Fashions for Fall
NEW YORK — Hold on to your crushed velvet. Buy some glen plaid. Stock up on patterned tights. And pick up a poufy skirt at the last of this year’s winter sales. Those will be the key pieces for building a wardrobe in the fall, as the heavy hitters made quite clear in memorable shows at the midpoint of Fall 2005 Fashion Week. Oscar de la Renta and Marc Jacobs presented collections brimming with lace, fur and suede. Betsey Johnson’s fun collection rolled out on a plaid catwalk surrounded by saloon tables.
Cynthia Steffe finally abandoned her equestrian looks in favor of innocent chiffon baby-doll dresses and empire pants pulled from Russian fairy tales. B. Michael presented his collection of classy suits against the backdrop of a live opera performance. And Carolina Herrera offered elegant tweed suits with chunky fur stoles.
Next winter’s fashions will be extensions of this fall’s looks: lace skirts; brocade jackets; tweed suits; cashmere pea and wrap coats. But instead of using bright pops of color, designers toned it down, showing deep bordeauxs, rusts, mustard yellows, sage greens and navy blues.
The shimmer came from the fabric, pearlized buttons and zippers, not from jewels.
“These collections are softer. I like the Victorian feel to them,” said Tom Marrotta, of Philadelphia’s Saks Fifth Avenue, as designer Monique Lhuillier’s audience scattered from the Bryant Park tents.
Most fashionable among bags will be laptop-size numbers that can be slung over the shoulder, made from corduroy, crushed velvet and python fringe. Ponytails will be high again. Heels will be too, but open-toed or closed, the shoes must be metallic.
Hold on to that bolero-style sweater you thought you’d use for only one season. And note what these designers envision:
Oscar de la Renta: The de la Renta team started with loosely tailored tweed and brocade suits. Models wore their hair pinned up, and glided down the catwalk to classical music. A soft green-and-brown cashmere skirt and sweater in glen plaid made a smart work outfit. A brown cashmere/angora coat draped the model beautifully.
Crushed-velvet jackets reigned. Brocade coats and dresses dazzled over black satin shoes and, of course, de la Renta had versions of his cinched-waist dresses, this time in black satin and tulle, with poufy skirts.
He trimmed his coats in fur, but not as the focal point of the garment, as was true in years past. Instead, the fur served as a nice detail.
Eveningwear brought an abrupt change in the music and rapt attention from singer Beyonce and her mother, Tina Knowles, who were seated in the front row.
A see-through black organza blouse and tuxedo short was a hot combo, and a wine-colored floral silk taffeta gown was wonderfully wintry. When a sparkling deep-purple gown with mustard-yellow flowers glided by, Beyonce, wearing a soft yellow de la Renta skirt, glued her eyes to the train.
Betsey Johnson: This collection was surprisingly wearable, as Johnson’s pieces took a vintage twist. Her skirts were short, the panty hose plaid. She served Guinness and, true to form, did her trademark flip after the show.
The details, such as lace trim and petticoats under the skirts, are what made these garments. Johnson wasn’t afraid to match a floral and a plaid. A ruby satin tulip-tier dress was beautiful, and a crocheted dress in olive was demure. Johnson added striped scarves and, in some cases, stockings to match her outfits. All and all, the grouping was fun and well thought out, with a nod to creativity and girly oomph.
Reem Acra: This was definitely a going-out collection; 9-to-5ers need not apply. But for all their eccentricities (sequins and a gypsy feel), Acra’s pieces were pretty and seasonless. Models wore large colorful beaded necklaces with glittery gold, belted trenchcoats, and snake-print flared charmeuse dresses. A black tulle skirt (yes, tulle) with chiffon camisole and cardigan was fabulous.
BCBG: Max Azria didn’t give the shopper any room to experiment in his collection: If you buy one piece, you have to buy the whole ensemble. This was a grouping of strong construction and visually soft pieces, with felts and suedes just begging to be touched.
The look was warm and sexy. An embroidered black wool jacket paired with a soft shift dress combined serious professional with fun. A green silk chiffon dress with navy tights and a cognac studded belt was punkish and lovely at the same time. Burnt oranges and midnight blues were winter shades that popped.
Azria presented a lot of walking shorts that he paired with opaque tights for cute looks great for the long of leg.
Marc Jacobs: His runway show began after dramatic celebrity entrances by Jay-Z and Beyonce, Uma Thurman, and Drew Barrymore. Jacobs’ models were really pale and downright cherubic, and he centered his designs on blousy cuts, smock dresses, and poufy skirts. There was a lot of cashmere and taffeta and crushed velvet, and colors were bright. If not pretty, the collection was well thought out. Yet there were few standout looks, the exceptions being cashmere T-shirts and crepe dresses layered over silk.
Monique Lhuillier: A designer well known for her wedding dresses, Lhuillier presented a collection of ruffles, taffeta and metallics for shimmery day-to-evening outfits. She opened her show with a cute plum metallic-and-tweed polo shirtdress. She sent ruffled skirts down the runway, and a Chantilly lace cocktail dress. Pale models were Morticia-like in her black outfits, but she made up for it with a strikingly beautiful pleated ballerina dress in rust.
Bill Blass: Michael Vollbracht wrote in his liner notes that this year’s collection was inspired by the late designer Geoffrey Beane and “Tonight Show host Johnny Carson. Whatever the inspiration, it worked.
This was a working-girl collection of cashmere, pinstripes and embroidered skirts. A white gazar shirt and black beaded skirt were brilliant, and a pair of pinstriped pants was jazzed up by a gray embroidered jacket.
Vollbracht offered embroidered lace gowns and chiffon tea dresses. And most exciting was his wonderful use of the color pumpkin.