At the End of the Week: The Memorable--and Easily Forgotten
If the spring collections that wrapped up Fashion Week could be given a movie title, we’d settle for “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Mostly, recycled ideas seemed to dominate as designer after designer sent out cloned versions of the shirtdress, blouson, halter gown and hot pants--gimmicky garments that screamed “been there, done that.”
Still, there were some breakthroughs from a few designers unafraid to pull away from the play-it-safe pack. Nicolas Ghesquiere, the young French designer for Callaghan, offered an awesome aesthetic in a collection that included sleeveless suede sheathes, fringed at the shoulder and hem and adorned with sequins for a glamorous Native American look. It was the first time Ghesquiere, who also designs for the prestigious Balenciaga, showed here.
Brazilian designer Fause Haten innovatively used black metallic painted cotton that looks, feels and moves like distressed leather. Ralph Rucci’s collection for Chado included a chic alternative to a wedding dress--a stunning floor-length, full white silk skirt worn with a white sleeveless perforated leather shell and three-quarter-length leather evening gloves.
Richard Tyler clothes and presentation were distinctive. Using models and mannequins posed in vignettes throughout his spacious Gramercy Park townhouse, where he usually holds his shows here, he displayed classic leathers, immaculately tailored pantsuits, and a captivating backless mini dress in embossed ivory cotton sateen. His glamour gowns included a gorgeous strapless, sequined scallop-pattern tulle gown in black. “People are tired of fashion shows,” Tyler said as guests, including “Sex in the City” actress Kristin Davis, mingled and were encouraged to touch and inspect the clothes.
Randolph Duke showed a glittering line of evening wear in metallic colors and innovative fabrics that included bronzed suedes, brushed silver tulle, nude-colored patent leather and spectacular flesh-hued chiffon and silk gauze gowns embroidered with shiny microchip-sized paillettes. His meticulous use of beading was evident on form-fitting nude organza gowns, embellished with vibrant amethyst, blue and clear crystals that were breathtakingly beautiful.
“There were a lot of bloody fingers” as a result of hands working with the beads, Duke, backstage, said of the crystal-beaded tops shown with chiffon separates or gold tulle shirts and pants. Many of the gowns draped beautifully with deep folds like those of ancient goddesses. Cowl necks softened the sheen of high-tech fabrics in his evening wear.
Austrian designer Helmut Lang presented a strong collection of separates with almost couture-like tailoring. For women, severe-looking black jersey bandage tops crisscrossed the chest, referencing French fashion designer Azzedine Alaia, who was in town last week for the opening of an exhibit of his work at the Guggenheim Museum in SoHo.
Provocative and sexy, yet comfortably casual coats and slim trousers in neutral-colored linens could be staples in any woman’s wardrobe.
Men might be hesitant about wearing Lang’s featherweight black chiffon shirts with exposed seams and baby pink mohair suits, but the effect was more sexy than silly.
John Bartlett’s sci-fi samurai show was one of the week’s most bizarre. When the lights went down, a curtain opened to reveal 60 buffed guys clad in white briefs. Models walked through the hunky fortress, down a spaceship-like ramp onto the runway.
If you could get past the spectacle (which also included a pulsating orange globe sitting mid-runway), the clothes were impressive. Expertly draped black jersey halter dresses were standouts, along with a white jersey T-shirt with the sleeves twisted into knots, and kimono-shaped jackets inspired, Bartlett said, by a recent trip to Japan.
A cotton canvas coat with a rope print looked smart, but the showstopper was a corset made from pieces of stiff, thick rope lined up side-to-side around the torso.
Donna Karan presented a repetitive collection of sheer skirts, dresses, halter gowns and short jackets in stripes of silver and black, cut on the bias of chiffon, jersey and gauze.
All her garments were worn with nude or champagne-colored slips and camisoles. She also offered an explosion of color in cocktail dresses in bright yellows, oranges and flaming crimsons. Strapless tulle sheaths that looked like rippling waves cascading around the body and to the knees were showstoppers.
As always, Vera Wang presented a collection with plenty to offer the social set: Elegant ivory double-face wool coats and long, narrow skirts for evening, matte jersey halter dresses with Jackson Pollack-esque “scribble” beading, and beautiful gold-sequined slip dresses.
Rosa Cha swimwear designer Amir Slama paid tribute to Brazilian bombshell Carmen Miranda with his South American Way collection that featured geometric shapes and fruits like pineapples and bananas on bikinis, men’s trunks and cover-ups pretty enough to wear poolside in a David Hockney painting.
Calvin Klein, whose show ended Fashion Week on Friday night, presented a pretty collection of wearable garments, from skirts teamed with V-neck tops to micro-pinstripe dresses in lightweight fabrics in soft shades such as green tea, rose, jade and cerulean. His short jackets in super light cotton, taffeta and silk tissue were reminiscent of the Members Only jackets of the 1970s.
While some collections sizzled, other fizzled.
Steven Slowick, new head designer for Bill Blass who retired last year, offered the “ladies who lunch” a new look. But, after the show, it looked like the ladies would upchuck. In fact, several of them refused to comment.
In his debut, Slowick, drew on familiar Blass signatures: tailored suits in pinstripe, houndstooth and a sequined tweed. But Slowick’s print silk dresses embroidered with rainbows, butterflies and odd-looking geometric patterns fell flat in a collection that, for the most part, lacked vision--and doesn’t become a legend like Blass.
Craig Natiello, in his second collection for Halston, incorporated signature Halston, cashmeres and UltraSuedes in his mostly evening wear offerings.
Despite a few slinky gowns covered in gold sequins, and a beaded shirt and Art Deco-design tank top, the collection was mostly predictable.
Elsewhere on the fashion circuit, Nicole Miller disappointed many her with metallic pants, miniskirts and asymmetrical wrap dresses paired with black or gold metallic anklets and ankle-strap high heels. It was a silly look but not for singer Cyndi Lauper, who was in the front row and caught in a time warp. Cynthia Rowley was also unimpressive with her cream-colored leather jackets with flocks of decoupage birds that fell flat, as did ivory eyelet dresses, and halters made from neon-colored yarn that gave models the look of very tall spools.
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Times staff writer Booth Moore contributed to this story.
