 and 19.


Models, of course, tend to fall into that same age range. And to watch young women teetering on stilt shoes at shows staged by Rick Owens (who favors platforms himself), Hussein Chalayan, Prada and Jil Sander was to question their allure. It has to mean something that the minute they exited the catwalk, most models kicked off the Herman Munster footwear and slipped back into their Pumas.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, San Serif][SIZE=-1]ANIMAL MAGNETISM Miu Miu's fall line, left, was one of many that bristled with fur in unexpected places. Fur-trimmed clothes from Marc Jacobs, center, and Givenchy, right.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, San Serif][SIZE=-1]FLOWING LOCKS, FOR NOW Designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, right, and Yohji Yamamoto put models in a lot of long blond hair.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, San Serif][SIZE=-1]ON HIGH Platform shoes were everywhere at the fall shows. From left, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Hussein Chalayan and Jil Sander.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, San Serif][SIZE=-1]UNDER COVER Marc Jacobs, left, and Yohji Yamamoto were among the designers using layers. Lots of layers. Wool has been rediscovered.[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[Kimkhuu]

DosViolines, thanks a lot for the article and pictures....

"undercover", loving that trend....!

Wool is going to be a major fabric for the fw06.07 season...

 

[Djavanjmiles]

Ankle boots.

 

[Kimkhuu]

^ True, those have been going very strong for a few seasons now.... very flattering but edgy for the mainstream crowd as well....

 

[Mr-Dale]

^ I always thought ankle boots were some of the most unflattering shoes out there, actually. I am not too fond of them

 

[Mr-Dale]

^ Wait, I am thinking of boots that go half way up to the calf.... and those are not ankle boots... sorry

 

[Avant Garde]

new from newyork metro

5 X 5

Now that all the fashion shows are finished, next fall’s trends are official. Color is out, capes are in—yes, for real—and hemlines are on the rise. Also on the horizon: emphatic shapes (like the masculine suits at Comme des Garçons), bold combinations (black with white, strong fur trims), and a view of fashion that leaves little room for sweet.

From left: Balenciaga, Versace, Prada, Gucci, Miu Miu (Photo: Firstview)

1.You’ll See Your Legs. Skirts shot up to the bottom of the bum in a variety of different shapes: full at Miu Miu, narrow at Prada, mod at Balenciaga, disco-hot in Gucci gold. In a related trend, opaque tights and leggings were popular on both sides of the ocean.

From left: Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Lanvin, Fendi, Alexander McQueen (Photo: Firstview; Fendi Photograph Courtesy of Fendi)

2.You’ll Need a Flashlight for Your Closet. Colorful it was not. Head-to-toe black, often tempered with white, was widespread. It was sleek at Fendi and Lanvin, romantic on an Alexander McQueen Empire-waisted lace evening dress. The combo is, of course, a classic at Chanel, where a white suit and black satin blouse were spot-on.

From left: Bottega Veneta, Marni, Louis Vuitton, Comme Des Garcons, Alexander McQueen (Photo: FirstView)

3.You’ll Channel Annie Hall, Again. Masculine suiting appeared at Comme des Garçons, Marni, Louis Vuitton, and Alexander McQueen in a slouchy, oversize way. The few feminine touches (subtle corseting at Comme, a leather bow at Vuitton) are bold and urban.

From left: Max Mara, Dolce & Gabbana, Hermes, Yves St. Laurent, Nina Ricci (Photo: First View)

4.You’ll Go Dramatic With Your Outer Layer. Simultaneously mysterious and chic, the cape emerged as a surprisingly convincing coat alternative, from the classic strong-shouldered styles at MaxMara and Dolce & Gabbana to YSL’s white crocheted version that adds texture without bulk.

From left: Prada, Burberry Prorsum, Christian Dior, Miu Miu, Marni (Photo: FirstView)

5.You’ll Soften Around the Edges. Big furs have been, well, big for several years, but this season the take is a bit more restrained, with fur confined to the edges of collars and cuffs. Burberry Prorsum used fox and beaver to update its fabled trench, while Marni finished the sleeves of a sleek, round- necked coat in a neat sheared mink.

 

[Kimkhuu]

Great article... thanks a lot Avant garde....!

Looks like capes and masculine suits still get the grade....!

 

[Yppe]

Love the shorter skirts and the capes

 

[Avant Garde]

Fall 2006: Top 10 Looks That Stole the Season

Lindsay Sammon Fri Mar 24, 5:52 PM ET


Fashion Wire Daily - New York - Much like the calm after the storm, the buzz of the Fall 2006 fashion season has settled and left a string of trends in its wake. From the good (Carolina Herrera's color burst) and the bad (just say "no" to D&G's knit bodysuit), several key trends emerged that have earned their place on the fashion "do" list. Here is a look back at the top ten runway styles that stole the season.

