Runway Bonanza Part 5: Erdem

Florals can be tricky. There are a lot of pitfalls to avoid: done wrong, florals can make a grown woman look like she's trying to be a ten-year-old, or worse, like a Laura Ashley interior. Also, blooms that are either too large or too small on the wrong garment can make the wearer look bigger than she really is. That's why it's so impressive that Erdem showed a fantastic Spring 2010 collection that featured floral prints on many of the looks. Take the first look, for example:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

From afar, the dress avoids looking prissy because of the short hemline and grown-up neckline (when was the last time you saw a simple standing collar on a little girl's dress?), but then up close it's even more fresh and hip because of the fantastic texture.

In later looks, the florals were appliquéd on silks, dispersing in spots to reveal the fabric underneath. This allowed designer Erdem Moralioglu to play with patterns twice over in the same garment: once in the floral itself and again in how and where they were applied.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

Still other experiments with florals were done with "flat" printed fabrics rather than embroidery. While choosing complicated cuts is usually pointless with such an intense pattern, Moralioglu was able to show some interesting cuts that blended well with the patterns. You might only be able to see them when you are very close to the dress, but that's why it's great: like a Seurat painting, there's more to see once you're close up.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

Later looks involving lace were perhaps less interesting but no less beautiful. Like the florals, they also managed to be modern and not too fussy. The spare hair and makeup selected for the models did help in that respect:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

The one item that did look unapologetically retro, the lace-overlayed trench below, would be just as at home in Twiggy's closet circa 1967 as it would in a chic Londoner's closet today. What it lacks in innovation it more than makes up for in sheer charm.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

With all this print, lace, and color, Moralioglu may have felt it necessary to throw in a few LBDs just to hedge his bets. Happily, this didn't result in brainless versions of the printed dresses in black or obviously-an-afterthought looks. Instead, Erdem used a black, wonderfully-textured material for either the skirt or top, and used something smoother for the other half of the frock.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

Simple, but great-looking. Not to mention wearable and yet special. I've always liked Erdem, but after this season I would consider myself a full-fledged fan. I'll be looking forward to their fall offerings.

Runway Bonanza Part 4: Salvatore Ferragamo

Of all the collections that made the top of my favorites list this season, the Salvatore Ferragamo show surprised me the most. I couldn't recall a time in the recent past that I was wowed by the brand's runway offerings, but after checking out their Spring 2010 show I began to look forward to seeing their next collection. Then I read the Style.com review, explaining that their creative director Christina Oritz has been fired and that this was her last season at Ferragamo. Just my luck.

The review was relatively positive but wrapped up by saying that the collection was "in the end...a case of too little, too late" (click here to read the whole review). Since I couldn't remember them, I checked out Oritz's other four collections for Ferragamo. Her first two were maybe not as bad as the scathing reviews she received made them out to be, but they were nothing inspiring. The main complaint critics had was certainly valid: Oritz took this blue chip brand waaaaay too sexy. However, for Fall 2009, Oritz presented a knockout collection that featured very smart, clever cuts in luxe colors and fabrics. A few of my favorites:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

Sexy, sure, but this time it was also polished. Still, Oritz must have some compulsive attraction to obscene amounts of skin, as her final looks consisted of totally transparent sweaters and great-looking evening skirts (which were, of course, easy to miss).

For Spring, the designer brightened up the palette but still showed sophisticated pieces that seem to hit that just-special-enough-without-being-silly mark. I especially loved the simple, loosely-fitted dresses shown with the type of tight, transparent, crew-necks that gave Oritz so much trouble in previous seasons.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

The outerwear was also great. I'm usually suspicious of short sleeved coats (when do you wear a short sleeved coat?), but this one looks great:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

The length of the sleeves and the fact that it appears to be a lightweight leather is what makes this look good and seem practical. In early Spring it can go over a sweater on a chilly or rainy day, but later it can top lighter blouses or dresses. I also love the tiny slits throughout: they give the piece an edge. The red coat below, also in that light leather but with trench-coat details and a lowered waist, might be a harder sell because of its lack of shape, but it still looks fantastic on the runway:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

The last handful of items in a much darker palette had an almost medieval flavor, which may in fact turn out to be a trend when the Fall 2010 shows start. This section contained the items I myself would most want to wear.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

I can't deny that there were clunkers: the strange jodhpurs were on the right track but totally missed. Also, the looks weren't quite as cohesive as they might have been. The end of the show looked a bit detached from the beginning, although if you were to evaluate them individually, I think they would be successful.

***

It seems unfair that Christina Oritz showed two bad collections, appeared to have heeded the criticism she received, followed those with two very good collections, and still got fired. You can understand Ferragamo's reasons: this is a recession and Oritz alienated the customer base with her first two shows. No matter what she showed next, certain fans might have just tuned out until she was replaced. Additionally, although judged simply as collections her last two seasons were fantastic, they were still probably racier than the Salvatore Ferragamo regular would like. It would futile to try to eradicate the all the skin from Ortiz's clearly sexy style completely. The good news is that things ended on a positive note. Oritz shouldn't be unemployed for long.

