Archive for February, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: Designer John Bartlett gives us a taste of good ol’ American clothing that is more suitable for the mature professional man who doesn’t want to look like he stepped out of an L.L. Bean catalog. He contrasts aesthetic knits with sleek leather and splashes a reasonable amount of panache where needed. Not necessarily “fashion forward,†but it does keep up with the times (i.e. shoulder hugging long-sleeved henleys).
Color Palette: Rich earth tones are complimented by not-so-loud splashes of oranges, blues and yellows.
Silhouettes: Slim-fit pants that include subtle plaid prints and classic slacks. Sweaters range from flattering V-necks and striped sweaters that adhere to the man’s “Adonis†form and dispel those horrifying rumors of the dreaded horizontal stripe.
Accessories Report: Murses (man purses) are coming into the forefront! Also making an appearance for Fall 2006 are long, chunky nostalgically knitted scarves – just like grandma used to make.
What’s Wearable: Bartlett continues the trend of layering admirably – mostly with his alteration of the “hoodie with blazer†look. He goes a step further and utilizes a college professor tweed blazer and combines it with a street-style hoodie. Sounds a bit old-looking, but it works. The coats included in his collection are definite stand-outs – leathers, warm knits and pea coat-esque outerwear – stylish, yet mature.
What’s Not Wearable: Two words: leather pants. Unless you’re Ricky Martin, don’t go there. We also saw a button-down shirt accessorized by this gun holster looking thing. It was as if an extra from “Young Guns IV†made an appearance on the runway.
February 4th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: A leather belt with a square buckle (in black and brown), worn above the waist on the ribcage, showed up on numerous pieces: a black loose dress, a black trench coat with fur, a blue chiffon dress, a brown short-sleeved coat, a sparkly black dress, a black chiffon layered mini-dress, a grey and black patterned silk dress. Dresses of all sorts – both streamlined and loose-fitting – also dominated the collection.
Color Palette: Black, grey, brown, goldish yellow, blue, and some white.
Silhouettes: Baggy was common theme. It influenced the dresses, trousers, skirts, and coats.
Accessories Report: Thin black headbands worn with a ponytail, long scarves.
What’s Wearable: There were far more wearable items than not. We could see the dresses and military-style jackets at fancy soirées.
What’s Not Wearable: MC-Hammer-esque puffy trousers are better left on…MC Hammer. And though we can all appreciate some fur, one all-fur jacket with a high collar looked more grizzly than girly.
February 4th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: Tights, tights, and more tights. Black opaque tights were paired with dresses, pants, and even open-toed heels.
Color Palette: Can we say black overload? A brown bow (on a black dress) and a white chiffon turtleneck (under a black jacket) were in sight.
Silhouettes: Loose dresses, skinny trousers, and cropped jackets with quarter-length sleeves.
What’s Wearable: Cropped jackets, chiffon turtlenecks, a black tube dress with a brown bow, a black lace dress.
What’s Not Wearable: Nothing Too unwearable here. This piece hardly qualifies as un-wearable to many, but women who don’t like to dress like their men might not like the white button-down shirt with tuxedo stripes.
February 4th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: The trenchcoat is back but it no longer screams “Inspector Gadget†or “Columbine.†Instead, these men’s and women’s coats with high popped up collars, fur, and quality textures shout “Aviator,†“Military,†and most importantly, “Chic!â€
Color Palette: Heavy emphasis on grey and black, but some mustard yellows, browns, navy blues, and military greens showed their hues.
Silhouettes: Long and cropped coats, A-line skirts, slim trousers, and a few loose chiffon dresses.
Accessories Report: No jewels were in sight, but handbags were prominent. For women, we saw maroon, grey, and black wristlet clutches and jumbo leather satchels. One man carried a weekend black leather satchel resembling a bowling ball bag. Possible trend alert here.
What’s Wearable: Almost everything. Kenneth Cole did a wonderful job of designing real clothing for real people (Did he steal our Omiru concept?!). Especially wearable are sophisticated skirt suits, heavy coats, and loose sweaters.
What’s Not Wearable: I can’t imagine a non-military man sporting the half suede, half leather green and black boots.
February 4th, 2006
Omiru is pleased to re-introduce our Fashion Week Notebook!
Vicariously (and thanks to the glorious photographic coverage of the fashion shows by New York Metro and Style.com), Susannah, Melody, Dino and I will be reporting on the fashion trends that you’ll be seeing come Fall 2006. We’re also pleased to present to you snippets of life from the "trenches" of New York Fashion Week. Kelly, our NY Fashion Week correspondent, is living the Good life this week…or so we kid her, as she runs all around Manhattan going from show to glamorous show 
True
to our mission of providing an intelligent look at fashion trends,
we’ll be analyzing the fashion shows for trends—in silhouette, color,
and garment classifications. And because of our strong belief in Real
Style for Real People, we’ll be sorting out the runway-only looks from
the wearable ones to give you insight into what you will actually want
to be wearing come fall.
