Fashion Week 2009
warrior wear and hazelnut lattes
2009-02-20
By Harriette Cole

All kinds of recession/depression conjecture led up to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this go round.  Days before the shows began there were reports about next season, when allegedly the shows will move from Bryant Park to the famed but more regulated Lincoln Center, a new locale and, therefore, a questionable option for many.  There was talk about whether the shows would occur at all. There was talk.

Even after the shows began, there was talk.  That backstage there was less champagne and more jo, courtesy of McDonald’s. Many turned up their noses at the downscaling of the freebies. On local news there were reports of the switch. Gauche, right?  Not exactly. A coffee lover, I was pleasantly surprised by the freebie mocha hazelnut lattes. I’m not a McDonald’s patron, but I became one this week, as did other folks ordering espresso, hot chocolate and all manner of upscale coffee drinks. I hate to admit it but McDonald’s is giving Starbucks a direct run for their money—and this week they were winning.

I’m not quite sure who will be left as it relates to coffee but I do know that there has been a lot of talk about who will survive in the world of fashion when people can hardly pay their mortgage or rent. In these times who will buy clothes?

I’ve long believed that the fashion industry reflects what’s happening in our world. I know some people question why America, and lots of the rest of the world, seem obsessed with what we wear. For generations the fashion industry has been an integral part of the global economy.  But what does it mean, especially today?

War Chic
This season—the designers who are showing clothing for Fall 2009—there was a lot of military-inspired fashion—Army green, muted olive, khaki and such—often on finely constructed jackets with exaggerated shoulders complete with large shoulder pads and epaulettes.  A more delicate version of the theme came with capes and capelets. (We are at war, right?) A few designers who did this: Thakoon, Mizrahi, Marc Jacobs and plenty more.

The tough girl look was everywhere -- skinny leg pants including leggings, often in leather and suede, with some manner of sexy, delicate, revealing top and studded, strappy, ridiculously high platform shoes that looked ready to punch holes in any surface. Even tough girl uptown chic, done well by Damon Dash’s wife, Rachel Roy.  Tracy Reese who normally does beautiful-lady-in-a-pretty-dress served up some chalk-stripe trousers with chiffon blouses and stomping shoes to complete the I-am-in-charge look.

Another trend? “Mortuary chic.”  Remember Morticia from the Addams family? Well, everything from extreme black makeup to wispy or blackened hair graced the runway. Sheer draped, oddly placed, long and short dresses, layered sometimes over tanks and long-sleeved tops. Shown in Donna Karan, Akiko Ogawa and Calvin Klein, but best presented at Max Azria, the clothes looked like coffin specials or funeral home drapery with its ornate gathering and tucking and heaviness, even though the fabric was often lightweight. Sounds like I hated it, right? I actually loved it.

Reaching Back
At 50 years old, Barbie hosted a mega-fashion show featuring clothing from 50 designers.  And the looks that wooed the audience the most were the fanciful that tended to harken back.  A favorite was from Betsey Johnson who made a green exaggerated ballerina dress complete with a huge tiered poofy skirt.

That was right for Barbie, but I wonder why nearly a dozen designers decided to include a ballerina skirt, often in mini form, for real women in their collections. Do women really want to be ballerinas now?

There were ballerinas, princesses, Stepford Wives, Gidgets, even Trekkies who showed up on the catwalk. There were long gloves for day and more evening gowns and party dresses than you could remember.  Beautiful gowns from bridal designers Reem Acra and Monique Lhuillier, as well as Carolina Herrera, Marchesa, and red-carpet specialist Georges Chakra.

Who’s going to all these parties right now? 

Justin Timberlake backed a line called William Rast that looked hideously like trailer chic. Worn denim with grommets, big shoulders, and country western leather jackets. I know he’s from Memphis, but I kept wondering why.  Could it be that Middle America doesn’t have a voice right now and this was an homage to them? The screaming country music certainly seemed to say so. Go figure.

Modern chic
Thank God for Michael Kors.  He showed beautiful, wearable clothing (no shift from his past) mostly gray, black, or camel. The surprise came with the shock of color, described by someone in the crowd as being “like a sorbet cleanser.” There was day-glow green, orange and hot pink. Could these colors exist as a reminder that we don’t have to dwell in the doldrums?  Marc Jacobs must have thought so, as he also had glow-light green in his collection.

Sparkle
Nearly every designer featured metallic sparkle in one way or another, whether an entire garment or a touch of dazzle. Well done at Ports 1961, Tracy Reese, and Nanette Lepore.

While Black models were rare, there was an African Collective show featuring a group of incredibly talented African designers from the Continent.  From famed quirky designer Xulybet who featured an Obama print dress to a modern designer Momo who showed sheath dresses with matching jockey hats, they represented.

So, sure there was everything at Fashion Week, a reminder, I believe, that we can look at our world however we choose—as doom and gloom, as death sexily warmed over, as a splash of sunshine, an ode to the past, the promise of the future.

How will fashion play out in the future? Who knows. For that matter, how will we?

Harriette Cole is Creative Director of Ebony magazine and pens the New York Daily News syndicated column, Sense & Sensitivity. She is the author of several books, including Jumping The Broom: The African-American Wedding Planner, and Choosing Truth: Living An Authentic Life.

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