In the 2009 documentary “The September Issue,” Style.com’s Candy Pratts Price famously quipped, “September is the January of fashion.” If that is the case, than this month’s New York Fashion Week at Lincoln Center, the first since the switch from Bryant Park, was a beautiful and boisterous ringing in of the New Year. Here are the top five trends to look out for this coming spring, and the designers who made them center stage.
Wondrous whites – The number of designers who did not begin their show with the season’s cleanest color were few and far between: Calvin Klein and Alexander Wang, among countless others, opened their runway presentations with the snowy hue that was a defining feature of the Spring 2011 fashion parade. Not that white is anything out of the ordinary for the spring and summer seasons, but designers infused it with new life, playing with sheers, texture, and draping to have the color looking anything but ghostly.
Sensual sheers – This season saw an absence of undergarments – undershirts, to be specific. With enough tulle to make a princess faint, Marchesa’s collection viewing proved strength in its sheers, from airy gowns to sexy beige and black jumpsuits that did anything but hide the models’ legs. Michael Kors’ models were sans nipple pads, strutting the runway in see-through knits and barely there cotton tops, an extra bounce in their step.
Funky floral – The mixing and matching of floral prints isn’t a new phenomenon by any means, but designers continued to experiment with this trend in novel ways. Jason Wu was a crusader of the flower, using his show as a platform for the versatility of this season’s favorite print. Karen Walker also perpetuated the trend, with a frenetic mesh of shorts, jackets, and pants that brought bright color and florals to the forefront of her design.
Back to the 70s – No other influence was as prevalent as the fashion of 40 years ago to this day. From the could-be-wallpaper prints to his flirtation with the peasant blouse and sweeping halter dresses, Marc Jacobs had a show straight out of the seventies. Ralph Lauren, with his Western-inspired showing, alluded to the decade with an abundance of fringe. With his flared, high-waisted denim and silky summer dresses, Derek Lam brought back the seventies in a big way, with a line that dreamed of simplicity from years long passed.
The return of structure – Herve Leger wasn’t the only show that hyperbolized the shape of the female body. Phillip Lim, in his latest 3.1 namesake collection, used cutouts and leather to concoct a collection built to please a woman’s closet. Rodarte’s slanting hems and defined silhouettes proved that the Mulleavy sisters can do more than drape a pretty dress. Victoria Beckham’s fledgling line showed the precise structure and form-fitting lines that she made famous on her own svelte figure.
Nicole Adlman may be contacted at nadlman@themiamihurricane.com.