Trend Report — Page 9

Trend Alert: Leather Here, Leather There, Leather Everywhere

July 31, 2012 by admin Leave a Comment

Maison Martin Margiela, Donna Karan, Diane Von Furstenberg fall 2012 images courtesy of style.com

Leather never seems to be out of style. But instead of employing leather in mostly boots, bags and outerwear, for fall 2012 designers have a penchant for using leather in dresses, skirts and as an embellishment to the continuing trends of color, sequins and diaphanous fabrics. Also, for fall 2012 designers are combining leather with more classic silhouettes paying homage to the 50s demure aesthetic and Great Gatsby‒inspired looks. The rock n’ roll, leather looks seen in spring 2012 collections have taken a backseat to a more sophisticated, though sometimes kittenish points of view for fall 2012 outings.

Cynthia Rowley for fall 2012 combined kaleidoscopes of colored leather paired with interesting layering. Rowley adeptly mixed and matched loose-fitting leather separates with more form-fitting tops, leggings and skirts. And instead of the usual muted and neutral palettes seen in most fall collections, Rowley expressed her predilection this season for leather in explosion of color that expanded across a huge color spectrum.

Monique Lhuillier fall/winter 2012 images courtesy of style.com

Monique Lhuillier looked to volcanic rock and molten lava for inspiration for her fall/winter 2012 collection. Lhuillier incorporated a 50’s aesthetic which blended vibrantly in red leather dresses with full skirts.

Tom Ford fall/winter 2012 images courtesy of style.com

There were lots of references in Tom Ford’s fall/winter 2012 collection; think back to Tom Ford’s tenure at Gucci and Bond girl references. Though Ford stayed within the palette of hot red and black, Ford continues to forward the sexy leather revolution this season.

Diane Von Furstenberg fall/winter 2012 images courtesy of style.com

Lastly, Diane Von Furstenberg did not spare leather combinations in her bold, colorful, sophisticated collection. From shiny, colorful wrap coats to wide leather belts to flapper-inspired skirts, Furstenberg more than any other designer this season successfully married leather with the myriad of continuing trends.

—William S. Gooch

Trend Report: A New Approach to Going Green

June 5, 2012 by admin Leave a Comment

Trussardi fall 2012. Images courtesy of style.com

The color green is thought of as the kiss of death to any collection. A difficult color to match with lighter skin tones, green garments have a reputation for being the last in a collection to attract the eyes of buyers and the last to sell on department store racks. However, this season, designers are choosing from a variety of green palettes, making green an easier color for consumers to wear. From hunter green to emerald green to olive green, red carpets and runways have never celebrated green more than in spring 2012 and the upcoming fall season.

Rad Hourani Fall 2012. Images courtesy of style.com.

“Green has always been one of my favorite colors to work with, in its deepest tone it is a very rich color. Emerald green, forest green, and khaki green are very natural tones,” explains Loris Diran. “It is also a very flattering color for brunettes and redheads. If you have the wrong coloring, green can actually make you look green. “

Though the fashion industry in the last few seasons had practically stayed green free, in previous decades green was a dominant color of choice. In 1961 Harper’s Bazaar devoted its entire May issue to the color green. And in the late 80s Anne Klein and Calvin Klein featured a variety of green garments in their collections in such varying shades as lichen and apple. “When I worked for Chanel and Versace, we always used lots of green in our collections. In recent years the industry has shied away from green because it can be a complicated color that doesn’t match every skin tone,” details Loris Diran.

Sometimes when a major celebrity or media figure dons a designer or color, the media buzz around that garment can boost sales and place a color palette prominently in the minds of consumers; and sometimes not. Though Keira Knightly wore a killer open back, slinky green gown in the movie Atonement in 2007, green never really took off that year.

Images courtesy of Getty Images

Past seasons aside, green has definitely made an auspicious comeback, particularly on red carpets. Laura Dern at the 2012 Golden Globes looked ravishing in a sequined dark green gown by Andrew Gn. While Natasha Poly at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival seductively showed her exquisite gams in a green Gucci gown.

