New York City Fashion Week: Polished, posh, practical

 We live in a time of economic and political uncertainty — and the fashion world is looking to the past and seeking refuge in safe, ladylike designs.

Diane von Furstenberg looked to the 1940s as she paired chiffon blouses over skirts with belted coats and blazers, set to a soundtrack that included the Andrews Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Hollywood glamour informed Michael Kors’ 1950s and 1960s collection, which included prim pencil skirts and proper jackets. Elizabeth Taylor in “BUtterfield  8” inspired Carmen Marc Valvo’s lingerie-like lace cocktail dresses. Celebrating 30 years of her label, Betsey Johnson mined her own beatnik past with her cool black, bright and fringed collection.

Old labels were brought back to life. Hervé Léger by Max Azria made its fashion week debut with bandage dresses in all shapes and sizes and Peter Som offered a fresh take on Bill Blass in his first run at designing the classic American sportswear collection.
Even when looking to the past for inspiration, there were modern elements in these collections. Many of them involved layering different textures, incorporating masculine and feminine elements.

Menswear fabrics such as glen plaids, heavy tweeds and oversized coats were prevalent. Erin Fetherston paired boyfriend blazers with sweet dresses. Chunky knits over flowing silks came down the runway at Twinkle by Wenlan.

The tweeds and plaids at Nanette Lepore were balanced with superfeminine tailored shapes and some lingerie details, such as a tweed cocktail frock with long gloves. For his own collection, Peter Som mixed heavy tweeds with light chiffons and satins. A Donegal plaid skirt had layers of silk and chiffon poking out whimsically. 

Dresses shared the runway with wide-leg pants and every variety of skirts. There were billowy pleated options at Tracy Reese and tight pencil skirts at Michael Kors. As for the old belief that miniskirts signal a booming economy, there was no one-length-fits-all hemline. Designers showed über-short minis along with knee-length and maxi-skirts.

There also was a balancing act between the seasons. Many designers featured lightweight fabrics. Tracy Reese’s billowy skirts and airy dresses in wispy, abstract blue rose-prints would certainly fare better in the Caribbean in December than in most of the United States at that time. Luckily, we can layer it under an oversized coat or ladylike cardigan sweater for maximum versatility.

There were so many bright painterly florals at Tracy Reese, Michael Kors, Vera Wang and Rebecca Taylor that it was sometimes hard to remember, save for the boiled wool coats, that these were fall/winter collections and not spring/summer.

Color comes back, feathers take flight

After several seasons of dominance, gray has taken its place back in the neutral category, along with black, navy, brown, camels, taupes and cream. Black and navy combinations such as those at Marc by Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein felt especially fresh. Shades of blue, especially slate, were often treated as neutrals.