The Long and the Short of New York ’92 : Fashion: Calvin Klein gives a practical spin to longer lengths. Todd Oldham is impressive with his salute to ‘50s Americana, while Michael Kors goes bi-level.
In this no-pain, no-gain fashion season, Calvin Klein looks like a risk taker. For his spring 1992 collection he reached back 20 years to his own beginning and revived the stark, yet sensual, styling that earned him the “Mr. Clean” badge years ago.
The timing is right.
His clear, single-minded point of view set him apart this week. Among other things he is the only New York designer who seems to have given some thought to the way women live today in the process of bringing back the mid-calf- and ankle-length skirts that dominated his collection.
Klein cut them in supple silk fabrics, shaped them close to the body through the hip, then eased them into a flair that preserved the wearer’s right to physical mobility. He ignored the billowing, full-cut behemoths (worn unbuttoned to the thigh) that so many designers imagine will pass for a ‘90s version of the long look. Even the models can hardly maneuver those overwhelming shapes. But not all of Klein’s lengths were long; the other option was mid-thigh.
Short or long, every dress was cut close to the body. Klein finished many outfits with a lean silk or wool jacket in a slightly deeper or lighter shade than the dress. Colors ranged from the softest sand and sea tones to deep earthy reds.
He also spotlighted pantsuits with single-button jackets and a slightly wider than usual trouser leg in navy, rose-pink or sand. He folded iridescent chiffon scarves over shoulders like transparent stoles. An evening version of the pantsuit, in white silk with a white-beaded cardigan jacket, was a quick lesson in easy glamour.
The models’ makeup, by Francois Nars, was as appealing as the collection itself. They wore no mascara or eyeliner, no color at all in fact, except for a dusting of sun-red powder on their cheekbones and foreheads. It gave them a fresh, energized look as if they just came in from a day at the beach.
The regulars in Klein’s audience included film producer David Geffen, photographer Bruce Webber and writer Fran Leibowitz.
Todd Oldham’s spring line made for another impressive show. The Dallas transplant called on Patsy Cline, Ann-Margret from her bouffant, “Bye Bye Birdie” days and a selection of fond memories of ‘50s Americana to inspire him.
His short narrow suit with a waiter’s jacket was a multicolor striped, 52-flavors tribute to “Miss Howard Johnson.” A wheat-colored shorts suit embroidered with dozens with colorful monograms was called the “past husbands” jacket.
The best of the show was a series of beaded madras Capri pants and minis worn with organza poet’s shirts and matching stoles painted with bright hibiscus. Another standout was a finely beaded, tie-dyed slip dress. Rap singer Queen Latifah, who wears Oldham custom-made costumes in her videos, modeled a beaded tie-dyed T-shirt and black leggings.
Oldham’s collection was the first step of the week toward a new direction in American style.
“It’s everything we’ve been looking for,” said Saks Fifth Avenue Vice Chairman Phillip Miller. “It had creativity, energy and, very important, it had wearability.”
At the Tatou Club, a local bar on East 51st Street, Christian Francis Roth served a collection of cocktail dresses--with one too many cocktails.
Like Oldham, Roth is relatively new to the New York scene. The twenty-something designer has already proved his considerable talent for witty, intricate trompe l’oeil applique work. But this time the jokes went too far.
Cotton sundresses with cocktail glasses appliqued on the front had 3-D fruit or celery stalks popping up at the shoulder. Some outfits had self-congratulating product messages: “Delightful Roth.”
Most evening outfits sprang from a single concept: a black and white tuxedo dress. Roth showed it with the white shawl collar in back, over one shoulder, across the bodice. It went on and on.
A series of black crepe suits and dresses with saw-tooth-edged white organza collars or cuffs worked better. But all told, the collection was just too cute, too gimmicky and too self-congratulating.
Michael Kors started with one madras plaid romper that had a spaghetti-strap top and a boxer short bottom. He tied on one matching ankle-length skirt over the romper, and the bi-level beach dress was born--again. Valentino did it in his spring collection too. But Kors used madras or black-and-white plaid for a clean sporty effect. Valentino preferred lingerie, silk and sheer lace.
Aside from the bi-level look, Kors focused on short lengths. A body-contoured shift in diagonal black and white stripes went with a short wide coat in matching fabric. Baby-doll evening dresses had short full skirts.
So far, retailers seem to be thinking along these same lines. “We see long skirts as a special item,” said Suzanne McMillan, fashion director for Saks Fifth Avenue. “We’ll have mostly short lengths.”
Kors’ evening wear was built around lace teddys with a wraparound skirt tied at the waist, and black lace slip dresses that looked too tarty. But daywear was streamlined yet informal, and that should work well in California.
Ralph Lauren continued his nautical theme for spring. The newest ingredients included a beaded, boatneck T-shirt in narrow navy and ivory stripes, worn over ivory silk bell-bottoms and white sneakers for a day or night option.
His pantsuits in sailor blue, tomato red or strong yellow went with gold-bullion loafers or wedge heel sandals, to mix classic tailoring with unusual color. A series of short white dresses in heavy cotton were fitted through the waist and flared at the hem. One in particular, with a wing collar and low-cut back, had a retro-elegant feeling.
Jennifer George did the long-over-short-thing with pink pin-striped short shorts and an ankle-length hooded coat. Her lean, cropped black pants and oversize white shirts spoke of 1950s patio glamour.
Adrienne Vittadini showed black and white, too. She paired ruffled white blouses with narrow black pants and bright cummerbunds, for a salute to Spain’s Olympic summer.
The transparent look is part of most New York collections for spring, just as it was for Paris designers. Both Randolph Duke and newcomer Sylvia Heisel showed sheer skirts, but in very different ways. His were multilayered, ankle length and topped by fitted cotton jackets in matching watercolor pastels. Hers were flounced, mid-thigh length and tied over black bodysuits that could double as swimsuits. Pool party wear for the ‘90s.
Sheer separates are an idea that retailers refer to as an item or accessory, not something to sink a bundle into. Get one in the junior department, not the designer circle, suggested Macy’s Senior Vice President Elin Saltzman.
Although clothes are frightfully sensible for the most part right now, retailers insist they’re looking for the unusual--the impulse buy--to spur spending at a time when money is tight. But industry observers wonder how far stores will actually dare to go.
“There are some interesting- looking clothes on the runway,” said Marjorie Deane, president of the Tobe Report, a newsletter that tracks fashion trends. “But in a recession, retailers tend to buy what looks safe. So, lately, most stores have a case of the blahs.”
She suggests taking risks for one good reason: “Most women already have enough unexciting clothes.”
