AND NOW, NEW YORK
LAST STOP NEW YORK. AS THE COLLECTIONS OPEN HERE, DESIGNERS ARE TALKING ABOUT GREEK GODDESSES, BRIGITTE BARDOT AND A NEW ERA OF AMERICAN SPORTSWEAR — ONE LACED WITH ARTSINESS AND PERHAPS A JAPANESE REFERENCE OR TWO.
CALVIN KLEIN: “There’s a new spirit to the clothes that definitely goes back to my roots. I mean this in terms of the sportswear inspiration, the active influence — the drawstring, parachute fabrics, the hooded sweatshirt — all very American ideas. At the same time, the collection is very luxurious and refined, and it’s still minimal, except that the clothes have a lot of hand details — hand-stitching, creasing, puckering — so that the clothes are very individual and personal. There is a gentle, sensual quality, too. I love to combine that sensuality, that sexuality, with tailoring and reality.
“It’s still minimal — that’s what I do. But that doesn’t mean the clothes look like nothing. If you look closely, there’s a lot there, but the effect is clean and pure. For me, it’s what I’ve always believed in. I just try to express it in a different way.”
ISAAC MIZRAHI: “I’m sort of inspired by relics, Grecian relics from the year 200 or something. But this is the least retro collection I’ve ever done. To tell you the truth, since I’ve lost all this weight, I’ve really thought about how a woman would want to look. Of course, I want the collection to be witty and colorful and all that, but the way I want a woman to look is elegant, tall and thin — the image of ancient Grecian women. The other thing is that the question — is she a girl or is she a woman — is over. She is a woman. I design for an elegant woman.
“Everything wraps; trousers that look too big fold over, chic jackets and coats wrap. This wrapping really defines the body, and the line becomes very small. Even an elegant woman wants to show her wares, especially if she’s a rich woman who pays a lot of attention to her body.
“For evening, it’s all about crisscross. And there are some linens with tiny holes and frayed edges that look like they’ve been washed a trillion times. I was inspired by this Martha Stewart article on linen sheets, fraying old linen sheets. That’s the mood — Greek relics and Martha Stewart.”
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BILL BLASS: “Very definitely there’s an emphasis on the whole striped thing, but then, I’ve always loved that. Basically, the shape is fitted and slim, cut in light fabrics — the men’s wear fabrics are weightless. I’m showing lots of grays, and here and there a spot of color — a bright green suit, some red, shocking pink. I think that, in a way, this collection is less conservative than usual. There are subtle details of cut, or maybe a simple black dress with a huge swoosh of taffeta. But basically, I only know how to do one thing: clothes that match my concept of what makes a woman well-dressed.”
RICHARD TYLER: “These clothes are about technique, about seeing them up close, the way of seaming, the intricate details. That’s why we show in the house. I’ve also had a lot of fun recently listening to old music — Jimmy Page and all that rock ‘n’ roll stuff, Stevie Nicks, Buffalo Girls, Roxy Music, Rod Stewart, Grace Slick, Jefferson Airplane — so there’s a tongue-in-cheek sexy, campy rock ‘n’ roll thing going on. It’s all very modern and not literal. The whole thing is amazing; I’m quite excited about it.”
OSCAR DE LA RENTA: “The clothes are soft and feminine. Of course, there are suits, but there is a greater emphasis on pieces. For evening, I love embroideries, florals and, yes, the return of the ruffle. But everything has to look natural, very decontracte. If something is draped, it must be relaxed. When it gets too short, too tight, it looks old.”
MICHAEL KORS: “This collection is anti-nasty. The mood of my last two collections was more somber and aggressive. This is much more relaxed, and the ‘L’ word is a given — luxury. If it’s just chinos and a white shirt, it’s got to be the most glamorous chinos and white shirt out there, in kidskin. This girl is having lunch on a yacht.
“I like crisp fabrics — silk faille, shantung, taffeta. With looser cuts, you need the shape. For something to droop on the body looks sad. The whole mood is looser, fresher, younger. There are sexy swim dresses, and all kinds of pants — pull-on pajamas, clam-diggers.
“The richer this lady is, the more casual she gets. These are not special clothes for her. This is her Gap. Glamorous women have to have a source for sportswear. That’s what I’m going for.”
CAROLINA HERRERA: “We have to move from minimalism to a new feminine luxury. Women are ready for a change. Even younger girls want a little something more today. You need the luxury, but you cannot lose the aura of simplicity. Women still want to feel at ease. It can be about one detail — embroidery; a bold, graphic symbol. There are a lot of jackets, mixed in a casual way, and there are daytime fabrics mixed with evening. It’s about the understated and the extravagant, the romantic and the practical, mixed together.”
RALPH LAUREN: “There’s a refined sexiness to the clothes that I’m feeling good about. It’s always important that there’s an elegance. And there is a lot of discreet detailing — hand-stitching, couture-like finishings. Is it what the press considers newsy? I can’t say I work for newsiness. I work to produce something that’s right for my customer. Some people are talking about romance. There may be some romantic elements here, but my customer has the frilly lace, she has Ralph Lauren petticoats from years ago. What I’m feeling for now is something that’s leaner and racier, sleek and modern. This is where I want to go. I think it looks fresh.
“You have to know who you are and within that, you have to be current, you have to constantly rethink things. This season, there are a number of changes with the show itself.” (Lauren is using several new models, and he has signed up Frederic Sanchez to do the music and Orlando Pita to do hair, both for the first time.) “Of course, you want the show to make the strongest statement possible about the collection. But when the clothes get to the store, the models aren’t there and the music’s not there. It’s the clothes alone that have to make sense for the customer.”
DONNA KARAN: “The whole concept is about air. Think about the bay. I’m always at the beach at this time of year, when I’m designing this collection. The light is amazing. Just look at the pictures in this book [‘Bay/Sky’ by Joel Meyerowitz] — the grays, the blue, the purples, all these oxidized colors, the whites of the clouds.
“I’ve always wanted to do a bay collection, to capture what happens when the colors move into each other, and it’s not an easy task. It’s about the fabrics; the mohair, jersey, silks, everything just in layers and layers, all worn together. The volume is getting bigger, but the clothes are really about a detail — the pleating, an apron shape, a shell. It’s about objects of desire. There so much attention to detail, but with the feel of American sportswear. That’s it. The ease of sportswear, but with the artisan hand. It’s light-handed and refined. To me it’s like paper, leaves and flowers on air. Everything is floating, weightless and thoughtless.”
ANNA SUI: “I started this collection after the Tibetan concert, so there’s a spiritual vibe going on. But it’s a mix of all sorts of ideas — high tech, some retro, some army surplus. The Tibetan festival led me to think about all sorts of outdoor festivals — Monterey Pop, Woodstock. And at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, there’s an exhibition of psychedelia. I had Liberty of London prints done in psychedelic colors as a starting point.
“The other thing is that I finally went on a vacation to St. Bart’s, and I started thinking about very beautiful beach clothes — lots of little dresses, my idea of summer evening clothes. Then I saw this Brigitte Bardot movie, ‘A Private Affair,’ where she wears a little-nothing dress and a big hat. And there are these little halter tops and James Coviello sweaters with chinos or printed pants.
“There are bits of Americana, a home-crafts thing, Eastern prints, and I had this company that does car and boat designs do some screen prints. It’s something of a mishmash, but underlying it is a sense of urban tribalism.”