Operation In-Fall-tration -- Women's Fall 2007 StyleBy: Joseph Rosenfeld
Chic, contoured, and colorful only begin to convey the essence of this fall’s fashions. The clothes reflect the societal shift from a vast cultural wasteland and its less shapely silhouettes to a more cultivated construct comprised of more shapely waste lines. Though caution is not being thrown to the wind, a cacophony of colors has been organized much like a rainbow’s colors glistening against an otherwise stormy sky. As style is becoming less barbaric and more bourgeois, this is the kind of fashion infiltration we have been waiting for. So grab your gloves and hat and let’s explore the new traditions of proper dressing. The Jacket/The Suit/The Coat Why let your fingers do the walking when you can let your shoulders do the talking this season. Be bold or seem sweet in jackets that speak your style. Show your sporty side with a preppy look or just be showy with a cut-away cut. Maintain your proportions with the right length of coat and enhance your authority. |
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| Speaking of authority, the ultimate power-dressing item has taken new forms for fall. Nothing suits business better than a suit. This season, celebrate your curves with attention paid to the waist. Whether seamed or belted, people will not only see you coming and going, they’ll feel your presence too. Styles range from the more casual jump suit to the soft and feminine pantsuit to the more alluring metallic suit, great for evening events. | ||
| The biggest cover up for fall is, of course, the coat. Pay homage to Dynasty’s Carrington clan in a big-shouldered coat, circa 1980s. Or yell “bombs away” in a menswear inspired double-breasted bomber or trench. Sound the sirens with satin fabrics and belted adornments. Look for coats to be long this season, helping to heighten the drama of the full shoulders or of the more straight and narrow varieties. | ||
The Materials/The Motifs/The Motivations Dressing this fall is all about expression. From fabrics to graphics, the appeal of this season’s apparel comes from the expressiveness of the materials and the motifs. Mills still provide much of the textiles that designers use, but this season some designers, especially Prada, took textile creation into their own hands. Velvets and embroideries have made many happy returns over the past several seasons so if you’re looking for inspiration your investigation might yield materials like boiled mohair or laminated felt. If you’re feeling clannish or mannish, there’s a plaid or a tweed fabric for you this season. Some of these fabrics were also specially made. Great graphic inspiration has been taken from the iconic Yves St Laurent and his circa 1960s creations. Art meets fashion in wearable ways. Look for dramatic geometrics and color blocks in artistic nods to Cubism, Mondrian, Rothko and Pop Art. Amid all of the color is plenty of black and white graphic interest from classic Art Deco musings to creative and noteworthy newsprint. |
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