Powers of invention, and of showmanship
Fashion Week began Friday in the midst of a national tragedy not unlike the one that occurred here four years ago on Sept. 11. And there was a similar uneasiness over the disconnect between images of expensive designer clothing and images of devastation, this time along the Gulf Coast.
But Kenneth Cole helped ease the way by announcing that his models were donating a portion of their fees to help Katrina survivors and that he would match the donation. Famous for his puns, he had a gem: “We Stand Bayou.”
Cole’s pre-show video was a spoof of TV’s “Law and Order: SVU” that had the FVU (Fashion Victims Unit) interrogating Whoopi Goldberg. After photos of her past Oscar-gown missteps were produced as evidence, Goldberg was sentenced to community service work as a receptionist at Vogue magazine.
On the runway, the collection made a strong case for high-waist full trousers, which came in more shades of brown than are found in a J. Crew catalog (earth, moss, espresso). They were topped by crinkly chiffon tank tops and wide belts for a look that was both sporty and dressed up. A caramel leather peacoat came cropped, and a cream anorak tissue thin, with elastic gently shaping the back. Go-anywhere jersey dresses were smocked and pin-tucked for an easy fit, and worn with the softest leather ballet slippers.
Tommy Hilfiger began with his own film -- a self-congratulatory montage celebrating 20 years in the business, including concerts, fashion shows, red carpets and celebrity photo ops -- set to rock ‘n’ roll tunes. Then the models came out -- 100 of them -- in Hilfiger staples, including Nantucket red pants, striped shirts, plaid Bermuda shorts and seersucker dresses embroidered with tennis rackets, lobsters and nautical flags. It was little more than a show of marketing might, but from their front-row seats, Lou Reed, Paris Hilton and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas didn’t seem to mind.
Having a time slot at 9 p.m. on the first day of Fashion Week is hard enough, but when the models aren’t even there when the show is scheduled to start, you run the risk of alienating retailers and the press. Luckily, Laura and Kate Mulleavy, the Pasadena-based designers behind the Rodarte label, are incredibly talented. And when their models finally did take the stage at Times Square Studios, it was, as Neiman Marcus fashion director Joan Kaner said, “worth the wait.”
Working with the same nature-inspired themes as in their first season, the designers, ages 24 and 26, created some of the most inventive gowns fashion has seen in a long time, at once sculptural and easy to wear. Rivulets of ruffles flowed down the front of a micro-pleated, floor-grazing black satin dress, which was just as pretty in back, with Harlequin-like diamond cutouts on the straps. A sleeveless top was covered in creamy, shingle-like chiffon cutouts, offset by a sleek column skirt. And a one-shouldered dress was woven out of strips of dove gray satin. Throughout, the designers’ signature pinked edges gave the gowns a fragility similar to Alber Elbaz’s work at Lanvin.
Another self-taught designer, Brian Reyes, a former assistant at Oscar de la Renta, also debuted a strong collection that seemed inspired by all things natural. Appealing to the same Park Avenue princess as his former boss, Reyes offered lots of looks for lunching, including a caramel pencil skirt embroidered with raffia braids, another in a delicate cream silk with a black branch print, and a third covered in chiffon petals. They were topped by filmy chiffon tank tops in cream, cinnamon and cocoa.
Reyes also had a couple of fabulous shirtdresses, one in a beige crepe with a sheer flounce at the hem.
Imitation of Christ’s Tara Subkoff can always be counted on for a quirky presentation. This season, to debut the new IOC denim line, she packed her audience into the lobby of the Surrogate Court building in Lower Manhattan. “I know it’s hard to get into fashion shows, but this is ridiculous,” a guest said while waiting in line to go through the metal detector.
The show began with Scarlett Johansson as a “Blackboard Jungle”-era delinquent in red lipstick and curve-hugging, high-waist jeans. She descended the marble staircase, followed by models in handcuffs and mussed blond wigs, walking to Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang.”
More than just jeans, this was a dark denim collection, with plenty of cool pieces that included sailor shorts, shirtdresses, cropped jackets and jumpers, all emblazoned with a tiny logo -- IOC embroidered over three crosses.
The scene changed when “Let the Sun Shine In” from the musical “Hair” came over the soundtrack. The washes lightened, and the silhouettes loosened, with off-the-shoulder denim peasant blouses and hand-painted jeans accented by all-American white eyelet and red gingham dresses. One model in a reefer coat flashed a denim dildo. Then, inexplicably, a ballet troupe appeared, twirling in the cheap-looking chiffon concoctions Subkoff showed at couture fashion week in Paris in July. From delinquents to dancers, only at Imitation of Christ.
Jennifer Nicholson’s eveningwear was at times sweet (a yellow lace shift and matching taffeta coat with pearl buttons), at times sassy (a fuchsia taffeta cocktail dress with purple straps), and at times hideous (a cream, pouf sleeve number you’d be hard-pressed to convince a doll to wear). But in general, the collection wasn’t interesting or zany enough to distract a girl from myriad other dresses on the market.
It’s the fifth year in business for Project Alabama designers Natalie Chanin and Enrico Marone-Cinzano, but their first time on the runway. The red, white, blue and amber cotton jersey separates, elaborately quilted and beaded, made for a stunning American tapestry, set to the sounds of 10-year-old fiddle prodigy Ruby Jane from Mississippi.
A fitted sapphire cardigan sparkled with silver beaded stars, and a black tank dress with reverse white appliques resembled a folk art paper cutout. A more minimal piece, a quilted sapphire and black diamond circle skirt, was right on the black-and-blue trend, paired with a fitted black cardigan.
Project Alabama has been hindered somewhat in the marketplace by its handcrafted prices ($1,000 to $3,000 for most pieces).
But since the company, headquartered in Florence, Ala., supports contract sewers around the South to produce garments from their homes in the grand tradition of the quilting bee, now more than ever it may be worth the price.
