NY Times Article: Wrap of Fall '07 Shows and Trends

[fashionmad]

I wasn't quite sure whether this belonged here, or in the Fall.07 sticky, or where exactly, so I'll just post and let the mods decide!

A Wrap-Up of Fall: Reasons to Rejoice


By CATHY HORYN
Published: March 15, 2007

WHEN the fall runway season ended, a week ago Sunday, there seemed more to consider than to sweep aside. Rare was the first-tier show that clanged like an empty pot — and you wouldn't have said that six months ago, when designers conjured up a cross between a Star Trek groupie and an Elvis impersonator. (See Steven Meisel's spread in February Italian Vogue for details.)

It's hard to say what brought designers back to earth, but there's a good chance it was the bottom line. Clothes cost lots of money, a single garment the equivalent of a mortgage payment. There is only so much rationalizing available to a black wool jacket, however good the fit and self-esteeming the label, before a little voice cries "Zara!" and you're out the door.

Jennifer Wheeler, the vice president for designer apparel at Nordstrom, suggests that women have learned to think of clothes in much the same way they do jewelry or fine art. "They have to have an emotional reaction," she said. That sounds reasonable, or reasonable enough, but after hundreds of collections sprawled over four cities, how do you determine the real thing?


If a woman walking past Bergdorf Goodman's windows last week felt cold-shouldered by the minidresses on display, she will certainly not want for ways in September to cover her behind. This is the biggest change. Fall clothes are longer and roomier if not always ageconsiderate.
Marc Jacobs's tall-drink-ofwater silhouette may recall Paris Vogue of the 1970s, when nearly every foot forward was a Maud Frizon, but the easy polish and hopeful palette of bright accents against gray and navy blue ought to strike a chord with women who always carry in their minds the figure they want to become. It's a romantic sensibility, to be sure, but Mr. Jacobs keeps it as cold and sparsely furnished as the classical villa that served as the backdrop for his show. If the collections of Jil Sander, Lanvin, Calvin Klein and Narciso Rodriguez seem just as self-assured and individualistic, it may be because these designers have developed a strong point of view that Julie Gilhart, the fashion director of Barneys New York, said, "We buy designers, not trends."


In addition to making some exceptional dresses — plain, sensual, with a single pressed-down pleat as the only detail — Raf Simons, the designer at Jil Sander, offered capes that just graze the body and incorporate the details of a jacket. Other collections had capes and trapeze coats, but the difference is that Mr. Simons uses his to convey the message of a leaner, smartly polished look.


"The strength comes from being exact," Ms. Gilhart said. "If you're going to buy a cape, you're going to buy it from Jil Sander." At Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci's neat jackets and wool sailor pants play the same mental game. Tailored trousers aren't a lingering thought of the collections, in part, Ms. Wheeler says, because "leggings and skinny pants are still out there." (And, to reinforce that impression, Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga has added a new, slouchy variation on the khaki jodhpur.)


But that's precisely why Givenchy's highwaist, wide-leg trousers (and those from Versace and Stella McCartney), should appeal to women. "They make a statement on their own," Ms. Wheeler said. FOR Ms. Gilhart and other retailers, no collection summed up the season more energetically than Lanvin, designed by Alber Elbaz. For spring, Mr. Elbaz came up with a look that in its blunt use of wet-looking synthetics and hardware touched on futurism. The new collection still has that sharpness (or hardness), but, as Ms. Gilhart points out, it manages to cross divides of age and taste. "You have all that color and those amazing sleeves, so it's great for a woman who wants the glamour of couture," she said.


"Yet it works for a woman who loves to be Goth and edgy. It all has to do with the cut and the silhouette." The line is close to the body without being limiting, and Mr. Elbaz's use of ivory silk charmeuse, mixed in with navy and black and patent-leather accessories, throws a flattering light on the face. It's one of those collections in which the dress solutions seem incredibly simple. If you were following the shows online, you may have noticed a tendency toward exaggerated sleeves. Boxed, belled and barrelshape sleeves turned up in a number of collections, notably Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin and Dior, for which John Galliano reprised shapes from his January couture show and brought them into his romantic Galliano label as well.

