New York--The last day of Fashion Week and the schedule has slowed considerably. Heavyweights Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan unveiled their fall collections today as well as San Francisco native Derek Lam. Watching the parade of clothes go by day after day makes one yearn for something new and a shopping experience that says New York. No malls, no box stores - I can do that in San Jose. SoHo, the area between Houston and Canal streets and bordered by West Broadway and Mercer streets, is dotted with boutiques, high-end designer stores and national retailers such as Old Navy and Coach. It's also home to one of the few Marc Jacobs stores in the country. Outside, several photographers huddled in the doorway and peered inside. Inside, the store was pretty empty except for about four people trying on shoes. One happened to be British model Kate Moss. Which explained the photographers' interest in the store.
New York--With just one day to go before the fall 2005 New York Fashion Week ends, there's now clarity and consistency in what's been endorsed by designers for next autumn and winter. Number one on the top trends list: fullness. In skirts, dresses, coats and blouses, volumne is achieved through gathers, pleats, seams and bias cuts. Expect to add a circle skirt, a pretty princess coat that flares and swings below the calves, or a smock top that shows no waistline to your wardrobe next fall.
------------------- we've got spring and summer on the brain, but if you're wondering what to buy now that's going to stretch into fall, consider choosing clothes in the colors that will be hot for fall, too. We asked color expert Leatrice Eiseman, a consultant and director of the Pantone Color Institute, to make sense of it all for us. Eiseman and her company forecasts color trends in clothes and home furnishings by surveying designers on the colors they'll use then comparing that to what's actually seen on the runways and eventually, in the stores. Here's what will take you through 2005: teals and other blue/green shades; red; purple, wine, burnt orange; olive and moss greens; gray. Also a must-have for fall: something in a metallic, especially gold. And not just for evening dressing but for daytime. Consider accessories such as bags and belts but also a bolder piece, such as a jacket or skirt.
New York--High fashion and Silicon Valley's quintessential computer geek may not have too much in common except when it comes to the name Dell. Techies will instantly recognize the name Michael Dell, the Texas CEO and founder of the computer giant. Fashion Week types, though, will also recognize the name of his wife, Susan, who backs and helps design a label called Phi.
She showed her fall line in a loft space on Wednesday with her husband sitting beside her as New York's top models marched down the runway wearing variations of black, white or combinations of the two. The fall collection included jackets with a touch of military tailoring paired with boy pants as well as silk crepe dresses and skirts embellished with silver studs. Waists were emphasized by belts and seams and shoes were sturdy wedge ankle boots. It was a line that was bold and graphic in its starkness, a little like the sleek laptops Dell designs.
New York--With back-to-back shows at the Bryant Park tent and other presentations to race to all over the city, it took about three or four days to focus my attention on the Olympus Fashion Week venue's official sponsors.
Some, such as MAC cosmetics and Redken hair care, are natural partnerships. WE, the Women's Entertainment network, telecasts the runway shows and is hoping more women will tune in. W Hotels wants all the Fashion Week visitors to stay there while the Bermuda tourism bureau would like those same visitors to think about unwinding from this week on the island.
New this year is Kohler, the bathroom fixture makers. Not an obvious fit, but a very welcome one. The company has installed "real" restrooms with flushing toilets and sensor faucets, making everyone happy. In previous years, it's been a row of dreaded porta-potties. My worst fashion moment happened last year when the stiletto heel of my boot caught on the hem of my coat and I literally fell out of one, landing face down outside on all fours. I've deluded myself into thinking no one saw that graceful exit.
The best tip of the week so far comes from stylist J. Brannon Gray of Cutler salon in New York who was touting Redken hair coloring products at the tent. Most women have to get their hair touched up every six weeks or so to cover the gray. If you want to go a little longer between appointments, here's a tip:
Use an old mascara wand to touch up the gray with home color by dipping the wand in the hair color and combing through just the newly gray hairs.
"It's not going to be a permanent remedy but it's something that will stretch the time between appointments by a couple of weeks," said Gray.
