During Fashion Week in New York, the biggest and smallest design houses bare their creative souls for reporters and celebrities. This fall's influences range from the bold femininity of the 1940s to the futuristic angles of the '80s. But how much of what we see on the runway will make it to Pittsburgh?
Unless you're a model who swiped it after the show, you will never see the exact same piece of clothing available for retail. Runway garments are often made of materials so finely sewn or bizarrely presented that they're more performance art than clothing.
Boutique stores such as Emphatics in One Oxford Centre and Dress Circle in Shadyside have exclusive rights to the designers' actual offerings and are way ahead of the fashion curve. For instance, Urban Outfitters and American Apparel are selling harem pants inspired by the fall 2007 show. Meanwhile, some fashion houses have already segued to high-rise slouchy pants like those by Michael Kors at Dress Circle, or the genie version by Stella McCartney at Emphatics.
H&M, bebe and other large retailers have brought back shoulder pads of the 1980s, inspired by the bold, puffed shoulders of Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga and Balmain. The mass-market interpretations will not be as ferociously dramatic as the runway regalia, but they'll retain the subtleties and impressions of designers such as Jil Sander, who builds ready-to-wear interpretations into her runway shows.
One of the more wearable trends from the runway this fall is the boyfriend blazer. Bonnie Levey, owner of Dress Circle, says that the most popular pieces on her racks are jackets ranging from blazers to short leather bombers by Organics.
On the runway, Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors built them large and neon. A more practical, three-quarter-sleeve version by Vince can be found at Dress Circle and Nordstrom. For those not ready to invest in the new-old incarnation, Levey offers cleverly attachable shoulder pads.
The inventive superhero-inspired trends of the runway translate into more neon, metallic, animal prints and singular shoulder drapes on the racks. The short motorcycle jacket makes a comeback along with more creative wet leggings that can be found in metallic at H&M or BCBG Max Azria. Real-deal leather leggings can be found at Dress Circle and those by Tracy Reese at Nordstrom.
A harder-to-sell runway-inspired trend is the over-the-knee boot. In Stella McCartney's show, they were perfectly paired with numerous reinventions of leggings and blazers. Rubber-soled versions from Prada are available at Choices Collection in Shadyside, or from Calvin Klein at Nordstrom. Although the trend has not hit the Ross Park Mall location, Nordstrom will ship items from other stores directly to customers' homes free of charge. You can also find less expensive boots from Chinese Laundry.
A more popular inspiration is high necklines of pleats, bustles and long layered ruffles. The trend appeared in its extreme at the Chanel show in a presentation that could be described as the Mad Hatter meets "A Clockwork Orange." Softer, much softer, incarnations tack the layers to T-shirts or blouses that are not hard to find at smaller boutiques such as Via in the South Side.
The playful imperial style of Louis Vuitton can be found in pieces available from Juicy Couture. Try pairing buttoned leggings with tuxedo jackets at Saks Fifth Avenue and at Ross Park Mall. The trend can also be found on jackets coming out at Macy's and Jupe in the South Side.
In another cross-generational adaptation, the Christian Dior show brought back the 1940s hourglass figures with all the flash of '80s colors and patterns. Big belts that cinch the waist in sweaters, coats and blouses are the real-life rack translation.
Marni was just one of the artists who presented gloves, gold chains with big baubles and furry jackets in a presentation with more retail reality than the vamp harlequin inspirations from Alexander McQueen, available at Choices Collection in Shadyside.
In the end, the performances of Fashion Week speak directly to the world of everyday fashion. They just have to be big and loud to make it through all the filters.
First Published: September 23, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
