Transparency, escapism & old Hollywood glamour...a few of the Top 10 most interesting trends to emerge from Spring 2008 New York Fashion Week.
Talented designers function like a canary in the mine: they act as a
translator of the collective unconscious. When Marc Jacobs staged his
most recent Spring 2008 collection in reverse - opening with his final
bow, followed by the final look (#56) & then the rest of the
run-of-show in descending order - he sent out look after look with
underthings peeking out through transparent layers. Consciously or not,
he was tapping into a major theme of our time: what lies beneath the surface of things. “Every epoch has a dominant science," prominent futurist Watts Wacker once told Fashiontribes in a pop culture article appearing in the Fashiontribes Downtown Doll e-zine.
"In the industrial age it was chemistry, the dominant science in the
information age was physics and the dominant science in the
post-information age will be biology.” While the 19th century focused
on chemistry via mass-scale production, & the 20th century saw
space travel & a man walk on the moon for the first time during the
age of physics - the new millenium welcomed the decoding of the human
genome and continues to explore the inner space that falls within the
realm of biology as the dominant organizing principle of society today.
With growing political unrest worldwide, deteriorating environmental conditions, rising Internet crime and a whole host of other less-than-savory social conditions permantly headlining the news, it's not surprising that another strong trend to emerge from the Spring 2008 shows was the emphasis on fantasy & escapism. Collections were inspired by an exotic Under the Volcano island getaway (Diane von Furstenberg), Busby Berkley (Anna Sui), 1950s vintage Americana high school dance aka prom night (Betsey Johnson), South Korean fairy tales (Kyung Min Kim, Academy of Art), secret gardens, fantastical creatures & "the magical wardrobes of their childhoods (Mooka Kinney, Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion).
The rising eco- & political-awareness in pop culture is also influencing a growing cadre of designers. Behnaz Sarafpour limited her palette to organic fabrics with natural dyes (as did Noir), Jiyoon Yeom (Academy of Art University) dedicated her collection to Nature's Spirit in an effort to encourage people to reconnect with nature, and James Yoest & Sharon Chia-yu Yeh (Academy of Art University) used organic & reused fabric such as parachute which almost looked like clothing cut from a green plastic garbage bag (but in the coolest way possible) - similar to an ankle length dress and skirt on the political-symbol laden Sabyasachi runway. Other designers addressed concerns about the effects of global warming with inclement weather chic anoraks (Akiko Ogawa, Berardi), and even full-on protective facial masks (Young Meagher).
Escapism also translated to an ongoing vein of nostalgia with retro trend of old-school Hollywood glamour including high-waisted pin-up girl shorts & looks, shimmery sequin-covered garments for day, disco ball shiny silver dresses, full length gowns from the glam pre-war Art Deco period, and the continuation of the ankle/floor length day dress (unfortunately also known as the "patio", "hostess" & worst of all, the "maxi" dress & desperately in need of a much cooler moniker). While black is always the new black, what's interesting is how much of it was being shown for spring. Less interesting was the amount of white (this being the warm weather collection, after all), however the predominance of black & white mixtures and prints proved an interesting offshoot. Naturally, spring Easter Egg pastels made a strong showing, as well as Skittles-bright primary colors and exuberantly loud & cheery color mixes of vibrant reds, blinding yellows, and blues of any & every shade.
