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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.
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