THE FASHION GROUP FOUNDATION PRESENTS FALL / WINTER 2012 TREND OVERVIEW BY MARYLOU LUTHER NEW YORK • LONDON • MILAN • PARIS Why, during these iffy times, do designers want us to dress like the 1 Percenters? Why do so many of the new fall collections feature jewel- laden, fur-bearing, gold-gilded, paparazzi-rousing clothes? Answer: It’s the economy, stupid. The economy in China, Brazil, Russia, Dubai and other outposts of abundance, where women actually want to look rich. They’ve got it and they want to flaunt it. Serving these customers is, of course, essential to the future of five-figure designer clothes. And it becomes even more pertinent as more and more designers build stores in these enclaves of wealth and status. LANVIN For those who prefer a more discreet way of dressing, there is not only hope, there are options. In fact, there is a new sense of neck-to-toe coverup—one that borders on body armor. It’s the modern expression of protective coloration, identified by high necklines, long, tattoo-hiding sleeves and a circumspect hemline that registers just below the knees, sometimes a little shorter, sometimes longer. (Yes, minis and short skirts are still offered, but they look dated—unless worn over pants.) Said pants are definitely narrow, many with raised waistlines. Pants are also integral to defining a truly new look: A tri-level, three-piece suit that consists of jacket/skirt/pant or jacket/dress/pant. This new pant-involved trilogy is shown by Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten, Aquilano Rimondi, Jean Paul Gaultier, Hussein Chalayan, Tess Giberson, Rag & Bone, Louis Vuitton and especially by Chanel, where Karl Lagerfeld takes the look into night, posing above-the-ankle evening dresses CALVIN-KLEIN over cropped, ankle-hovering pants. PANT-EMONIUM. Patterned pants, printed pants, leather pants—all make the solid color pant a less than solid bet for the new season. In this arena, wearing fabrics like brocades, lamés, velvets, laces and iridescent silks—materials once thought of as evening-only—looks especially directional, as do jeweled and sequined pants. Pantsuits are flourishing again, from allover prints to those in color tonalities and those in one color but two different fabrics, as in Haider Ackermann’s distinguished collection. For women with black pantsuits in their closet, the new way to wear them is to separate them, pairing a black jacket with a patterned pant, for example, or black pants with a printed jacket. ROCHAS COATS. Of all the items in a woman’s wardrobe, coats may be the one MUST buy to remain fashion-worthy. Anything old looks old. Patterned coats. Printed coats. Shapely coats. Brocade coats. They’re new and they’re original. Standouts are Jacobs’ coats in sequined fake fur and tinseled tweed, Nicolas Guesquière’s oversized toppers with contrast lapels for Balenciaga and Prada’s jewel-streamed maxis. COLOR. As Ackermann demonstrated so brilliantly, color tonalities are the autumn leaves that drift by the window. Color blocking continues as part of the inset/intarsia/inlay coali- tions ahead. Whites are back for the winter. Black stays in the picture. Oxblood and teal resonate. And jewel colors radiate. HAIDER ACKERMANN Kudos again to Sander’s pales, and to Raf Simons for a magnificent farewell collection. BALENCIAGA 2 PRINTS. Two designers, Van Noten and Mary Katrantzou, proved their print mastery again in this season of prints. Van Noten worked with the Victoria and Albert Museum to take images of historic Chinese garments via digital photography. He then abstracted the prints, pre-cutting them to use in a graphic way. One part of a print might appear on the thighs of pants, another as the right half of a skirt, another placed almost brooch-like on a simple wool jacket. None was used as an allover print. For Katrantzou, tthe print message was the message – or message senders – as in telephone keys, typewriters, pencils and clocks, all looking as believable as your favorite floral. DRIES VAN NOTEN LEATHER. In a season remarkable for its leathers, both as a total garment and as a component partner with fur or fabric, the most artful use is by Rick Owens, whose short leather jackets with shapely lapels are truly works of art. In other collections, colored leathers, glossy leathers, patents and mixed media collages are noteworthy. Thakoon’s ruched leathers, Derek Lam’s luminous lambskins, Alexander Wang’s waxed suedes, Stefano Pilati’s lacquered leathers for Yves Saint Laurent, Proenza Schouler’s woven leathers, Riccardo Tisci’s bustle-back leathers for Givenchy, Diane Von Furstenberg’s patents and Ralph Lauren’s embroidered leathers are all praise-worthy. RODARTE KNITS. The sweater girls back into fashion, cabling its message on runways from New York to Europe. Intarsias pattern the