Ideas? Suggestions? Leave us a comment, or email Trisha at trisha at omiru dot com.
February 3rd, 2006
Issue XXVII of the Friday Fashion Hotlist: a weekly compilation of the
cutest and coolest stuff Style Intelligence Report saw out there this
week.
This
week, we’re eyeing a women’s tote with a print of an uppity bird and a nice pair of men’s flip flops…just in time for 6 more weeks of winter =P.
For women…
Smug little bird, isn’t he?
And for men…
Lacoste Nylon Stripe Flip Flop | $48 at Kitson
Love the tiny stripes and the clean look.
February 3rd, 2006
What can I say? Squirrels rule!
$10 at Cut+Paste.
February 3rd, 2006
In our mix + match fashion culture, what is the role of a fashion lifestyle brand?
Lifestyle brands envelop the consumer in a fantasy world, a world that reinforces the brand not only though the models’ wearing of that label head to toe, but also, as the name suggests, though the lifestyle the company espouses. Ralph Lauren is the epitome of the fashion lifestyle brand. He created the "World of Ralph Lauren," a fantastically fictional WASPy world of Hamptons mansions, yachts, and upper crust American leisure. And while Ralph Lauren was building his empire, this lifestyle branding made a lot of sense. It not only allowed him to diversify into a wide variety of product lines, but it also reinforced the "one outfit, one designer" aesthetic of the day.
It’s quite an understatement to say that the world has since changed. Dressing head to toe in one designer gave way to the pluralism seen in today’s outfit choices. Nowadays, mixing and matching garments between different designers is a given—and it is more stylish than personifying a single designer’s vision.
In this atmosphere of fashion pluralism, the role of a lifestyle brand has also shifted. As direct translations of a designer’s vision, these lifestyle brands are no longer to be taken literally—instead, they exist to inspire us, to give us something to aspire to, to give us a taste of another life. Here, one can draw a parallel, comparing meticulously fictionalized lifestyle brands to elaborately staged runway shows. Much is being said about how runway shows are growing more irrelevant over time. Some deride them as money losing propositions staged for ephemeral brand value. Others question the wearability of the outfits that are presented.
But while these factors do alter the role of the runway show, they do not necessarily make that role immaterial. We would argue against runway’s irrelevance–and that of lifestyle brands. For as long as they continue to inspire, to encourage innovation in design, to wake the creative spirits in the consumer public, they will hold value—measurable or not.
February 3rd, 2006
We’re all over…
Stacked Heels
Sturdy enough to withstand walking.
Avoid the stripper look and wear with a demure skirt.
Black Gucci Platform Sandal | $695 at Neiman Marcus
We’re all over…
Geometric Black and White
Right on target with this season’s mod trend.
Diane von Furstenberg Elisabetta top | $198 at DVF
We’re all over…
Japanese-inspired dressing
Vivid colors and beautiful lines make this aesthetic so pleasing!
Diane von Furstenberg Fariba jersey wrap dress | $345 at Saks Fifth Avenue
We’re So over:
Crystal-encrusted denim
Swarovski phone + rhinestone clutch + encrusted denim =
Too many crystals. Plus, don’t they come off in the laundry?
(Photo Credit: Saks Fifth Avenue)
We’re So over:
Oversized specs
This season has taken our beloved Jackie O. look to such enormous proportions that we’re starting to get bug-eyed. Mary-Kate, Ashley, Lindsay, Nicole–are you listening?
(Photo Credit: Fred Flare)
Tell us: What’s In? What are you so over?
February 3rd, 2006
The centuries-old Japanese kimono has undergone a major transformation, courtesy of fashion houses worldwide. The very contemporary result: an airy, flowy top that reveals just enough (usually with a low V-cut) but not too much (the length is still tunic or longer). These tops–shown here at every price range–are perfect for dressing up a pair of jeans, or wearing alone as a dress to go out.
Missoni Kimono top| $960 at Neiman Marcus
Stella McCartney Kimono Top | $939 at Bergdorf Goodman
Diane von Furstenburg Kimono-Style Wrap Dress | $425 at Bloomingdale’s
Geren Ford Kimono Dress | $350 at Active Endeavors
T-Bags Kimono Dress | $145 at Blaec
China Doll top in white | $51.60 at Go Clothing
What do you think of this style? Classic, or on its way out? Let us know.
February 2nd, 2006
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