It seems everybody was celebrating a birthday or anniversary in September. Central Park marked its first 150 years with 150 different parties around town; Brooks Brothers, the bastion of classic, preppy chic (a look which happens to be enjoying a rebirth at the moment) held a gala at their Madison Avenue flagship to mark their 185th anniversary; Kenneth Cole celebrated his 20 years with yet another runway show ("20 years later and still sole searching" is how he put it on his show program); and, 7th on Sixth marked its "10 in-tent years of New York Fashion" at Bryant Park, where it all began.
As part of the festivities, Fern Mallis, executive director of 7th on Sixth and V.P. of IMG which produces the shows, asked New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham to chose 17 layouts from the past 'On the Street' columns which were inspired by the audience entering and leaving the tents set up in Bryant Park. Blown up several sizes larger than the original newspaper layout and erected on poles, they were placed in a park adjacent to the tents, and could be seen easily from 6th avenue. I was certainly honored and flattered that among his choices was my 18 picture spread from February 2001, in addition to a prior layout where I was the lone vision in red against a sea of all black. What was even more amazing is how his trained eye has continually captured not only the trends but the individual interpretations- and how great that still looks, even years later!
As for the clothes that were presented during the 10 days of shows - let's just say that the mood and look is almost a complete turnaround from what was shown just 6 months ago, except in the case of Miuccia Prada, whose two highly acclaimed vintage inspired, well-bred, and ladylike Milanese collections (that were based on an eclectic and individual vision) seemed to serve as blatant inspiration for more than a just a few designers here.
To sum it up in a nutshell: black has been replaced by almost everything 'but': nudes and beiges, pretty pastels, and jarring primary colors (not my favorite- a little too obvious and a bit of that goes a long way in my opinion); the overly costume-y mod 60's structured silhouette (that is apparently not selling in the stores) has given way to a softer, easier, less structured look having many recall the Great Gatsby 20's; hemlines have lowered and moderated from thigh high to around the knee; and aggressive hard edge chic has morphed into a softer, kinder, gentler aesthetic.
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NY Fashion Week Intro.
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