1. Layering
Who says less is more? This season gave us the green light to add vests, scarves, tops upon tops, and virtually anything over a pair of leggings or pants. Layers proved to be one of the more effortless ways to spruce up an outfit, but caveat! This trend can go from stylish to sloppy if done the wrong way. Always the one to hit it right, Marc Jacobs showed dresses over blouses topped with jackets fastened with belts. In Paris, Jean Paul Gaultier used corsets to secure long coats over pants. The layers of the season make way for a little grunge, a little boldness and a lot of options.

2. Volume
The bigger and the bolder, the better. At Richard Chai, models strut the runway in wrap sweaters and coats with oversized necks. Cynthia Rowley experimented with dropped shoulders and the puffball-shaped dress, while the bubble-shaped skirt took to the runway, in various lengths, at DKNY, Chloe, Missoni and Vivienne Westwood.

3. Tousled Temptress
Whether left down and flowing or loosely tied in a bun, disheveled hair brought a polished mess to the forefront of fall beauty, proving that the day-old look has never been hotter. Go ahead, skip a shower or two.

4. Boy Meets Girl
The gender bending that went on for Fall 2006 was among the boldest of trends. Masculine accessories like biker gloves made an appearance at Jose Ramon Reyes and even the glamorous duo at Rodarte strayed from their ultra feminine ways to create pantsuits with muted menswear influences.

5. Glam Rock
Just when you thought you thought your New York Dolls tour t-shirt had met its yard-sale fate, Fall 2006 showed a return to the glam rock roots that fueled fashion in the 1970s. Showy accessories and flamboyant themed-collections, like Jeremy Scott's food-inspired runway show, rocked the runway to the endorsement of many. At Burberry Prorsum, the rebel-chic reigned supreme with tight black looks, and Gucci revisited the glamour of '70s rock and rock with white shimmering suits reminiscent of David Bowie's old digs.

6. Leggings
We say leggings are a do, but be careful when incorporating them into an outfit - there's a science to bringing these back. Whether under a skirt, with or without feet, paired with an oversized sweater, or tucked into boots, leggings returned this season as the must-have functional fashion item (they actually do keep your legs warm). Either solid color leggings, like those at Derek Lam, or printed tights, like the looks at Rachel Comey are fair game for fall.

7. Where For Art Thou, Waistline?
The waist called the shots this season, receiving a lot of attention as designers used it as a focal point for the creation of many of the season's silhouettes. Fendi brought the waistline to new heights, whereas TIBI and Roberto Cavalli used belts to cinch the waist with bow details.

8. A Sci-Fi Style Invasion
Fall 2006 got futuristic on us. ThreeAsFour beautifully captured the science of fashion with huge superhero-like sleeves, trippy prints, and cape-like dresses in bright satin shades, while vivid neon prints, made from old scientific illustrations, took to the runway with Matrix-style capes at Basso and Brooke.

9. Excuse Me, There's Something On Your…
There was an obsession with dressing the face and head this season with various articles, from riding hats at Balenciaga, to eye masks at Comme Des Garcons. The greatest show stopping headpiece award goes to Alexander McQueen for his use of birds nests - complete with a batch of eggs - and even a gauze wrap for the face adorned with deer antlers.

10. Nuts for Navy Is navy the new black?
Donatella Versace experimented with navy throughout the entire collection from double-breasted coatdresses to the color of the model's smoky eye. Alberta Ferretti also focused on navy in her dark and deep color palette for fall, while Chado Ralph Rucci devoted several looks to navy this season as well, showing navy pantsuits spruced up with leather patchwork, dyed to match.

fwd and yahoo news

 

[melt977]

^ Thanks

 

[Kimkhuu]

Great article avant garde... thanks so much for posting....

navy is of course not the new black... black is the new black this season... don't mind the navy invasion though.. ...quite refreshing in my opinion....

 

[Avant Garde]

Your welcome

I thought grey was the new black for F/W but navy works too

 

[Jake Style]

Where are the influences?

Hi everyone!

What great topics here =D

I'm a fashion illustration student trying to make abstract works from the season's overall "feel": forms, colors and overall look and feel.

It might have popped up somewhere, because I went through this pretty fast. But what I have learned that are the big things are the periods right after WW1 and WW2 for example.

Historically speaking in 1918 after WW1 women had to take some of the men's jobs like steering trams, do chimney sweeping and overall physical work. This made women wear more masculine and practical clothes. Lots of trousers for example. These themes are also widely visible in the F/W 2006-2007 runway shows.
The collection of Rochas is almost purely inspired by the chimney sweepers. Even the ladder is included.

What I noticed also (and it has been mentioned here numerous times) are the Edwardian high waistline, folky motives (east-european for example) and late victorian puffed shoulders and sleeves.

I would be most grateful if someone could point out more historical aspects of the trends here and if there's more periods in the history that clearly surface in this season. This might sound boring, but I really want to dig to the roots where things come from. Also suggestions to literature would be great.

Thank you in advance!

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Well, Jake, do you consider the 80s historical? 'Cause that seemed the biggest past influence this season ...

 

[Jake Style]

^Well, for me it's is pretty historical since I was born in the 80's Thanks for the tip though (hadn't thought about the recent history yet) ! How about 90's then?