Loris Diran Fall/Winter 2012

And for fall 2012 the color green is also the order of the day. “Though I had already planned on using green in my fall collections I didn’t realize that the color forecasters had pinned green as a dominant color for fall/winter 2012, until I read the predictions in WWD” explains Diran. “I felt compelled to use green in my color story for fall because we are referencing Pan’s Labyrinth and using more prints and texture for our fall collection and I felt the variations of green we used matched our prints and texture without being too complicated for our customers.” And green has permeated a wide array of collections for fall 2012 from Trussardi to Cinzia Rocca to Yigal Azrouel to Maison Kitsune.

Going green this season can mean purchasing eco-friendly fabrics or just adding more green color to your wardrobe. It would be nice to do both!!

—William S. Gooch

Trend Alert: The Roaring 20s Roars Back into Fashion

April 24, 2012 by admin Leave a Comment

The fashion industry adores fashion revivals. And we have seen styles from decades past dynamically resurface; continue to be at the forefront for several seasons, while other style references disappear as quickly as they re-emerge. The color blocking trend that was such a prevalent component of the mod 60s—remember Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian collection—has had a lasting influence for the past few seasons, while the 1960s bohemian, hippy revival was not as successful.

For spring/summer 2012 designers looked to the Gatsby/flapper girl style of the 1920s. Though this trend had a mild resurgence in 2008, the current affection with the Roaring 20s may have a deeper saturation in the industry. Unlike the 2008 homage of drop- waisted frocks and fringed Charleston dresses, which coincidentally only lasted one season, the present incarnation merely borrows certain elements from that era and mixes those elements with early 1930s Hollywood Glamour influences, sequins, tribal and floral prints, and lace embellishments. Marry these influences with a sequined headband, a cloche hat and sorbet colors and you will have a look that conjures up images of a festive, Great Gatsby Long Island‒soiree without feeling weighted down by the past.

Venexiana fall/winter 2012 images courtesy of style.com

This trend also carries over to fall/winter 2012 collections evidenced in the rich, taffeta and sequined crush velvets of Venexiana’s glamorous fall/winter collection, and Tadashi Shoji’s nod to the Golden Age of Shanghai in his fall/winter 2012 outing. Both Shoji and Katie Stern of Venexiana for fall/winter 2012 expertly combine the 1920s aesthetic with the diaphanous fabric trend of lace, silk chiffon, organza, and tulle, while keeping their collections fresh and fashion forward.

Image courtesy of O Magazine

Perhaps, this continued fascination with all things 1920s is due to the soon-to-be-released remake of “The Great Gatsby,” or maybe fashion designers just like time travel. Regardless of the motivation, influences from the Roaring Twenties are making a roaring comeback, and its le jazz hot!! Daisy Buchanan would be oh so happy!!

—William Gooch

Trend Report: Red, Red Everywhere

April 7, 2012 by admin Leave a Comment

If Samuel Coleridge had attended Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this past season perhaps he would have changed the refrain in his classic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner from “water, water everywhere” to “red, red everywhere.” From New York to Milan to Paris, there was a lot of red on the catwalk. And not just your basic standard red, but emperor silk red, rich shades of amber red, dark chocolate red, and accusatory scarlet-letter red; in other words, red, red, and more red.

Tadashi Shoji fall/winter 2012 images courtesy of style.com

Fashion designers have had a long-standing love affair with red, but for fall/winter 2012 this love affair became in all out obsession. Of course, there is always lots of red during award season, but for the upcoming fall/winter 2012 season, ladies you better get out your red dress or consider purchasing a couple of new red frocks.

Valentino fall/winter 2012

From Valentino to Monique L’huillier to Tadashi Shoji to Donna Karan, red in a variety of shades was definitively le couleur premier de crayon of the season. “Red is one of the most universally accepted bright colors for the winter season. It is rich and classic in nature and every woman should have a classic red dress in her wardrobe,” concedes fashion designer Loris Diran. “One of the most important red tones for winter is a blue red, more commonly known as fire-engine red. This tone of red almost always brightens the skin and works on most skin tones.”

Monique Lhuillier fall/winter 2012 images courtesy of style.com

What stood out most with the proliferation of red this season was the ingenious mix of different shades of red with a plethora of fabrications, textures and trends. Valentino expressed his affection for red in a supershort, long-sleeved, red lace dress with poufy micro skirt. Tadashi Shoji expertly mixed shades of red lace, layered with tulle, organza and silk chiffon; while Monique Lhuillier combined shades of volcanic and lava red with leather and sequins. And Zang Toi seamlessly employed color blocking in tones of emperor silk red and orange-rustic amber.