They feel pretty...
New York — If there was any question that New York Fashion Week had lost its edge, it was answered here on Friday when the fall season opened with a toilet sponsor in the lobby of the tents in Bryant Park.
OK, it wasn’t just any toilet, it was the Kohler Hatbox, a new highfalutin commode from the Wisconsin-based appliance maker. Still, it was enough to make the media and buyers here remark that Fashion Week had sunk to an all-time commercial low, lower even than a few seasons ago when Rosa Cha, the Brazilian swimwear label, sent models down the runway in string bikinis and Ortho Evra birth control patches.
But without corporate sponsors the shows at Bryant Park, which continue through Friday, would never get off the ground and many fashion designers wouldn’t be able to show at all. And, really, who can complain about a sponsorship when it means an upgrade in the tents from Porta Pottis to designer bathrooms?
And speaking of commercial tie-ins, Los Angeles-based Richard Tyler signed on last year with Delta to redesign the airline’s uniforms, but no one imagined he would put them on the runway. So when the invitation for his show came with the title “Runway to Runway,” one had to pause. Surprisingly, the presentation was snappy, stylish and as seamless as possible considering his obligations (which included pinning Delta wings to a few evening gowns). Tyler is one of the best tailors in the business, Giorgio Armani included, and the new navy blue uniforms, which will be introduced in 2006, were a marvel of crisp construction.
Pencil skirts, double-breasted shirtdresses and shapely jackets with ribbon stripes on the lapels or cuffs were accented with sexy ties left to flutter in the breeze. Shown in between was eveningwear, which Tyler said was informed by his work for the airline. A strapless pearl gray gown with crisscrossing bands of chiffon and satin brought to mind flight patterns on a map, while the similar bands of fabric on a peach organza creation spiraled around the body before breaking free into a train, like a jetliner leaving a contrail.
Among the 100 or so flight attendants who came in for the show, some with rolling luggage in tow, the consensus was that the uniforms will make for much friendlier skies. “Anything to get us out of what we’re in now,” said Christine Stade, a flight attendant from Miami.
For the last four years, wine label Ecco Domani has been giving up-and-coming designers the chance to show during New York Fashion Week by granting $25,000 prizes to six new talents. The only commercial aspect of these presentations is free wine, which is never bad. One of the winners, L.A.’s Jasmin Shokrian, had an auspicious debut. Cocoon-like jackets and knits were reminiscent of Rei Kawakubo, but Shokrian’s work -- a black silk dress with one cap sleeve and another in a draped black jersey worn with a rough leather belt -- has a softer, more feminine edge (yes, edge).
Another winner, Thakoon Panichgul, re-imagined the ladylike strain running through fashion at the moment, in a collection that was elegant and young. A white mink jacket with delicate lace trim was paired with shiny blue cigarette pants, while a sleeveless dress with an empire waist came in a witty chandelier print. A pencil skirt in papery silk the color of a rubber band was topped with a navy floral peacoat. But perhaps the hottest item was a clear plastic rain slicker with white lace pressed inside.
Tracy Reese has blossomed over the last few seasons into a designer with a signature style unfettered by trends. She makes pretty clothes, always with a nod to vintage, and does it with aplomb. This season was Deco-inspired, with slip dresses in antique rose prints, dripping with beads, and Poiret-like velvet robes with rosebuds at the neckline. It was a perfect showcase for her new shoe line, which included several T-strap styles in burnished gold.
Brit Luella Bartley went the pretty nerd route, though her full 1950s skirts worn low on the hips felt like a rehash. It didn’t help that they came in an awkward ostrich skin or brown leather dotted with grommets, paired with matching boxy jackets. She did hit on one of the season’s emerging trends however, the shirt dress, in a playful psychedelic print. But most everyone was there to see the bags (her Gisele bag was “It” last fall). This time, she opted for 1970s-inspired hobos and saddlebags, some dusted with fringe, with extra-long straps.
Perhaps no one is more famous for dresses than Diane von Furstenberg, who took inspiration from Russia, an emerging luxury market, where she plans to open a store soon. The collection was one of her most focused in a long time. The wrap dress was updated with military styling, while tiered peasant skirts in opulent paisleys or velvets were accented with braided tassel belts. Folkloric cream, red and black cutouts on a wool circle skirt brought to mind matryoshka dolls. But what’s sure to be on every woman’s fall shopping list is the sequin-dusted black wrap dress for evening.
There must have been something in the air, because Holly Dunlap, the Hollywood shoe designer, also took a cue from Russia for her first clothing collection. Her Russia was not the place of Cossacks and revolutionaries but of new money, which translated into garish Technicolor furs and silk gowns in paisleys that resembled bad 1980s Versace.
Few would have thought they’d ever see Vogue high priestess Anna Wintour in the front row of a show for a denim label, but fashion is reinventing itself by necessity for a younger generation that will gleefully buy 16 pairs of jeans at $200 each while scoffing at a $3,200 coat. Habitual, which is based in L.A. and designed by husband-and-wife team Michael and Nicole Colovos, is leading the pack in creating runway-worthy denim with an attention to detail.
Perhaps borrowing from the playbook of Dior Homme’s Hedi Slimane, the designers’ best jeans were cut as lean as leggings, with the pant legs bunching down around the ankles. On top, jackets came bandleader style, piped in velvet or with peplums punctuated by two covered buttons at the small of the back. Inside-outside hems added intrigue to denim trench coats, while a trumpet skirt in distressed brown leather had that roughed-up look.
Brazilian Alexandre Herchcovitch proved there is still room for creativity among the corporate logos and free candy. The designer’s skirts and dresses with meandering rows of tropical print ruffles were unique, paired with the new jelly boots he’s designed for Melissa Shoes. During the show, each model was accompanied on the runway by musicians of differing backgrounds -- a Spanish flamenco duo, a Hawaiian ukulele player, an Italian opera singer, a Hungarian accordionist, Eastern European violinists, etc.
Each look blended into the next, along with each style of music. If that’s not a case for world harmony, I don’t know what is.
