Keeping the bold standard
If there was any buzzword for fashion week, which wrapped up here over the weekend, it was “minimalism,” the logical turnaround from several seasons of clothes dripping with a chandelier’s worth of crystals. But when Stefano Gabbana sat in his sprawling palazzo the day before the Dolce & Gabbana show, previewing his black and navy collection, with an unfinished tweed jacket sewn with tulle flowers in one hand, and a mink-trimmed boot in the other, he spit out the word like a piece of rotten fruit: “Minimalism -- never!”
In one dynamite show, Gabbana and Domenico Dolce mapped out an alternate route to fashion’s future, straddling the line between vintage and modern, conservative and sexy, dull and overly duded.
The designers recently ended their romantic relationship (a development much-discussed among the fashion crowd here). But on the runway they were simpatico, drawing inspiration from swinging 1960s London, along with the offbeat chic of Chloe Sevigny. The indie “Boys Don’t Cry” actress, who has the kind of style that enables her to mix a pair of vintage hot pants with today’s Balenciaga jacket and look great, opened the show in a fur-trimmed coat belted at the waist and chunky square-toed pumps, her long, loose blond hair combed high at the crown into a kind of Julie Christie coif.
The clothes were luxurious with what must have been a herd’s worth of astrakhan and broadtail fur trim, but not so overly embellished that a woman wearing them would look like yesterday’s fashion news. They were also surprisingly covered-up coming from the bra strap and corset kings.
The new silhouette was a short boxy jacket paired with a long slim skirt, fastened on the side with an oversized button and slit up the leg for sex appeal. Skirts also came knee-length and shorter, mostly in menswear tweeds, Prince of Wales checks or navy wool, with wide astrakhan or crocodile waistbands. On top, they were balanced with feminine silk blouses, subtly trimmed in lace.
The only pants were jeans, cropped and studded around the ankle, worn with striped sailor shirts and chunky pumps or flats in colorful crocodile with small buckles. There were plenty of wool coats with fur collars, cuffs and hems. High fur caps, jeweled chain-link belts and cross necklaces were reminiscent of Romanov treasures.
But eveningwear was a Hollywood dream in silver and white. A short white cocktail frock was flecked with feathers on top, the pleats of the chiffon skirt inset with shimmering stones. Another style with billowing chiffon sleeves was covered in crystals, making the model shimmer like a disco ball.
There’s still some sparkle left at Jil Sander too, even though the label’s namesake designer left earlier this year over disagreements with parent company Prada. Sander’s brand of feminine, black-and-blue minimalism, designed by a group of assistants, is just right for right now. Addressing fall’s obsession with volume, navy coats were cut full in the back and sleeves, worn over slim skirts and embellished with simple chevron- or star-shaped fabric cutouts.
The season’s bubble skirt was gently pleated from the hips instead of the waist to keep the body looking svelte. Even stirrup pants looked fresh, worn with flat bronze metallic sling-backs and boxy jackets with tab closures left to flop to the side. For evening, though, a rumpled black velvet dress and a sack-like white sequin coat that tied at the neck felt unfinished.
Though by no means a minimalist, Roberto Cavalli seemed to be thinking about moving on from fashion’s hyper-embellished phase too. His inspiration was a treasure-filled curio case, similar no doubt to the one that served as a backdrop for the runway, filled with taxidermy birds, marble busts, old books and the like. The show moved effortlessly from China to the British countryside, ancient Greece to Yves Saint Laurent’s 1970s Paris.
Cavalli explored the masculine/feminine theme in snappy tweed suits with cropped pants and flirty peplum jackets. The rich peasant look came out in a blue velvet skirt smocked at the waist in fall’s longer length, and a wrap-front red velvet dress paired with purple suede boots. There was lots for the red carpet too, from a draped and pleated gold lame goddess dress to a fishtail gown in a blue-and-white Chinese vase print.
And after all the frill and froth, what better time to rethink Saint Laurent’s sleek evening suits? In chocolate with gold pinstripes, or allover black sequins, Cavalli’s looked coquettish with frilly white, high-neck blouses.
With color and prints enticing shoppers of late, there’s no shortage of enthusiasm for Etro, the Italian company known for paisley, which opened its first store on Rodeo Drive last year. Borrowing from art movements of the 1920s, Etro’s fall collection was a kaleidoscope of Poiret-like robes and kimonos, tweedy rose-print wool coats worn with armloads of Art Deco bangles, and red, green and purple geometric print empire waist dresses with leather cutouts that nodded to Russian constructivism. There were interesting pieces, but as a sum the collection collapsed under the weight of its theme.
Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared2 created a church-like setting to preach their gospel of fashion, with a cross above the runway, programs the shape and size of Bibles, a rousing soundtrack of “Oh Happy Day,” and models seated in wooden pews. The show was a clever comment on the conservative streak running through fashion -- and world politics -- at the moment.
What it all meant in terms of clothes was the kind of ladylike white jacket, gloves and boxy handbag that your grandmother might have worn to church, paired with sexy, slouchy orange leather cargo pants. Thick gold chains draped across low-cut, jewel-tone satin dresses brought to mind Opus Dei flagellation devices and worked-metal purses were reminiscent of incense burners. The image of a church was woven into the back of an ivory wool sweater, with the words “Jesus Loves Me” across the chest.
It’s always a kick to watch the Caten twins play with irony. Long before it became fashionable to wear “Mrs. Kutcher” T-shirts, they were poking fun at celebrity obsession in a runway show involving supermodels in “24-7STAR” trucker caps being photographed by paparazzi. This time, they tapped into the part of the zeitgeist that made Teenage Millionaire’s “Jesus Is My Homeboy” T-shirts all the rage.
It left one wondering if religious conservatism could ever be just another passing trend.
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What’s hot
A few of the trends that emerged from the Milan collections:
Black and blue
Menswear tweeds, checks and houndstooth
Crochet and other subtle embellishments
Brass buttons, epaulets and other military details
For skirts, longer lengths, kilts or bubble shapes
Tailored coats with stand-up or shawl collars
Fur hats and bags
Square-toed pumps and flats