While designers are giving us direction for fall, San Franciso-based Gap and Banana Republic gave press a preview of spring. In fact, you'll be seeing some of the things in the stores just weeks from now.
At the Gap's showroom in Chelsea, summer clothes were shown on posed models and designer Louise Trotter gave a presentations and answered questions about the collection.
Her inspiration came from the "relaxed bohemian" look of the '70s and the artists of the era, such as David Hockney, she said. It translated to khaki pieces being the central focus, with safari jackets, shorts, blazers and skirts mixed and matched with camisoles, camp shirts and tanks.
"I really wanted the feel of a relaxed West Coast vibe that was feminine," she said.
At Banana Republic, the summer looks are very much in line with what the ready-to-wear designers showed on the runways last September. Expect to see crochet tops, feminine sundresses, flowy tunic tops, espadrilles and metallic leather accessories.
Celebrities have been scarce, but Tuesday's tally included Janet Jackson and boyfriend Jermaine Dupri and Bernadette Peters at Bill Blass and Paris Hilton, streaking down the runway from the backstage area to take her seat just seconds before Nanette Lepore's show.
New York--Themes that turn into trends are finally coming to light at the end of the fourth day of shows.
Lots of full skirts and volume, in skirts, dresses and even coats. Winter florals abound on fabrics as light as chiffon and as weighty as brocade. Fur, too, is still prevalent but mostly as accents and trim.
Mondays of Fashion Week traditionally end with Marc Jacobs. Last night's show was at the Lexington Armory with a maddeningly long wait for the 1,400 or so attending. Having to sit on hard bleacher for two hours makes everyone grumpy, and that probably included guests Uma Thurman and Beyonce.
What came down the runway was a bewildering mix of ensembles that ranged from tweed jackets paired with heavy, voluminous skirts to gigantic smock dresses that looked like floral cotton candy frocks.
Jacobs is the American designer whose touch rarely misfires and what was seen on the runway Monday night may be tweaked a touch before it reaches stores. Still, stylists were overheard saying things like, "That's a dress only for editorial," meaning it'll be borrowed for Vogue and Elle shoots but may not sell to the women who buy Marc Jacobs clothes.
Jacobs' popularity won't slide just because some of his fall looks veered far off what might have been expected by his fans. It's that unexpectedness that is part of his genius.
The PETA people and the producers of the fashion week shows now have a truce of sorts where the animal activists are given a press conference platform to talk about their distress over the use of fur in fashion if they promise to do so without disruption.
I've been wearing a vintage boucle coat with fur cuffs and collar in New York. I never much liked fur, but I loved the vintage styling of this coat and brought it from San Jose anticipating colder temperatures. When I saw the PETA posters near the entrance to the Marc Jacobs show, I have to admit I was a little uneasy.
But I didn't hear taunts and I never felt threatened as someone handed me a flyer and I passed by a video showing the clubbing of baby seals. Rather than defiance, my usual reaction to something political that's forced upon me, I read the entire flyer. I'll remember the catch phrase: "Don't let the cold penetrate your heart. Reject fur and fur trim."
I'm trying justify my mixed feelings by telling myself the coat is at least 40 years old and that mink would have been dead a long time ago.
New York--A journalist friend with no interest in the fashion world was curious about how exactly the seasonal fashion weeks work. "Why are you looking at fall stuff when it's not even spring? How do you know a no-name designer is going to be a star one day? Who goes?"
It's easy to become too insider-y here and his questions were a good touchstone to remind me that the casual observer thinks it's an odd spectacle. It actually is for the fashion editor, too.
The first question is easy to answer--in the retail cycle, buyers have to see what's new and order what they think will sell in time for designers to make and deliver the clothes. That would account for the six months of lead time.
Unknown designers are part of the eight days of New York's fall 2005 fashion week, a continuous run of catwalk shows and presentations that draw an audience by showcasing established designers such as Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors and Vera Wang.
But there are many others whose names aren't familiar to those who don't follow fashion.
Names such as Thakoon Panichgul, a former fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar with a business degree from Boston University.
