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Spring Fashionweek 2008: Top 10 Most Interesting Trends from the New York Shows. FASHIONTRIBES FASHION BLOG

Fashion_trend  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:

  1. Transparency & What Lies Beneath
  2. Fantasy Island Escapism
  3. Eco-Aware
  4. Ankle Length Chic
  5. Pin-Ups Through the Ages
  6. Hollywood Heyday Glamour
  7. Heavy Metal Shine
  8. Ebony & Ivory
  9. Technicolor Explosion
  10. Shh! Quiet Easter-Egg Pastels

- Lesley Scott

RELATED STORIES:

Top 10 colors for spring 08 fashions.

1. TRANSPARENCY & WHAT LIES BENEATH

Fashion_76 Fashion_89 Fashion_22 Fashion_160 Fashion_182

left to right: Marc Jacobs, Naoki Takizawa, Erin Fetherston, Threeasfour, VPL

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Jill Stuart, Doo.Ri, Anna Sui, Reem Acra, Marc Jacobs

Fashion_200 Fashion_202 Fashion_27 Fashion_137

Akiko Ogawa, Diesel, J. Mendel, Rodarte


2. FANTASY ISLAND ESCAPISM

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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)

 

Fashion_11   Fashion_219 Fashion_79 Fashion_24

Anna Sui, MinSun Lee (Academy of Art University), McQ, Heatherette

Fashion_51  Fashion_5 Fashion_148 Fashion_65

Malandrino, Diane von Furstenberg, Sue Stemp,  Marc Jacobs

Fashion_36 Fashion_156  Fashion_29 Fashion_81  Fashion_208 

Karen Walker, Thakoon, Anne Klein, Carolina Herrera, Gottex

Fashion_192  Fashion_39 Fashion_124 Fashion_118

Zac Posen, Katy Rodriguez, Ralph Lauren, Proenza Schouler

   

3. ECO-AWARE

Fashion_199 Fashion_222 Fashion_204 Fashion_231
left to right: Akiko Ogawa, James Yoest & Sharon Chia-yu Yeh (Academy of Art University), Sabyasachi, Young Meagher (Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion)   

 

Fashion_12 Fashion_97 Fashion_62

Behnaz Sarapour, Noir, Berardi


4. ANKLE-LENGTH CHIC

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left to right: Marc Jacobs, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Grace Sun (Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion), Zac Posen, Sabyasachi

Fashion_120 Fashion_147  Fashion_155 Fashion_188 Fashion_224

Rachel Roy, Sue Stemp, Thakoon, Yigal Azrouel, H Fredriksson

Fashion_216 Fashion_42 Fashion_48 Fashion_144    Fashion_71 Fashion_37

Tibi, Barbara Tfank, Badgley Mischka, Staerk, Brian Reyes, Anna Sui


Fashion_59 Fashion_163  Fashion_168 Fashion_171 Fashion_44 Fashion_179

Behnaz Sarafpour, Tommy Hilfiger, Tracy Reese, Tse, Lacoste, Vera Wang


5. PIN-UPS THROUGH THE AGES

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left to right: Temperley, Barbara Tfank, Lacoste, Doo.Ri

     Fashion_94Fashion_128 Fashion_15 Fashion_48 Fashion_50

Nicole Miller, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Lela Rose, Malandrino


6. HOLLYWOOD HEYDAY GLAMOUR

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left to right: Rodarte, Badgley Mischka, Temperley, Jovovich-Hawk, Proenza Schouler

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Snoopy in Fashion, Marc Jacobs, Tracy Reese, Oscar de la Renta, Lu Kun (Art for Progress show), Ports 1961

Fashion_131 Fashion_111 Fashion_114 Fashion_157 Fashion_25

Rodarte, Philosophy, Preen, Thakoon, Alexander Wang


7. HEAVY METAL SHINE

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left to right: Naeem Khan, Peter Som, Vivienne Tam, Alexander Wang, Rodarte

Fashion_184 Fashion_164  Fashion_38 Fashion_119  Fashion_174

Y & Kei, Tory Burch, Katy Rodriguez, Rachel Roy, Tuleh

Fashion_175 Fashion_30 Fashion_113 Fashion_52  Fashion_21 

Vera Wang, Anne Klein, Preen,  Malandrino, Erin Fetherston

   Fashion_176 Fashion_140 Fashion_35 Fashion_54 Fashion_91 

Vera Wang, Ruffian, Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Chris Benz


8. EBONY & IVORY

Fashion_180 Fashion_223 Fashion_173 Fashion_83   Fashion_80 Fashion_142

left to right: Vera Wang, H Fredriksson, Tuleh, Monique Lhuillier, Carolina Herrera, Sari Gueron

Fashion_145 Fashion_55 Fashion_3    Fashion_82 Fashion_26

Staerk, Malo, Benjamin Cho, Michael Kors, Helmut Lang

 

Fashion_66 Fashion_90  Fashion_183 Fashion_139 Fashion_190

Marc Jacobs, Naoki Takizawa, VPL, Ruffian, Zac Posen



Fashion_201 Fashion_99 Fashion_43 Fashion_54  Fashion_93 Fashion_76

Diesel, Ohne Titel, Lacoste, Malo, Narciso Rodriguez, Calvin Klein

  Fashion_89 Fashion_63 Fashion_25 Fashion_30  Fashion_129

Charles Nolan, Berardi, Helmut Lang, Jeremy Laing, Ralph Lauren

 

  Fashion_62 Fashion_218 Fashion_51 Fashion_186  Fashion_33 Fashion_73

Marc by Marc Jacobs, MinSun Lee, Badgley Mischka, Y-3, Anna Sui, Bruce

Fashion_115 Fashion_68 Fashion_40 Fashion_226 Fashion_154   Fashion_215   

Proenza Schouler, Bill Blass, L.A.M.B., Delphyne (Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion), Thakoon, Tibi


