NEW YORK — A change in silhouettes used to drive the fashion business. One season short hemlines were in, the next they were long. Jackets went from fitted to loose and back again.
But modern women don’t replace their wardrobes every year; they update them. You add a piece or two, retire a few items, and look for accessories that will extend the life of clothes you’ve already invested in.
In the dozens of collections just debuted for fall-winter 2008, designers and their stylists offered plenty of ways women will be able to refresh their fashion attitude come fall. New colors and fabrics, retooled clothing items and accessories repeated in show after show gave a definite sense of direction for next winter.
Rather than zeroing in on a specific era or influence, designers picked favorite parts of the past to put in their lines. “I’m calling them the decade divas,” said Ken Downing, fashion director at Neiman Marcus. “There’s some 1920s deco, 1940s suits with sharper shoulders; mod, sexy 1960s, hot hippies.”
When it comes to key items, congratulate yourself if for the current season you bought a pair of wide-legged pants (preferably high-waisted), a jacket with accentuated shoulders, a bow- or ruffle-front blouse and a pencil skirt. You’re a step ahead of the game.
All those items were at the top of designers’ checklists for fall 2008. Michael Kors was a big fan of the slim skirt, showing it in nubby tweeds, classic camel or such fabrics as cheetah-print crepe. Peter Som’s had swag details and dropped below the knee.
Downing says women like the pencil skirt because the style looks sexy and confident. “It feels right again,” he said.
Women who feel restricted in skinny skirts will also be able to pick full-cut ones, from such designers as Tommy Hilfiger, who showed a versatile striped silk twill style. Isaac Mizrahi had one of the best renditions of the tea cup, a style that cinches the waist and flares out over the hips.
The “it” belt
Another key item is high-waisted pants, presented by such designers as Oscar de la Renta in silk zibeline for evening. But the look was also ubiquitous for day and with the right jacket and belt, is sure to be a career staple for fall.
Speaking of belts, “It’s no longer about the ‘it’ bag, but the ‘it’ belt,” says Suze Yalof Schwartz, executive editor at large for Glamour magazine. She liked the wide, waist-cinching ones at Oscar de la Renta in patent leather. But tiny, thin belts also made appearances. Designers wrapped them around coats, cinched them over dresses and generally used them to emphasize the figure.
Last winter was all about black tights, but come next winter, legs will look more updated if they sport colored tights and designs with texture and pattern. Whatever you do, Yalof says, “don’t match your shoes and tights.”
Last year, the bootie and high- heeled oxford were the top shoes. For next winter, footwear is all over the map. And while it looked good on the models, we’re wondering if it’s really a good idea to have shoes with lots of cutouts in the winter.
A surefire way to look hip for fall is to add something with feathers to your wardrobe nest. We counted feathers in at least 10 collections, from accessories at Carolina Herrera to dresses at Monique Lhuillier. Badgley Mischka offered an ostrich-accented gown, and Carmen Marc Valvo detailed a fox and lamb coat with feathers. Herrera’s hats trailed 5-foot pheasant feathers, which could make riding on an elevator or driving a car a problem. But they looked great on the runway. Ditto for the dramatic hats created by Philip Treacy for Ralph Lauren. A single plume extended from the top of a beret, or a cluster of feathers fanned out like tentacles from the side of a cap. More wearable were the feather pins, clips and other accents designers added to clothes.
Women who have already added shine in the form of metallics and patent leather to their wardrobes will be glad because designers continue to be infatuated with anything that gleams. And choose the metal that flatters you, as silver and gold, copper, bronze and pewter were all represented in the shows.
Last year designers focused on a gray palette, but the color drains the cheer out of many a complexion. For next winter, the picture is brighter. Along with lots of autumnal browns and blacks, there were flashes of green, purple, yellow and red shown. Pale colors also made an appearance, notably in Marc Jacobs’ collection of languid draped-back coats, roomy pleated pants and cowl-necked evening dresses.
And when it comes to pattern, bigger is better, judging from the oversized houndstooth dresses at Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Lauren’s oversized plaids and checks.
But the biggest surprise in fabrics was the bouquet of florals designers sent down the runways. From Kors’ sweet lilacs to beaded poppies at Peter Som’s collection for Bill Blass, the motif ran from day to night.
The abundance of florals was not just a mixing of spring with winter, but an acknowledgment of global warming and realization that you wear lighter fabrics and patterns through the seasons, says Neiman Marcus’ Downing. “I’m on my soapbox about this. Summer goes from May to October. What is modern are seasonless fabrics and technical fabrics that you buy now and wear now.”
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com
N.Y. TRENDS AT A GLANCE
Feathers Floral prints Belts Hats Capes Fur and shearling vests Shoes with cutouts Wide-leg pants Metallics
Rich fabrics: brocades, matelasse Big necklaces Peekaboo shoes Green (mint to loden) Oversized patterns
