In living color
In his coverage of Milan Fashion Week, Booth Moore, a fashion critic for the Los Angeles Times, questioned fashion styles influenced by the comeback of 1980s trends, considering the status of the global economy.
Now, he said, would be an opportunity for ‘collective sacrifice’ rather than ‘conspicuous consumption’ of 1980s excess. But it goes back to human nature: survival of the fittest – or in this case, survival of the flashiest.
‘It could be that when opportunities are scarce, survival of the fittest means survival of the most loudly dressed,’ he wrote in the Los Angeles Times.
Moore recognized the bold styles are not something you wear to blend in with the crowd, a theme which defines this spring’s trends.
Florals are a staple to any spring wardrobe but have been pushed past the limits of the typical dress. Designers planted botanic patterns on everything from blazers to shoes and tights.
Shoulder pads have evolved into exaggerated shapes, sequins were mixed with studs to re-invent the glam rock look and neon shades have resurfaced to add attitude to any outfit.
‘The shoulder pad idea this time around had an edgy feel and less ‘working women,’ and therefore really took off,’ said Jodi Belden, an accessories assistant at Elle magazine. ‘Fashion is always about reinventing.’
Many of the major fashion designers included the strong shoulder look with their female spring collections. Balmain, a French fashion house, featured a military-style shoulder that was adorned with tassels and sequins, while Chanel, another French fashion house, created a puffy, feminine look. Sticking to tradition, Givenchy, a brand of clothing and cosmetics, employed a tailored sophisticated style, and Proenza Schouler, a women’s clothing line, gave blazers a rounded shoulder.
But Lanvin, a high-end women’s apparel line, took the trend and amplified it with one-shouldered, sculpted dresses that are guaranteed to stop traffic.
Just in time for spring, Verscace, Louis Vuitton and Zac Posen revealed collections created around the brightest hues of pink, green and yellow with the intention of announcing your arrival. Non-pieces were incorporated into psychedelic patterns like Versace’s line, combined with muted hues as seen in Louis Vuitton.
Bryn Poulous, a public relations representative for Salvatore Ferragamo Italia S.p.A., a luxury clothing company, explains that the rebirth of trends lies solely in the hands of the designers. ‘A trend comes back into style when a major designer has a really great show and gets a really good response from the fashion community.’
Poulous said that top magazines will feature the trends within their fashion pages. Keeping with the status quo, Vogue continues to be the most influential fashion publication. The style then trickles down from magazines to other mainstream designers and stores willpick up on the trend. The styles will then be delivered to the masses – such as retailers like H&M and Forever 21.
With the current recession and designers’ needs to still appear larger than life, recreating the daring trends of past decades seemed like the only logical choice.
Italian designer Roberto Cavalli took country-inspired florals and combined them with sheer fabrics and statement shoulders for his spring 2010 collection.
Cavalli told Moore that the pieces that stand out are the ones that will define a season.
‘Today romanticism simply doesn’t feel like the right choice,’ he said. ‘You need to attack in order to win. I have declared war on the crisis.’
Published on March 9, 2010 at 12:00 pm