Top 10 most interesting trends from New York Spring 2008 Fashionweek:
- Transparency & What Lies Beneath
- Fantasy Island Escapism
- Eco-Aware
- Ankle Length Chic
- Pin-Ups Through the Ages
- Hollywood Heyday Glamour
- Heavy Metal Shine
- Ebony & Ivory
- Technicolor Explosion
- Shh! Quiet Easter-Egg Pastels
- Lesley Scott
RELATED STORIES:
1. TRANSPARENCY & WHAT LIES BENEATH
left to right: Marc Jacobs, Naoki Takizawa, Erin Fetherston, Threeasfour, VPL
Jill Stuart, Doo.Ri, Anna Sui, Reem Acra, Marc Jacobs
Akiko Ogawa, Diesel, J. Mendel, Rodarte
2. FANTASY ISLAND ESCAPISM
left to right: Charles Nolan, Snoopy in Fashion, Mooka Kinney (Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion), Marc by Marc Jacobs, Kyung Min Kim (Academy of Art University)
Anna Sui, MinSun Lee (Academy of Art University), McQ, Heatherette
Malandrino, Diane von Furstenberg, Sue Stemp, Marc Jacobs
Karen Walker, Thakoon, Anne Klein, Carolina Herrera, Gottex
Zac Posen, Katy Rodriguez, Ralph Lauren, Proenza Schouler
3. ECO-AWARE
left to right: Akiko Ogawa, James Yoest & Sharon Chia-yu Yeh (Academy of Art University), Sabyasachi, Young Meagher (Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion)
Behnaz Sarapour, Noir, Berardi
4. ANKLE-LENGTH CHIC
left to right: Marc Jacobs, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Grace Sun (Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion), Zac Posen, Sabyasachi
Rachel Roy, Sue Stemp, Thakoon, Yigal Azrouel, H Fredriksson
Tibi, Barbara Tfank, Badgley Mischka, Staerk, Brian Reyes, Anna Sui
Behnaz Sarafpour, Tommy Hilfiger, Tracy Reese, Tse, Lacoste, Vera Wang
5. PIN-UPS THROUGH THE AGES
left to right: Temperley, Barbara Tfank, Lacoste, Doo.Ri
Nicole Miller, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Lela Rose, Malandrino
6. HOLLYWOOD HEYDAY GLAMOUR
left to right: Rodarte, Badgley Mischka, Temperley, Jovovich-Hawk, Proenza Schouler
Snoopy in Fashion, Marc Jacobs, Tracy Reese, Oscar de la Renta, Lu Kun (Art for Progress show), Ports 1961
Rodarte, Philosophy, Preen, Thakoon, Alexander Wang
7. HEAVY METAL SHINE
left to right: Naeem Khan, Peter Som, Vivienne Tam, Alexander Wang, Rodarte
Y & Kei, Tory Burch, Katy Rodriguez, Rachel Roy, Tuleh
Vera Wang, Anne Klein, Preen, Malandrino, Erin Fetherston
Vera Wang, Ruffian, Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Chris Benz
8. EBONY & IVORY
left to right: Vera Wang, H Fredriksson, Tuleh, Monique Lhuillier, Carolina Herrera, Sari Gueron
Staerk, Malo, Benjamin Cho, Michael Kors, Helmut Lang
Marc Jacobs, Naoki Takizawa, VPL, Ruffian, Zac Posen
Diesel, Ohne Titel, Lacoste, Malo, Narciso Rodriguez, Calvin Klein
Charles Nolan, Berardi, Helmut Lang, Jeremy Laing, Ralph Lauren
Marc by Marc Jacobs, MinSun Lee, Badgley Mischka, Y-3, Anna Sui, Bruce
Proenza Schouler, Bill Blass, L.A.M.B., Delphyne (Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion), Thakoon, Tibi
Carlos Miele, DKNY, Sue Stemp, Diane von Furstenberg, Jason Wu
9. TECHNICOLOR EXPLOSION
left to right: McQ, Rodarte, Douglas Hannant, Jason Wu, Betsey Johnson
Ralph Lauren, Brian Reyes, Chris Benz, Stephen Burrows, Lacoste
Marc by Marc, Ralph Lauren, Threeasfour, Zac Posen, Adam
3.1 Phillip Lim, Zero Maria Cornejo, Tuleh, Alexander Wang, DKNY
Benjamin Cho, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Peter Som, Rachel Roy, Sari Gueron
Ohne Titel, Katy Rodriguez, Derek Lam, Marchesa
Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Malandrino, Nicholai, Reem Acra
10. Shhh! QUIET EASTER-EGG PASTELS
left to right: Jill Stuart, Gottex, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs
Bill Blass, Tommy HIlfiger, Badgley Mischka, Ruffian, Derek Lam
Charles Nolan, Chaiken, Calvin Klein, House of Dagmar (Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion), Diane von Furstenberg
Cynthia Rowley, MaxAzria, Marchesa, Luca Luca, Barbara Tfank, Jovovich-Hawk
threeasfour, Preen, Rodarte, Betsey Johnson
(photos: MBUSA.com, style,com, nymag.com)