Runway Bonanza Part 3: Miu Miu

Ah, Miucci Prada. No one else could make me want to wear blouses printed with napping nudes.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

I would even rock the matching skirt. What fashion devil did Miuccia Prada sell her soul to and where can I find him? In her spring 2010 collection, Prada's little sister collection was about innocence and the loss of it. This was expressed with a steady stream of schoolgirlish pieces in childish prints (cats, sparrows, daisies, and puppies). Then, the naked lady print was thrown into the mix, as if to catch you off guard. Presenting them this way, Prada almost seems to be saying something about how easy it is to make the transition from naïve girl to sexually-awakened adult. Or maybe she's just saying that the human form doesn't necessarily have to be classified as pornographic.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

But the prints weren't the whole story. Let's not forget the innovative and yet desirable suiting in what appears to be a jacquard silk, with their short jackets and stovepipe pants. The look is slim, polished, and darkly quirky.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

The waist-sash is interesting: based on the pictures on Style.com, they are indeed attached to the jackets. There is something about it that is subtly bondage-like, like some kind of brace or extraneous strap. She also did a few similar pieces that were more akin to a cropped blouse, shortened to bolero length, and ruffled out at the bust.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

This type of shortened topper, which has popped up in other collections this season, could be a welcome alternative to a jacket or cardigan. It works over a collared blouse like it was shown on the Miu Miu runway, but I like the idea of it over a printed t-shirt or a low tank top, too.

I love the forties style of the silhouette and the cross-over top in this look. The skirt could be appealing to a wide variety of women.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

Prada's later pieces, studded with sequins but still using the prints and pointy '70s collars, were somewhat less successful in terms of their sales-floor appeal, but were none the less beautiful. This one below was my favorite:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

There's way too much going on, but then that's its charm.

I can't finish up without mentioning the shoes. Miuccia covered round-toed, chunky-heeled maryjanes with her cat, daisy, and sparrow print. Since Prada is usually one step ahead of everyone else, it makes sense that her shoes look very mid-nineties while everyone else is revisiting the eighties. I haven't wanted heels like that since junior high! With skinny jeans, a standard-issue suit, or a dress, they could be fantastic.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

I could post images all day. I highly suggest that you go to Style.com right now and treat yourself to what is, in my opinion, one of the best collections of the season.

Runway Bonanza Part 2: Christopher Kane

Each time Christopher Kane comes out with a new collection, I'm more convinced he's a mega genius. The best high-concept collections are those that are pure theatrics or high art on the runway but that actually contain wearable pieces if you look hard enough, and this is what Kane is so good at. His Spring 2010 collection's running theme was gingham, and although there were certainly dresses that would be difficult for the average person pull off no matter how they styled it, they were always followed by a variation on the theme that was extremely wearable. Example:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

You get what he's doing: the shape and print is little-girl cutesy but the bra cups and sheer panel are not. The idea is smart, but only a handful of too-cool-for-you-and-conveniently-rich girls will buy it. That look was followed by this one:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

You don't even have to imagine these pieces with other things to be able to see it in your own life: you could wear it as shown on the runway and look great. The cardigan is an easy sell, as is the bustier top, but the skirt is the real winner. Here's a closer look.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

You don't have a skirt like that in your closet yet, but it's easy to imagine it there! The panel over the hips and down on the sides coupled with the pleated panels create a new version of a trumpet skirt: it's both inventive and highly flattering.

All the knits in this collection should be favorites in stores. They are just special enough to warrant busting out the credit card, but they're not so trendy that you won't get a couple seasons out of them. This was one of my favorites:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

The back is even better:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

If exposing that much skin to the elements in the winter months doesn't seem rational, Kane showed a similar sweater over a tailored oxford that also looked great.

Continuing with his girlish theme, Kane's eveningwear choices were ice dancer inspired. I know, it sounds like something only waifish teen could pull off successfully, but somehow Kane made it more universal.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

It's not unlikely that the slits in the skirt will be half that length when this dress hits stores. Even without that minor change, it's easy to picture a 30+ woman in it. Kane ties the skater sequins in with the gingham quite nicely with this look:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

100% wearable but still quietly subversive. And the skirt is a shoo-in for a day-to-night look. Mr. Kane, you're my hero.

Runway Bonanza Part 1: J.Mendel

In the interest of starting things off on the right foot, my first few posts will review my favorite Spring 2010 collections. First up: J.Mendel.

J.Mendel is a perennial favorite of mine. Giles Mendel, the furrier/ready-to-wear label's current head designer, obviously knows how to work a pelt but he also reliably turns out subtly interesting sportswear. And that's not even mentioning the gorgeous evening gowns. Spring 2010 was no exception: Giles had me from the first look, this palest-pink mini dress.


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

The little gathers at the front side of the waist are lovely, creating a subtle, petal-like shape through the hip. Up top, the asymmetric, overlapping straps and the shape of the tank-ish bodice looks to me like a clever take on the sporty trend this season. It's not overt, of course, but there's some structure there that hints at scuba gear. I thought Mendel's later experiments in what appear to be some kind of panne velvet (or another fabric printed to look like) were successful as well. His tricks with jacket cuts were also nice. Here is one such jacket in the velvet:


Photo from Style.com (click the image to visit the source).

You might have to squint to see it on your computer screen, but there's a panel starting at the sleeve in the body of the jacket extending down to the hem and possibly becoming pockets. It's hard to tell on the already waif-y model, but it's bound to be a flattering detail.

The only complaint I could make about this collection were the boring (or maybe it's just me that is sick of them) oversized chiffon rosettes on much of the eveningwear. However, this will almost certainly be a hit with his clients, so you can't really fault Mendel for their inclusion. Two other eveningwear pieces were just dreamy and more than made up for the played-out rosettes:






Photos from Style.com (click the images to visit the source).

They're simple and nothing new in terms of cut, sure, but the two-tone chiffon looks fresh and I'm a total sucker for acid yellow, in spite of how difficult it is to wear. Hopefully, starlets will opt for one of these for red carpet events this year. It's a little obvious considering her role on Mad Men and the retro cut, but can't you just picture January Jones in the blue one?

I have to end with this little sheath. I think it's perfect. You could play it sleek, punky, or pretty, and it would be a knockout each time. Want.


Photo from Style.com (click the link to visit the source).