New York Fashion Week isn't exactly a hotbed of creativity - it's more like a well-executed assembly line of saleable trends, often taking their cues from what came six months before on European shores. Some designers labour over collections that attempt a strong individual statement, but the results are often painfully forced. Mass brands like Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan understand the limits of their brand identity and work within these boundaries to reinvent themselves - they're smart enough not to embarass themselves and alientate their customer base by adopting a false edge.
Oscar de la Renta
So far this week, amidst all the mediocre collections that attempt to approximate a style worthy of Michelle Obama's attention (i understand the power of having her as a client, but it still seems a little strange....not using her as a muse, but instead working in reverse, and attempting to imagine what she might like to wear), a few, sometimes surprising, names have stood out to me. They range from editorial darlings to old-school demi-couturiers, and none of their visions qualify, in my opinion, as avant-garde, but they achieve something more important: they're true to their own ideas about design and they have a clear woman in mind that they are designing for. Designers who plan on surviving the coming economic slaughter (and I don't think we've begun to see the damage... the floodgates have opened but the water has yet to fully hit) need to have a real raison d'etre - their work can't resemble twenty other lines and, wherever their price points fall, they need to deliver a sense of value.
My favorites so far are:
Proenza Schouler - I think this is possibly their best season ever. There's less of a sense that they're figuring out who they are.. it seems like they have a pretty good idea by now. The Balenciaga references are almost entirely gone, the silhouettes and construction are intricate and exciting, and the mixture of ease, edge and youthful energy was compelling.
photos: Fashionologie.com
Oscar de la Renta - Everything seemed right about this show - the bouffant hair, the mutli-ethnic casting, the pitch-perfect evening dresses, the leopard prints - and I had the impression of a slightly wry sense of humor on his part about his defining aesthetic. He's made a career out of catering to the ladies who lunch, and he's self-aware enough to make gentle fun of his own bourgeois image. But the clothes were no laughing matter... they oozed the kind of good taste that money can't buy (although it helps) and the silhouettes and embellished effects were more modern than in seasons past. If I was a 50 year old woman with a lot of disposable income, I'd buy some Oscar next season.
photos: AP
Marc Jacobs - It's easy to dismiss this latest collection as an experiment in self-indulgence gone horribly wrong, but come on, admit you didn't crack a little smile at the sight of the gravity-defying hairstyles and electric neon color combinations? I think that Jacobs makes little pretense that his eponymous collection is about selling tons of clothes. The money comes from the bags, shoes and fragrance (and other licenses), leaving him free to do whatever the hell he wants when it comes to a runway collection. And thank god for that.... in an era of design that sometimes seemly compromised even before it's been displayed on the catwalk, it's refreshing that some designers just want to have fun. That said, I think a lot of women would look great if they were willing to embrace some of these pieces and ideas that he is proposing. Even if that particular look doesn't appeal to them, it's about HAVING a look in the first place. Investing the energy and the conviction, risking looking like a fool. Being brave.
photos: Jezebel.com
Doo.Ri - I know Doori a bit, and she's an amazing designer, and, unlike a lot of people in the industry, she lives by her convictions and refuses to compromise her character. That's something to be taken seriously. But when it comes to her collections, they have never really spoken to me that strongly. I think part of it is that she operates at the other end of the spectrum than Marc Jacobs - she makes 'real' clothes, for 'real' women and her aesthetic and materials are best understood on an actual female body (a dimension of clothing that I can't say I have any experience with.) But this season she seemed to shift into a different mode. The clothes are still entirely wearable, but they have an aura of desirability that I've never seen in her work before. There's an electric current of... well, fashion. The crystal embroidered tights are an amazing idea (and unlike Viktor and Rolf's a few seasons back, you can actually wear them without weighing an extra 30 pounds), the gently embellished dresses and jackets are the kinds of special but sober pieces that I imagine customers might actually find themselves coveting in a recession.
photos: Imaxtree
I guess sometimes it takes the most dire of circumstances to set people's best instincts free. And whenever this mess is finally over (assuming it will end one day) it will be interesting to look back and see who is left standing, and what they did to ensure their survival. I suspect the key strategy will be that they respected their own deeply-held beliefs about design. What a novel idea.
Comments