NEW YORK (AP) – Call it “fast fashion”, “runway-to-retail”, or “see now-buy now”.
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Pussy bow blouses, cape dresses and stripes will be big for spring 2017 as will canine couture – a sartorial subculture that has infiltrated the world of ready-to-wear shows.
This dynamic evolution of a fashion show affirms Ralph Lauren’s commitment to his consumer, allowing her to wear what she falls in love with the moment she sees it.Another fashion-week frequent flier this time around was Jessica Alba, who attended the Tory Burch show Tuesday morning and a cocktail party at Burch’s home the same evening, which the designer threw to celebrate the launch of her brand’s new Gemini Link handbag collection and included a surprise performance by R&B YouTube sensations and Beyoncé protégés Chloe and Halle Bailey.
The soundtrack told you all you needed to know about the clothes before you even laid eyes on them during a low-key presentation of the latest KLS collection at Kimora Lee Simmons’ midtown office.
Throw out that denim shearling doggy coat and prepare for an onslaught of florals and lace for the park.
Violinist Eric Stanley provided a live musical backdrop. “I think it’s energy that I like, a lot of fun things and a lot of lovely, I think it’s attractive clothes”, Lauren said. But there were also pieces that provided a burst of cheer.
She said she was designing for people like her: Working women juggling lots of responsibilities (Simmons is the married mother of four children). “Simply elegant”, she said.
“Now it’s more intimate, and when you are in a market like we are, you always have to offer that little bit more”.
The shirtdress is hardly a garment known to inspire enthusiasm – what with its traditionally loose-fitting shape and men’s-dress-shirt-inspired details – but several brands found ways to inject a little excitement into the silhouette. While she doesn’t rule out a return to the runway, she’s happy with the low-key approach.
In the right hands, more fabric can actually be sexier and more focus-pulling than less, and that was the case with the spring/summer 2017 collection Brandon Maxwell showed at the Russian Tea Room that, in addition to gorgeous mini dresses and gowns destined for a future red carpet engagement, included a selection of super-flared trousers, jumpsuits and layered bell bottoms that somehow just fit perfectly with the show’s vibe of classy clothes for the empowered woman.
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“Very girly. I feel like a girl”, said Ireland Baldwin of the Lhuillier dress she wore while sitting front row.
