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Designers are on the hot seat 
to produce lines that will sell come spring

October 4, 2009

Spring will be a crucial test for designers in many ways. It will be an opportunity for shoppers to break free from the malaise of the recession and show some optimism with their wallets. The most crucial factor is getting consumers to return to paying full price.

Lew Frankfort, the chief executive of Coach, the handbag and accessories giant, told Wall Street Journal Magazine , "Anyone who believes things are going to return to how they were is delusional." He was among many who said that consumers need to be wooed back to stores with gotta-have-it products.

To that end, New York Fashion Week's showing of spring 2010 collections was more than a preview of colors and trends we'll be seeing next year. Designers were making a case that their aesthetics are still valid and sellable before they reach the clearance racks.

The New York Times noted that even designing legends such as Oscar de la Renta were adopting new tactics: "In the past, an Oscar de la Renta collection would have looked rich and embellished, and that was enough." Now, however, de la Renta had to assert modern design values including a brilliant blue crocheted silk cardigan draped over a matching dress and belted for a look that was the epitome of urban chic.

Inspirations among designers ran the gamut from "carnival — carnal and a little bit tawdry" at Derek Lam to "urbane renewal ... the rites of spring" at Michael Kors.

Designers hope to inspire customers with visions and dreams, but they must also appeal to their practicality. Consumers need to see garments interpreted in ways that they don't already own.

Some of the looks on runways that were vying for closet space included a new age of artfully damaged clothing.

I'd guess that the ubiquity of distressed denim had an influence on some designers looking for ways to encourage our increasing casual world to dress up. Perhaps, they thought, if you can't beat them ...

Max Azria debuted decadently torn frocks that were rich and edgy. The rips — no, make that openings — angled across shoulders and in the sides of shift dresses, allowed skin to peek through on relaxed fit looks that were definitively after-5 appropriate but had the cozy look of loungewear. Interpretations for retail will show more modesty, but the look on the runway was eye-catching and provocative.

Michael Kors added similar sex appeal to his classic sportswear for men and women with artfully destructed bits. He left openings around the collar of men's crewnecks to expose skin and left the hems dangling. His show started with a soundtrack that almost felt like a mistake.

The music faded in, then abruptly out. The audience suspected that it was a false start and then the refrain repeated again and again. Even Michael Douglas sitting front row had an uh-oh look on his face. Then it became clear that the false starts were intentional and lyrical. And so it was with the clothing. It almost looked like a mistake. Someone carelessly ripped a hem and a collar hadn't been sewn on appropriately, but then the aesthetic becomes clear.

However, Kors might have taken this notion a step too far with the paint-splattered jackets, but we'll see how his customers respond to a men's suit that someone described as looking like an ink-cartridge exploded on it.

Kors also played with exposed zippers asymmetrically placed over a shoulder or torso, allowing for portions of skin to be revealed or concealed, and he wasn't alone in exploring this equation.

But while designers such as de la Renta and Kors were attempting to shake out of their traditional boxes by adding a bit of edge, others were busy trying to keep their aesthetic, while adding sensibility.

Badgley Mischka offered a parade of gorgeous frocks for its red carpet, high society customers, but something was distinctly different. They are known for gowns that look like jewels, but for spring they opted for simpler gowns in black lace, lilac and smoke satin accessorized with magnificent Badgley Mischka jewels. A sign of the times perhaps.

The new combination could easily extend the life of both pieces; the jewels can be transferred from formal gowns to slacks and a silk top. The dress can now be worn with changeable jewels or without.

And on the other end of the spectrum, Nanette Lepore attempted to tame her wildly colorful garments with moss, khaki and twilight blue blazers and pants that will probably have more mileage for most dressers.

But perhaps none went so far as Norma Kamali in advocating a change for her consumers. The designer presented three lines — the Norma Kamali Collection, Norma Kamali for eBay and Norma Kamali for Wal-Mart . She presented the clothes on the street in Manhattan , not a closed venue for retail buyers and the press.

Models held up signs to identify which collection they wore because although prices ranged from an $18 hooded coat to a $1,500 ruched Victorian-style jacket, the presentation didn't seem the least bit disjointed or haphazard.

Kamali announced her new venture with eBay (a 23-piece line all under $300 ) and her new iPhone app (allowing customers to shop all her lines, view press clips and her blog from their phones).

She told Women's Wear Daily that this is the most difficult time to start a fashion business, but it's also the most exciting.

She spoke for many, who see the economy as a welcome challenge. She and others opined that perhaps those heady spend-crazy days allowed designers to get lazy and complacent. Now they have to be clever and relevant, which is a boon to us all.

 



McClatchy-Tribune Information Services