body at Chanel. Jacquards rule at Rochas. Missoni’s magic knitworks astound. Victoria Bartlett’s future-probing hand knits for VPL are works of art. And Yeohlee’s geometry lesson includes body-friendly folds, drapes, circles and squares. YEOHLEE 3 FUR. Good ole let-out mink is back, even as the traditional stole at Nina Ricci, where designer Peter Copping places them not shrugging the shoulders, but dangling down the back in a shoulder-to-shoulder loop. Goat, fox and coyote are the favorite long hairs, and sheared mink, nutria and beaver are important as insets with leather or fabric. Fur sleeves on non-fur jackets and coats are also part of the mixed media looks ahead. Best of show: Chado Ralph Rucci’s arm-adillo of chinchilla on a silk velvet coat. MARC JACOBS JEWELING. From Prada’s big brooches and pant cuffs to Lesage’s glittering eyebrow pads at Chanel, the shoes at Prada and Lanvin, the boots at Versace and the clutch and cuff at Chanel, the ornament for adornment is a gem. Don O’Neill’s goddess dresses for Theia are standing-ovation- worthy, as his audience proved. One gown, for example, featured burnt sequins, crumpled pearls and armored embroideries. Sarah Burton’s much-laud- ed collection for Alexander McQueen showcased one gown in tiers of tulle sprin- kled with embroideries of dandelions and flared with 80 godets. PRADA BRADLEY SCOTT 4 MANNING UP. In this time of manlashes, manscara and mantyhose, when men are being influenced by women, fashion heralds the man’s influence in women’s wear, espe- cially his broad shouldered jackets, oversized overcoats, cut- aways and tuxedos. Donna Karan’s dandy and Lauren’s salute to the titled men of ”Downton Abbey“ lead the way in the U.S. In London, Paul Smith’s impeccably tailored blazers and gen- erous coats spoke –and bespoke—to the him-for-her trend. In Milan, Giorgio Armani picked up the “Albert Nobbs” vibe and MaxMara brought pinstripes from his closet to hers. Isabel Marant’s cowboys, Hermès’ gauchos and the tuxedo looks at Balmain, Stella McCartney, Maison Martin Margiela and Vionnet all lent proof that Saint Laurent’s idea of tuxedos for her is still relevant 46 years later, most poignantly at YSL, where Stefano Pilati’s le smokings for his last collection at YSL, continued to prove that there’s nothing sexier than a woman MAXMARA in a man’s tuxedo. In fact, new tuxedos both at home and abroad might very well be the sexiest looks of the season—a season shy on sex and sensuality. We wanted to include Tom Ford here because he told his London audience that his women customers had been asking him to deliver men’s tailoring, but the press was not allowed to photograph the collection of 25 looks—looks generally described as sexy Bond girl. You know: Ford, Tom Ford. MILITARY/UTILITY/ EQUESTRIAN. There’s nothing limited to the barracks or the battlefield in fashion’s new salute to the armed forces, but epaulets are “every- where,” flight jackets take off, double-breasted brass- buttoned jackets look DEREK LAM spiffy, fatigues are uniformly easy, and pea coats leave the navy to see the world. Equestrian looks are definitely in the fashion hunt, most notably at Lauren, where jodhpurs and riding jackets leave the JOANNA MASTROIANNI saddle for the street. 5 PLAID. Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilee year might well have prompted fashion’s celebration of plaid, especially her two favorite tartans, the Balmoral and the Royal Stuart. From glen to glen, the pipes are calling designers like Michael Kors, Lauren, Jacobs, Tory Burch, Rachel Roy, Norma Kamali, Douglas Hannant, Clare Waight Keller of Chloé, Anna Sui and Tommy Hilfiger, where models were dressed to kilt. FABRICS. Alongside traditional fabrics, jacquards and chunky knits are rejuvenated, and engineered fabrics are truly original, as in Lanvin’s inside-out brocades treated with rubber, and the many inside-out shearlings. The night-for-day brocades, velvets, satins and laces also come out at night, as do the shiny glacés. And gold, gold, gold, from lamés to brocades. RALPH LAUREN ACCESSORIES. Jewelry is so much a part of the opulent side of fashion—jeweled clothes, jeweled hats, jeweled shoes, jeweled bags--they may well become the most important accessories of the season. Like bags, they are big and bold. Among the most exciting are the bold chokers at Lauren and Gurung, the statement necklaces at Dior, Dolce & Gabbana and Lanvin and the brooches at Lauren and Chanel. Knitted stoles steal the scene (well, almost) at Jacobs and Missoni. Stephen Jones’ hats definitely do steal the scene at Jacobs, and Patricia Underwood’s caps and cloches for Lauren echo the “Downton Abbey” theme. So do Karan’s top hats. Gloves are fingered for success, the longer and the more color- ALEXANDER WANG ful or decorative the better.