Fashion_79 Fashion_16 Fashion_149 Fashion_6 Fashion_29

Carlos Miele,  DKNY, Sue Stemp, Diane von Furstenberg, Jason Wu



9. TECHNICOLOR EXPLOSION

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left to right: McQ, Rodarte, Douglas Hannant, Jason Wu, Betsey Johnson

Fashion_126 Fashion_69 Fashion_90 Fashion_146Fashion_13

Ralph Lauren, Brian Reyes, Chris Benz,  Stephen Burrows, Lacoste

Fashion_61 Fashion_16 Fashion_159Fashion_193 Fashion_14

Marc by Marc, Ralph Lauren, Threeasfour, Zac Posen, Adam

Fashion_21 Fashion_194 Fashion_172 Fashion_24   Fashion_17   

3.1 Phillip Lim, Zero Maria Cornejo, Tuleh, Alexander Wang, DKNY

Fashion_4  Fashion_27 Fashion_107 Fashion_121  Fashion_143

Benjamin Cho, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Peter Som,  Rachel Roy, Sari Gueron

Fashion_100 Fashion_37   Fashion_102 Fashion_63

Ohne Titel, Katy Rodriguez, Derek Lam, Marchesa

  Fashion_104 Fashion_17 Fashion_53  Fashion_211 Fashion_214

Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Malandrino, Nicholai, Reem Acra


 
10. Shhh! QUIET EASTER-EGG PASTELS

Fashion_32 Fashion_207 Fashion_69 Fashion_80  Fashion_71

left to right: Jill Stuart, Gottex, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs

Fashion_67 Fashion_162  Fashion_50      Fashion_141 Fashion_101

Bill Blass, Tommy HIlfiger, Badgley Mischka, Ruffian, Derek Lam

Fashion_85 Fashion_83 Fashion_78  Fashion_228 Fashion_8 

Charles Nolan, Chaiken, Calvin Klein, House of Dagmar (Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion), Diane von Furstenberg

Fashion_96 Fashion_77 Fashion_64 Fashion_49 Fashion_44 Fashion_34

Cynthia Rowley, MaxAzria, Marchesa, Luca Luca, Barbara Tfank, Jovovich-Hawk

 

Fashion_161 Fashion_112  Fashion_134 Fashion_64 

threeasfour, Preen, Rodarte, Betsey Johnson

(photos: MBUSA.com, style,com, nymag.com)

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September 20, 2007 in Fashion, Fashionweek, Trend Alert, Weblogs | Permalink

Comments

Great review of Spring Fashion week! I love all the trends lately, especially the metallics and bold, bring colors. I'm a big fan of Peter Som's collection... it's both fresh, trendy and actually wearable. Have you heard anything about Lord & Taylor negotiating a deal with him? It's still in the works, but it would be awesome if they started carrying an affordable line of his. I think it's all part of Lord & Taylor's re-branding efforts; they're making some cool changes.

Posted by: Iheartfashion33 | Sep 21, 2007 5:04:46 PM

Great review of Spring Fashion week! I love all the trends lately, especially the metallics and bold, bring colors. I'm a big fan of Peter Som's collection... it's both fresh, trendy and actually wearable. Have you heard anything about Lord & Taylor negotiating a deal with him? It's still in the works, but it would be awesome if they started carrying an affordable line of his. I think it's all part of Lord & Taylor's re-branding efforts; they're making some cool changes.

Posted by: Iheartfashion33 | Sep 21, 2007 5:06:11 PM

Great review, thanks! I love all the trends this year-- especially the bold, bright colors and metallics. I especially like Peter Som's collection-- its trendy yet actually wearable. Have you heard about the possible deal Lord & Taylor is pursuing with him? Hopefully sometime down the line they will start carrying an affordable line of his. I think its all part of their re-branding campaign... they are making some cool changes lately.

Posted by: Nic0779 | Sep 21, 2007 5:09:03 PM

I'm so sorry-- I didn't think it went through the first time because it didn't recognize my user name..and it never showed up, so I posted again-- My apologies!

Posted by: Iheartfashion33 | Sep 21, 2007 5:11:44 PM

Just found an adorable new online fashion boutique that every fashionista should know! It is called Artfulwears.com. You can get the runway looks translated into real world style here. Break out your favorite ballet slippers and perfect little cocktail number, it's time to shop the fall trends with Artfulwears.com creator and Fashion Consultant, Amy Gordon. Always keeping customers in the know is one of the unique features Amy has set as a standard for herself and Artfulwears.com. By sending out monthly newsletters offering discounts and rewards to customers, as well as the exclusive Window Shopping feature, outfits are playfully assembled and already styled for the hectic lifestyles of today's woman. Feeling clueless? Browse this chic destination for rare finds, first-class customer service, personal style advice, and must-haves for the season all within clicking distance. Created by Fashion Consultant and Buyer, Amy

Posted by: StylishShopper | Sep 22, 2007 12:48:33 AM

Some of these girls are so skinny that it detracts from the fashion. Their legs are just horrible to look at. A healthy, normal model would be an asset to the fashion and the designer in question. Wouldn't you want a customer to walk away saying "I want that dress!" instead of not even noticing the dress because you were so taken back by the horrendous legs presenting on the cat walk?

Posted by: Kim | Sep 22, 2007 10:44:04 AM

i always like anne klein's stuff.
the 1930's hat was nice too

Posted by: lailani | Sep 28, 2007 6:02:16 AM

Hi, found a nice website 21jeans.com for some cool designer wear at great prices.
Cheers,
S

Posted by: sal | Nov 14, 2007 10:07:24 PM

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