Designing under the label Thakoon, the 30-year-old newcomer showed a small collection of 15 outfits in a Chelsea warehouse on Sunday. His clothes are retro feminine but at the same time, very urban. Looks included a rose pink satin jacket with a dark lace overlay that looks like a find from a Victorian estate sale and a see-through vinal peacoat that was decidedly futuristic.
He's currently a favorite among magazine editors, which is why he may be unknown to the masses but he's about to become a name you'll hear more often.
The "Who Goes?" question is one I've asked for years but the answers I get back are always vague. Retailers for big stores such as Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's, luxury boutiques and magazine editors and press from newspapers, obviously. But then there are seats reserved for stylists, celebrities and wealthy customers loyal to the designer. There are show crashers who cleverly talk their way in past security or use connections, however inflated they are. And there are those who don't fall into any of the above categories.
It makes for an interesting people-watching venue.
NEW YORK--Fashion Week for fall 2005 started here Friday with a packed schedule of presentations at the Bryant Park tent and in showrooms and venues all over Manhattan.
At the end of day two of the eight-day run, it's hard to tell what details, silhouettes, colors and combinations will become trends for fall and what's merely interesting or beautiful or fresh. It's up to the fashion writers to figure it out by the end of the week and it's the retailer's job to zero in on what they think women will want to buy six or seven months from now.
Saturday is traditionally the slowest day of the week with about a dozen designers showing collections during the day instead of the frenzied 20 or more on some of the other days.
The runway lineup included Richard Chai, a young Asian designer who recently won an Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award; Alexandre Herchcovitch, a Brazilian designer with a storied career of designing for transvestites and prostitutes; and Atil Kutoglu, a Turkish designer who uses some of the traditional shapes, fabrics and colors of the clothes worn in his native country and gives it a high fashion edge.
The most startling show of the day was Herchcovitch's theatrics in which various musicians, opera singers and buskers followed each model down the runway like street performers. With red track lighting, it had a Cirque du Soleil feel to it that distracted from the clothes which ranged from gorgeous trench coats to garden party frocks to street urchin wraps.
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It's not just designers who are clamoring for the time and attention of press during fashion weeks. Publicists with products and clients to pitch use it as an opportunity to have a face-to-face with many of the regional writers that they have phone and email relationships with but rarely see in person. Alison Brod Public Relations held a dinner party between shows at Mr. Chows to introduce journalists to Anthony Sosnick, founder of Anthony Logistics for Men, a popular line of men's grooming products launched about five years ago.
Sosnick is introducing a new line called Anthony Sport, 18 products aimed at men who are apt to buy something for skin care and bathing, but may not be into fragrance. The line includes a two-in-one gel shampoo and body wash and a cleansing and exfoliating soap that's shaped to not slip out of wet hands. Both are $12 each.
"Skincare is an easy way to sell men on the idea of using a product,'' said Sosnick. Most of the company's marketing dollars are spent on samples that store associates give away to curious, but reluctant men. "We bring them in that way. They'll try it, they'll like it and they'll come back to buy it.''
Anthony Sport will be sold in Nordstrom and Sephora stores in the Bay Area beginning in March.
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Revlon teamed with designers Christopher Deane to show off its fall color pallette on models wearing the designers' fall clothes. Although Revlon is a cosmetics institution, it's the first time the company has stepped into the Fashion Week sponsorship mode which has been dominated the last few seasons by MAC and Shu Uemura. In the house for the show was Eva Mendes, one of Revlon's celebrity spokesmodels and currently starring in "Hitch'' with Will Smith.
And if you think you can remember: the fall 2005 Revlon color collection is called Perfectly Plum. For the holidays, it's Wrap Yourself in Ruby. That means purples and reds.
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If celebrity spotting is what interests you about fashion shows, anticipated stars on Sunday include Vivica Fox, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Maya at Tracy Reese, Carmen Electra at Y & Kei, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Kobe Bryant, anne Hathaway and Rebecca Romijn at Luca Luca.
