A FIRST LOOK FOR FALL

The Scoop On What The Stylish Are Splurging On Right Now

by Barbara Barton Sloane

This Fall, runways erupted in luxe layering, opulent textures and shiny, sculptural designs. A favorite of the social set, Raul Melgoza of Luca Luca is honing his point of view. “Feminine in look, strong in character” is how he has described his image and for Fall he’s stayed with an understated palette, charcoal and burgundy, with touches of jewel-tone teal from time to time. Melgoza offers up a refined collection with luxurious embellishments and – a first for the designer – fur. One wool-knit vest, shown as a belted dress was layered totally in fox. His collection’s emphasis though, was on suiting with the flat-front silk-wool pants that opened the show being one of the exciting options, worn with a shiny, granite-colored, hip hugging jacket and encircled with a black fur shawl collar. The designer downplayed the glitz and glitter allowing the opulent setting of the Plaza’s Palm Court to make up for that.

Rufus Wainwright was on one side of the aisle, Mischa Barton on the other, but once the lights went down at Miss Sixty’s show, all eyes were on the models stomping down the catwalk in one street-sweet getup after another. Skinny acid-washed jeans, patterned tights, graphic tops and shiny jumpsuits illuminated the looks. One sculptural, cheetah-patterned suit had perky, pointed shoulders, a wide, thrice-closed black cummerbund, the pants streamlined and worn inside short ankle boots.

Elie Tahari couldn’t help bringing a little fun to his creations, and so for Fall, even a sober tweed jacket and skinny black knit pants were finished off with an embellished obi belt for a hint of shine. Continuing the animal-print theme, Tahari showed a trim burgundy top and skirt encircled with a wide, patterned belt and topped with a short leopard print coat. You might be headed to the office, the look said, but that doesn’t mean you have to be glum.

At Ralph Lauren, the show opened with a little black dress but he soon moved into taupe-y tweed suiting, soft pastel knits and rich velvet dresses. Along the way he showcased his great-looking outerwear while referencing such treasured motifs as haberdashery, the equestrian world, and a spot of Anglophilia for good measure. Lauren made a point of showing plenty of cozy coats and jackets. One of the highlights, a toast colored, fitted jacket glammed up with sumptuous Mongolian lamb, was paired with Jodhpur pants tucked into sleek brown leather boots. The look fairly glowed and, for 15 minutes at least, Lauren had you believing that everything is going to be just fine.

Donna Karen may not have invented uniform dressing in the eighties but she went a very long way toward making the idea a sexy one. In these financially troubled times, she’s now brought the clever, potentially budget-saving concept back for Fall, resulting in one of her strongest looking collections in years. It starts with a jacket or draped jersey top with major sculptured shoulders and a wrapped or belted waist. It ends with either a long, lean skirt or tapered trousers. That powerful, triangular silhouette cruised down the runway in all sorts of arrangements, and a favorite was a coffee-colored, floppy shawl-collar jacket, tightly belted in brown leather, paired with an espresso-hued pencil skirt ending just at the knee. This look was ready to be pulled apart and reconfigured with any number of different pieces. Karen’s design has been battle-tested not only for sex appeal but also for ease. Now that’s a uniform we’d all like to slip into.

Since Phoebe Philo departed, which is a rather long time ago, Chloe has been struggling to get its mojo back. Hannah MacGibbon is now at the desk and after a rather rushed debut last season, she’s now showing signs of getting a grip. She has offered up for Fall a soft version of the early eighties, all high-waisted, fluid pants, wrapped belts and big blanket coats, a much-needed dose of the easy glamour Chloe was once known for. MacGibbon’s green velvet pants cuffed with crystal hit a nice casual note for the girls who have the confidence to walk into a party in flats (albeit very special ones). Sauntering down the runway was a model in a slouchy, soft, sand-colored jumpsuit, harem legs stuffed inside ankle boots, a self-belt tied at the waist and long sleeves worn unbuttoned. The designer was hitting a spot that evoked something of Saint Laurent and generally this show put Chloe back on firm footing, just like the old days.

From the first look out, a taupe suede trench coat worn with a big fur stole, it was evident that Derek Lam would be giving the ladies what they wanted. With superluxe versions of the sportswear that his girls know and love him for, Lam touched on more than a few of what has shaped up to be Fall’s key items, including skinny black leather trousers, an oversized tuxedo jacket, and draped, wrapped jersey dresses. Giving the long sweater and tights a super cool, modern twist, Lam scored with a dove gray knit, mock-turtle top and below, super tight pants in a slightly paler shade of the same color palette, polishing it off with the knees done up in shiny satin for a little sixties spin.

A full squadron of female flying aces took off at Hermes. Soundtracks from Casablanca and propellers turning in the background accompanied the models just in case some dullard in the house didn’t quickly get the meaning of the Amelia Earhart headgear and bomber jackets. An adorable gal in a russet leather suit, again fur-collared and belted, continued the flight theme, wearing an insouciant aviator cap topped with goggles. With this show, Jean Paul Gautier winged it with aplomb. It’s a season for leather, after all, and since Hermes is the ultimate venue for luxurious skins, the conceit gave full vent to the house expertise.

Overall, Fall 2009 has a somewhat forties mood floating around. Styling is at its furthest distance from seasonal trendiness. That’s especially the case in an era when even the very rich are hunkering down and extremely costly purchases should come with a lifetime guarantee of utility.