NEW YORK — Changing leaves, pumpkin-hunting and fresh-squeezed apple cider. These familiar October sights can only signal one thing: It’s time to gear up for spring in the fashion world.
As closed-toe shoes and coats started popping up on the Comm. Ave. “runway,” the fashion-forward at New York’s Fashion Week planned for that time when flowers pop back up instead. For spring 2008, that means dresses. This season, tighter, curvier, and crisper frocks replaced the baby doll. Tracy Reese mastered the look with an elegant black sequined dress layered over a cream-colored underlay with cap sleeves. Temperley drew inspiration from France circa 1925, with a romantic collection featuring a mélange of airy chiffon gowns and sleek black-and-white dresses in geometric prints. Design duo Badgley Mischka, masters of the 1920s French Riviera, reinvented the classic flapper dress in bunch tulle and satin.
Although the dress reigned supreme at fashion week, sportswear made a noteworthy showing. Tracy Reese’s collection juxtaposed the exotic stylings of northern Africa with an air of business chic. Her show featured wide brimmed hats, sequined pajama jackets and sleek pencil skirts. Thakoon tackled iconic American sportswear with classic button-downs and blazers in bold geometric patterns. And Lacoste, celebrating his 75th anniversary, kept things simple and sporty: Tennis dresses opened the show, but made way for ’70s-style, high-waisted sailor pants. The collection then bridged into polka dots — a trend continuing from fall — with red and white shirts, hats, skirts and dresses.
Purple was a common thread among the spring shows. Tracy Reese designed a lavender femme-classic bikini with a matching parasol. Badgley Mischka debuted a draped purple satin dress in reference to ’70s glamour. A plum, sequined skirt paired with grey socks and hot pink platform shoes offered a touch of offbeat whimsy at Rebecca Taylor.
Romance took the form of floral prints in well-tailored dresses at Carolina Herrera and Diane von Furstenberg. The watercolors of Jeremiah Goodman inspired Herrera’s collection of flowery silk frocks decorated with beading and embroidery. In the program notes, Von Furstenberg said her show was about “the fantasy of escaping to exotic islands, and the wilder shores of love.” Naturally, she delivered a vacation-themed collection of flowing, floral-printed dresses, including a particularly interesting sack dress with a beach glass neckline.
Marc Jacobs’s collection for Marc by Marc Jacobs, however, was a mixed bag of corduroy pantsuits, shirtdresses and retro trench coats complete with stewardess-style hats and gold buttons. In the same vein, Temperley tailored her show to the “jet-setting” crowd, channeling aviator pilots. Delicate silk and chiffon dresses coupled with pseudo-masculine two-toned calf height boxing boots contrasted with bloomer jumpsuits in tans and creams.
The spring 2008 collections looked to be the most wearable in years, with something for everyone – from the woman who can float in a leisurely wardrobe, to the businesswoman in need of sharp, structured clothing. While New York’s glimpse at spring fashion did not “wow” by any means, its return to tried-and-true classics was refreshing.
