FALL '06 TREND REPORT
As you can see on the preceding pages, the world of fashion has an undeniable penchant for all things theatrical. It has the power to charm, amuse, astonish and tell a story. But most of all, fashion is fun. Do clothes make the woman or man? Who’s to really say? But what clothes can do is to make you into whomever you please. Getting dressed can be a delightful escape – a metaphorical running away with the circus to take on a new persona and perhaps to have an adventure. This fall’s fashion carnival has a wide-sweeping ensemble cast of characters that leaves few if any roles unplayed. And in every city on the fashion map.
It started off in New York with all manner of leading ladies and
gentlemen. Taking a page from his perennial muse Ali MacGraw, Michael Kors gave a jet-set gloss to schoolgirlish rugby stripes, stuffy argyles and nifty plaids. His Seventh Avenue neighbor Donna Karan took an entirely different tack: sending out a gorgeously minimal version of the power woman in jersey dresses and strong, curve-conscious coats. But then up came the curtain on a totally different act – this one at Ralph Lauren where a sumptuous parade of tactile tweeds and cashmeres in woodsy colors evoked a latter day shooting party on a well-bred country estate. Of course, if those ladies happened to come to town, they might be in the mood for Oscar de la Renta’s well-appointed suits and party dresses.
Their male counterparts, however, might find it all from Ralph Lauren, whose wide range spanned from bohemian intellectual to elegant gent.
The plot seemed to thicken a touch in Milan where history, both old and new, came into play. Roberto Cavalli harked to pre-Revolution Russia with would-be czarinas covered in velvet and fur. A short hop in Dolce & Gabbana’s time machine brought us Napoleons in stately but chic brass-buttoned jackets and a whole slew of Josephines, each one in a lavishly beaded and embroidered gown. Those dainty empresses were a far cry from the decadent, disco look over at Gucci where designer Frida Giannini transformed last season’s rugby-wearing tomboy into a glamorous queen of the night. But even tougher were Miuccia Prada’s urban warriors with their dark, utilitarian uniforms that were a decisive statement against the uncomplicated prettiness of the last few seasons.
At Jil Sander, designer Raf Simons also went spartan in his dark boxy jackets and crisp white shirts for men. The purist look provided a distinct counterpoint to Giorgio Armani’s relaxed velvet-clad Romeos and John Ray’s romantically punk poets at Gucci.
So too in Paris, there was a little for everyone. From the hard-edged rock chicks at Dior to the sweetly plain schoolmarms at Chloé. Of course, the City of Light wouldn’t be complete without the ladylike frills of Valentino and the coolly elegant Mademoiselles of Chanel.
It all comes together for the chicest show on earth-and the chicest clothes in your own closet. Ladies and gentlemen, step right up. Fall is here.
