Is the fashion industry having a Don Draper, Big Sur Esalen moment?
Models walk the runway at the Coach Women’s Spring 2016 fashion show during New York Fashion Week at the High Line on Sept. 15.
Reporting from New York — There’s been a greening and om-ing of the runways at the spring 2016 shows at New York Fashion Week.
Givenchy’s reclaimed wood set on the banks of the Hudson River, Prabal Gurung’s throat-chanting monks and Phillip Lim’s organic soil-piled runway. Saffron, the sacred Hindu hue, is the color of the season. And on Tuesday, leather goods brand Coach staged its first-ever runway show in a specially constructed greenhouse on the High Line, New York City’s elevated park on the former Central Railroad spur.
Ciara, Debbie Harry, Chloe Grace Moretz and others were seated amid fragrant, planted grasses and wildflowers, which were to be donated to community gardens after the show. And the late afternoon sun cast a warm glow on the space, creating some of the most beautiful lighting I’ve ever seen on a runway.
FULL COVERAGE: New York Fashion Week 2015
Unfortunately, the collection was more dizzying than dazzling. Inspired by Americana, surf, skate, punk and cowgirl subcultures (I know, it’s a lot), designer Stuart Vevers splashed prairie patchwork prints on dresses, blouses, slouchy varsity jackets and biker vests—over everything really--breaking up the print parade with a few colorful, rocker suede micro minis and Western shoe booties.
It made for a noisy, festival-ready vibe that was been-there, done that. Bags were covered with even more flowers, and when they weren’t, they were 1970s-inspired satchels that still look less substantial than the vintage versions that you can still find at flea markets if you really want to go green.
Vevers has been Coach’s creative director since 2013, charged with elevating the brand after years of deep discounting, by creating a runway ready-to-wear collection. But despite buzzy collaborations with pop artists and street style stars, the clothing hasn’t taken off and the brand has failed to produce a must-have bag.
The legacy seems to be more intact at Oscar de la Renta.
In his second runway show for the venerable American fashion house of first ladies, socialites and Hollywood royalty, Peter Copping tiptoed ever closer to making the brand his own.
No more stiff lady suits! A ravishing ruby red jacket with a black ribbon closure, worn over a poppy flower jacquard skirt had a soft new ease, paired with crystal-embroidered satin espadrilles. In Copping’s hands, drawstring closures and techno fabrics aren’t quite athletic wear, at least not yet, but they added modern appeal to the clothes. And there was denim, denim at Oscar! A black denim jacket to be exact, paired with a black stretch cotton flounce skirt.
Your grandmother’s gala gown? Not quite. A red-and-white carnation print column with sheer black organza overlays down the sides upped the sex appeal instead. Copping even included a couple of fun furs, in floral embroidered mink, for I dunno, the super-rich raver? Maybe Miley would be interested.
Still, it’s slow change, which may be the best kind.
Tory Burch let earthiness guide her for spring—natural fabrics like burlap and fringed linen, an insect’s iridescence, even a slice of tree bark, which inspired the molten-look wedge heel on a shoe.
But more importantly, she stuck to what she does best, and what keeps customers coming back. Tory tunics and caftans, this time in saffron guipere lace or iridescent organza. Dressy-casual wrap skirts that can take a woman to work or a party. Those came in gold embroidered linen or featherweight perforated leather. And lots of preppy shorts and peppy, botanical prints.
Fashion by its nature is fleeting, but as stores like Zara and H&M turn out clothes ever faster, establishing consistency and reliability becomes that much more important for brands that want to grow, develop a loyal following and set themselves apart from the noise.
Perhaps that’s why this season, so many designers have chosen to revisit and refine, rather than to reinvent. In many cases, they are copying their own familiar best work, tweaking it enough to keep it interesting.
In the era of Snapchat and multi-screen, multi tasking, there’s something comforting about things that stick around for a while. And in the fashion realm, if you miss out on a Tory tunic one season, you know that it will be around in some form or another a few months later, in a different color or fabric, or with a slightly different vibe.
Narciso Rodriguez is a great example of a designer who comes from the stone masonry school of thought, chipping and shaping away at a solid foundation. On Tuesday night, he dressed up his front row with an impressive line-up of celebrities, including Amy Schumer, Kate Upton, Jessica Alba and Cash Warren.
But on the runway, his collection was a continuation of the same vision of elegant, minimal restraint he’s had since he was dressing Carolyn Bessette in the 1990s.
There were recognizable shapes, like the white sleeveless, double layer top, worn over full black pants, and the white silk bias cut tunic with angled hem, scattered with black embroidery, also worn over pants.
What changed was in the details, a tuck here and a crease there. That precise placement of a tiny corner fold on the back of a blush linen tweed sheath dress was more beautiful than 100 yards of lace because of its simplicity. Like origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, what Rodriguez does requires practice, patience and Zen-like focus. Don Draper would dig it.
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