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Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

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Over There

Unlike the structure that is in the more traditional SS and FW collections, pre-fall and resort is more fluid. As well, pre-fall is newer and therefore open season on free-form participation. It’s also more strategic as we come very close to FW2013 for women’s in February and for FW2013 Men’s to come out, well…now. Are we getting a sneak peek or snippets of the upcoming collection themselves? After all, some pre-fall releases are coming very close.

Nevertheless, we are seeing the 90s point of view very strong in cut (laser cutting in a deconstructed edge at Alexandre Herchcovitch; double faced wool and ultra light textile at Diesel Gold;  and the distressed lab-style coat with laser precision cuts at Givench) and retro interpretation, such as the ever-present 70s and more recently the 40s. The political tension from the Middle East (this time Iran; talk about 70s retro) and the uncertainty of a new leader in volatile North Korea are bringing back 50s/80s inspired nuclear fears and 40s-inspired tensions of global war. The apocalyptic mood mirroring the anticipated Y2K tension of the 90s that is building up is certainly exacerbating the general vibe. We see the subtlest of military detail from Givenchy and more Napoleonic at Just Cavalli. Military detail was at Matthew Williamson as well. 40s through the eyes of the 70s seemed apparent at Lanvin and Sonya Rykiel while 40s through the eyes of the 90s was at Louis Vuitton.

Along with the wartime mood is where art was looking at that point, with the Surrealists finding a place in fashion. Elsa Schiaparelli, prominent in fashion between both World Wars, incorporated Surrealism in her designs in her play with pattern, including trompe l’oeil on some of her garments. The warped expressions came out of a need to examine ourselves in times of growth and tension as the world we knew had changed. The dialog to look within to address the madness that is our evolution was taken on by the perceptive who chose to express this in their art, and it resonated with the public looking for distraction through self-examination.  How fitting to see this re-emerge as we hit another crossroads in our culture. Some designers certainly incorporated this homage to those artists and their influence on fashion, including Moschino’s Cheap & Chic, Sonya Rykiel, and Sportmax. Surrealism invaded florals through distortion of print at Tibi while the beadwork at Naeem Khan (and less so at Peter Som) was arranged as if the wearer had jewelry.

We can’t shake the pessimism given that our society has crafted an expectation of Armageddon for decades, that our technology has allowed us unprecedented detail of everything happening on our planet, and that our media leans towards calamity because bad news sells.  But fear not, for every yin there is a yang, and I will touch on the other aspect of that next week. Not here, though.

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