“Monday, Monday”

And the trends continue: dresses for day and night, pretty blouses (the blouse and skirt, or blouse and pant combination is a viable uniform for day or night and is a perfect alternative to a dress or evening gown), skinny shapes and fuller shapes. Also, the idea of rustic embroidery and ornamentation, circles and polka dots, tiers and ruffles, ribbon and grosgrain trim, and prints, prints, more prints (some earthy, some mod). And while I said black was on the back burner this season, Cynthia Steffe opened her wonderful show inspired by modernists (and filled with highly affordable clothes I might add), with some wonderful heavy cotton canvas black mini coats and ended with a group of great looking little black dresses and one standout black satin mini trench.

Monday was a big day in terms of The New York Collections thanks to well established iconic names like Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, plus the newer and highly influential team of Proenza Shouler whose collections belie a youthful approach to couture like elegance and attention to detail.

Each sent forth strong signature collections that continued to explore new channels while relevantly striving to address the needs of modern women and their customers (yes- the ones who have the money to afford to buy expensive clothing). Carolina’s program notes noted “youthful freedom” and “expressive artistry” and cited “the artistic expression of Vienna just before the 20’s” as inspiration for her “youthful in spirit” collection. The color palette relied on pleasingly earthy colors (coffee bean, thyme) spiced up with sky blue and flamingo pink and the fabrics were a mix of crisp cotton, printed chiffon, and raffia which helped create that effortless glamour. Embroidery was key and was always subtle and somewhat rustic and earthy – (not slick and over the top) - which IS the story right now. Hand painted floral motives added a feminine touch, and with only 42 well edited pieces, it was quick and to the point. Details like oversized bowtie belts, cotton eyelet, and embroidered tulle and ribbon detailing created the sweet and innocent (but not too innocent) effect. As always, Ms. Herrera’s dresses (for both day and evening) are noteworthy, like her multi layered organza polka dot or the thyme chiffon gown with circular embroidery and multi pink floral detail. But for me, it was the long full graphically embroidered evening skirt in black and white, paired with a fitted sky blue cotton jacket that stole the show.

And Oscar de la Renta proves he gets better, not older. Not that he reinvented the wheel (but what’s wrong with continuing with what you do best?)…Interestingly, he used more pants than usual, (and they looked great) and he even opened the show with ivory wool trousers and in another instance, put a gold embroidered tweed jacket over an ivory tulle and silk taffeta blouse and paired it with beige wool trouser. There were also boucle tweeds, beige crochet sweaters worn with beige linen trousers, a red linen embroidered dress worn with oversized chunky beads that hit the right rustic note. And for evening, it was his usual lineup of brocades, taffetas, embroidered lace dresses, silk and tulle pieces many with voluminous egg shaped skirts, long and short. They made you wish you had a great party to go to give you a reason to actually wear one of these creations. Sweet grosgrain or ribbon belts added finishing touches.

But, the day (which ended with Marc Jacobs), belonged to Marc Jacobs, arguably one of the most influential designers in the word who has two major collections under his belt (here in New York and for Louis Vuitton in Paris) and the uncanny ability to change the face of fashion.

Marc was apparently intent on making this ‘A night to remember” for those in the audience- particularly members of the press and retailers. Let’s face it…it’s hard to forget about a collection that ends with so much silvery confetti thrown on the audience, I am literally still vacuuming pieces off my carpeting, wiping it out of my eyes, picking it out of my hair, off my clothes, off the keyboards of my computer, and out of the bag I carried into the Armory on 26th street and Lexington Avenue, which was the setting for Marc’s show.

And it’s hard to forget about a collection that not only did NOT start two hours late (as had been his custom) but actually started early (well, early by fashion show standards). I must say, I had an inkling there would be changes afoot when I noted Marc’s Monday night show, traditionally called for 9 p.m., had been scheduled for 8 p.m. In fact, the show began at precisely 8:35 and ended at 8:55. Unbelievable! This is a record and something many of us never thought we would live to see or talk about.

As for the clothes? The show started with a very nimble baton twirler and the Nittany Lions marching band from Penn State University (did Marc graduate from there???!!) It was perfectly ‘ fitting’ because Marc has always had a thing for uniforms, and especially military jackets and coats. And the collegiate colors: black, navy, and gray, which formed the basis for the Penn State uniforms, were also the predominant colors of the spring collection (in addition to welcome hits of clear red, some soft grays, and a very abstract print. But that’s about it). Marc was reported as describing the collection as “Spring 101” and boy he was NOT kidding!

The show was a dramatic departure from his very controversial yet critically acclaimed fall 2005 collection (what else is new?) and one could almost call it an evolution or refinement of all Marc’s ‘Greatest Hits’ (amazingly structured coats and jackets that have so much body they could almost walk away by themselves; new takes on classics like pea jackets, blazers, macs, the great white shirt, nerdy silk blouses, tuxedo pantsuits, brocades, lame slip dresses). There was a definite nod to ‘boy meets girl’, the play of menswear against something soft and feminine, which has been missing from other runways thus far and to explore that area, Marc sent out pants in every shape, size, and proportion, playing with the cuffs on pants, and making them extremely wide and dramatic.

I loved that it was really urban, hip, and grounded, and not quite as sweet as other shows. There are many women of all ages (me included) who do not see themselves running around town in eyelet and lace and want something pared down, architectural and chic as heck….And this pretty much describes what Marc put forth. The collection, more than anything else, was about a true devotion to cut, shape, and proportion. It’s obvious that Marc has been very influenced by his time spent in Paris where he also designs for Vuitton.

Marc is still taken with volume but the volume this time is a bit more controlled, graphic, and far more designed than what was put forth last season. He also seems to be very taken with cowl backs: they appeared on some really chic jackets and abbreviated dresses. The footwear of choice was decidedly heavy and grounded, rather than dainty and delicate which gave everything a youthful vibe. There were patent loafer mules, patent mules, and gold loafer mules.

I guess this all explains why Marc is considered to be ‘The King of Cool’!

More>>