 

[fashionmad]

continued:

By contrast, the sleeves of Rick Owens's jackets looked wand-thin. Yet he, too, went for the exaggerated gesture, with oversize funnel collars and wide fleece lapels. The same was true for Azzedine Alaïa, who balanced his high-waist, bell-shape wool skirts with his immaculate sense of proportion. "Hands-down, my favorite collection was Alaïa," said Ikram Goldman, the owner of the Ikram boutique in Chicago.

Another dominant look is the oversize coat. There are essentially two schools of thought: Stefano Pilati's draped, slightly masculine style for Saint Laurent and the Poiret, blouson-back cocoons from Prada and Proenza Schouler, which look different in part because the silhouette has been pulled toward the back.


For all the black, navy and charcoal that appeared on the runways, the most memorable collections invariably had a jolt of color. In fact, there are so many ways to play with color that to single out one is to limit another.


Linda Dresner, the owner of boutiques in New York and Michigan, bought sleek pantsuits from the London designer Todd Lynn, who showed them with orchid-bright shirts. Dior was awash in violets, fuchsias and greens. And there were the almost childish hues at Comme des Garçons, which Ms. Goldman believes will help introduce the avant-garde label to a younger audience.


But perhaps the best way (or, anyway, the newest way) to think about color is as accent. You may not give a marigold leather bag a second look, but when Mr. Jacobs put it over the shoulder of a long, lean blue jacket, he opened our eyes to the possibilities.

Is color the new layering? Tights in shades of chartreuse, burnt orange and turquoise were key to the looks at Balenciaga, John Galliano and Undercover. Miuccia Prada offered twotone knee socks. With shoes in a contrasting color, the idea is almost too eccentric to flub.


Last season, to the surprise of mere mortals, designers saw women as superheroes. While some of those imaginings contributed to the technological history of fashion (few more so than Mr. Ghesquiere's sculptural tailoring), they also reminded us that we are all too human. And that's what will draw women toward the fall clothes, whether it's the cozy, swirling knits from Nina Ricci, the subtle innovations of Jun Takahashi at Undercover or the controlled volumes at Lanvin. It's fashion that is recognizably human.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/15/fashion/shows/15wrap.html?ref=style

 

[Sylphide]

Thankyou! This is interesting. Colour as the new layering: I like it

 

[gia0202]

i agree that color ill be the new layering---but i hate how much they are pushig the high-waisted trousers--ugh!! its almost as obnoxious as the handbag phenomena. it also idn't closely examine the balenciaga collection. its a mistake since it was highly directional, and the collection the other designers look to. a new silhouette came out of that show---also minidresses are soo in this spring and next fall--- its like come on... just a slightly different shape and no ankle-length leggings.

 

[disco54]

well the higher waisted look is a new thing and its finally being pushed mainstream as fashion heads in a more dressed and conservative direction...

 

[MulletProof]

thanks for posting fashionmad.
'subtle' trends definitely seem more liberating than the extravagance of last season, it's always good when designers experiment with little instead of getting lost in an overload of trends.. the downside is that, those who are bad, only get duller when sticking to minimalism.. D&G for example.

 

[ilaughead]

Color sounds good to me. Fashion has been dark grey and black for far too long. I wonder which designer will be the big turning point from black to color?

 

[Lena]

great, down to earth article, karma for posting

fave points listed below

you wouldn't have said that six months ago, when designers conjured up a cross between a Star Trek groupie and an Elvis impersonator.

wide-leg trousers (and those from Versace and Stella McCartney), should appeal to women. "They make a statement on their own," Ms. Wheeler said

If you were following the shows online, you may have noticed a tendency toward exaggerated sleeves. Boxed, belled and barrelshape sleeves turned up in a number of collections

But perhaps the best way (or, anyway, the newest way) to think about color is as accent.

 

[gia0202]

Color sounds good to me. Fashion has been dark grey and black for far too long. I wonder which designer will be the big turning point from black to color?

balenciaga made a hige statement about colorin his fall collection. Jil Sander used a lot of color,adnd that collerction along with so many others---like chloe, had many seqins, metallics and embelishments.
also, all the most noteworthy collections used scarlet red, many others featured plum and a rich deep blue---there is color. lots of it