Fall 2008 Fashion Week New York: Top 10 Trends

1. FLASHY ACCESSORIES

top: Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs
bottom: Michael Kors, Donna Karan, Peter Som

The New York shows are known for being salable & commercial, and never has this been more true for Fall 2008 - sadly.  Whether it's pressures from the accounting department, financial backers, or being too fabulous to care about showing something inspired, the "big" shows were uniformly dwarfed creatively by smaller indie designers with a fraction of the marketing budget (for examples, be sure to check out our list of the New York Fall 2008 Fashion Week Top 10 Most...). For our complete Fall 2008 Fashion Week Coverage - CLICK HERE.

Although good news was to be had at Zac Posen (Minnie Mouse meets Bordello) and Peter Som's flawless debut collection for Bill Blass (70s inspired power-chick suits and dresses), it was Iceland's Steinunn, dowtown darling Thakoon, and Rodarte that reminded us why we fell in love with fashion in the first place. The grey and menswear trends continued into this season, which is why the accessories proved a fashion godsend: oversize, flashy, and completely covetable.  A trend of bright, vibrant color - rich purples and tasty citrus hues - helped cheer matters up, as did the bouquet of floral frocks, and welcome vein of fantasy dressing (Bordello, harem and Kabuki inspired). Skinny belts replaced last season's wide obi, tulle and crinolines added visual volume, and there was a marked lack of boots in favor of booties (more suitable footwear in a globally warmed world?).

Here are the Top 10 Most Interesting Trends from the Fall 2008 New York Fashion Week:

1. Flashy Accessories
2. Fantasy Dressing
3. Juicy Color
4. Florals, Prints & Visual Texture
5. Tulle & Crinoline
6. Bows, Ruffles & Feathers
7. Booties & Non-Boots
8. Bodacious Makeup & Big Hair
9. Menswear-Inspired
10. Grey (yet again)

2. FANTASY DRESSING

Top: Zac Posen, Rodarte, Betsey Johnson
Bottom: Chris Benz, VPL, Donna Karan, Carolina Herrera

3. JUICY COLOR

 

Top: Chris Benz, Daryl K, Doo.ri
Bottom: Phi, Costello Tagliapietra, Hervé Léger by Max Azria, Douglas Hannant

4. FLORALS, PRINTS & VISUAL TEXTURE

Top: Diane von Furstenberg, Thakoon, Sue Stemp, Jenni Kane
Bottom: Alexandre Herchovitch, Tommy Hilfiger, Y-3, Donna Karan

5. TULLE & CRINOLINE

 

Top: Charles Nolan, Thakoon, Marc by Marc Jacobs
Bottom: Christian Siriano (Project Runway), Rodarte, Peter Som

 

6. BOWS, RUFFLES & FEATHERS

Top: Marc Jacobs, Akiko Ogawa, Zac Posen
Bottom: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Luca Luca, Proenza Schouler

7. BOOTIES & NON-BOOTS

 
   

Top: Peter Som, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta
Bottom: Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Matthew Williamson

 

8. BODACIOUS MAKEUP & BIG HAIR

Bill Blass (Tom Pecheux for MAC)
Proenza Schouler (Dick Page for Shiseido)
Zac Posen (Charlotte Tilbury for MAC)

Rodarte (Odile Gilbert for Aveda)
Thakoon (Eugene Souleiman for Aveda)
Sari Gueron (Ashley Javier for Herbal Essences)

 

9. MENSWEAR-INSPIRED

   

Top: Rag & Bone, Bill Blass, Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang
Bottom: United Bamboo, Jovovich-Hawk, Boy by Band of Outsiders

 

10. GREY (yet again)

 
 

Top: Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Zac Posen, Lacoste
Bottom: Bill Blass, Behnaz Sarafpour, Vera Wang, Jeremy Laing

- Lesley Scott

(photos: nymag.com, style.com, Aveda, MAC)

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Fall 2008 Colors & Fashion Illustrations Spring 2008: Top 10 most interesting trends

...& don't miss:         Fall 2008 Fashion Week: List of the Top 10 Most...     Fall 2008 Fashion Week: backstage makeup trends with MAC (video interview), Gucci Westman (Rag & Bone), Tom Pecheux (Bill Blass), stila (Marchesa) & Jane Iredale (eventide)     Fall 2008 Fashion Week: back stage hair trends with Ashley Javier for Herbal Essences (video interview), Odile Gilbert (Rodarte), and Eugene Souleiman for Aveda (Thakoon)     For our complete Fall 2008 Fashion Week coverage - CLICK HERE.

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