Reflections

The Spring 2009 Collection at Vuitton was a departure from the usual stoic French sensiblity of the house and methodically addressed the mass' interest in this luxury brand. The normal approach to achieiving this type of textured luster is to engineer a lurex woven and hope that the garment is always worn in optimal light for the desired luminous effect. Here, Marc Jacobs (Creative Director) prints right on the lame to create the right amount of radiance and sparkle for the fashionista looking for pieces that easily transition from day to night. The fabric is a genius display of technology and looks as though it is made from priceless vintaged coins as they would be worn by mythological dieties, or better yet, a fashion goddess. This is proof positive that gloss will be the new bling beautiful in the season to come.

A Cut Above

Stella McCartney: The best patterns this season are turning out to be the subject matter of the look and not the garment itself. This cut-out trend is being rocked by all the fashionistas around the globe in several silhouettes and forms as a way of creating an "au natural" texture. The organic driven fabric selections of select fashion houses substantiating the "Green" movement are sure to be re-interpreted for years to come.

BOHEMIAN ELEGANCE: STUNNING! The bold attitude and alluring angles dance around the neck and explode into Fall 2008. This cocktail is the toast of the season by starting a warm cozy fire in the front row.

Humanity Through Fashion!*Please donate to funds assisting families across America being displaced by disasters in their communities.

WE ARE A NATION.......Rebuild America!-rahdney reports 07/15/08

The Great Cover-Up

Every Spring we are challenged to find the great cover-ups, even though we already have one. Rocking a printed top layer is a mood elevator of the highest order this season if you are looking dress up the drab. These particular zebra inspired prints are styled to change the direction of flow and add to the bold impression in an ever so chic way....VERY Dior!-rp

"Posen" for a Portrait

ZAC Posen has gone print crazy in his Resort '09 collection!!!! I know I pushed right past Spring & Fall on this one, but I had to bring it to everyone's attention because the collection is loaded with looks. I love the effort to provide his customers with a softer demension to his famous frilly silhouettes. Nice to see an American designer decide to follow the lead of his European couterparts because American women are wanting more contemporary choices.

How badly do you want to stand out in the crowd? It is important this season to make a personal statement by finding prints that truely express the essence of your personality. Anna Sui is no stranger to making the beautifully bold looks that command attention work by using a subdued color palette and black accents. Her typical rock-n-roll inspiration makes for mandatory additions to your closet to spice things up this Spring '08.-rp

Romance Is Not Dead, It's Fashionable.

I'm finding it very difficult to focus on Spring when the Fall preview is saturated with so many sultry and romantic references. The cascading floral embellishment is a dramatic yet necessary element in achieving this look of ages. No longer are the days of a "missy" cabbage rose isolated to flannel bathrobes draped over gandma's rocking chair. This going to be the cocktail stunner of the season because it is loaded with the things that make for a jaw-dropping entrance, not to mention Giambattista Valli's excellent use of texture & color.

A Gun for Every Woman to Tote

I speak to about 100 designers a week on average & it is the general consensus in the market place, that the idea of a gun is too violent of an image to be used as a conversational element. Here, on a NY consumer, it is garnered in a fun playful manner that is not offensive or threatining in any manner. In fact, it injects some humor into a topic that we take all too seriously in terms of imaging.

After an entire year of the world being skull crazed and being enthrawled by the macabre, what's the next jeopardous look? I think we found it!

Brush Strokes

How can something so simplistic be so coveted? The process of printing on fabric is an exact science & such compositions are almost impossible to render in textiles. A screen has to be created for every color & the pattern has to repeat in a manner that allows every garment to be identical. While we're still waiting for digital printing to ease in to mass production the wholesale value of such items is always going to be in the high stratosphere.

Chloe's paint splatters are an example of this house's sophisticated style techniques and how no expense is spared to garner the mood of the season. I think this will be the most duplicated look in the mass market by far.

Art+Photography+Design=FASHION

New, fresh, and lovely....When you consider the collaborative genius that went in to this particular line, there is no wonder why this was the most talked about show of the season. Marc Jacobs, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince were the forces that shaped this collection's attitude and appeal. I love how the usage of sequins emulates an ikat right off the Athena's loom and creates a bohemian effect that is all-around chic & stylish.

Channeling Versace

A look ahead to Versace Fall 2008 is an inspirational push provided by dutch artist Tim Roeloffs. A photoreal monatage of Versace-esque textiles and references printed on a colorful backdrop evokes a strong mental image that is functional & flirty. The bonus is that this pattern is impeccably engineered to provide an intersting visual that is modern & sophisticated. This print is an homage to the great style and expert tailoring of Gianni Versace and can be re-worked to achieve several silhouettes for seasons to come.

"transculturalism"

The global surge to become "green" and raise environmental awarness is not only the hottest political topic, but also the mission statement of the world's foremost design houses.

Identifying with patterns and textures from the most remote regions of the planet will be deployed in Spring 2009. Abstract variations of familiar textiles and icons seen around the world will create distinct looks on the racks.

The color story for the season is one that honors the rainbow of cultures with hues of personality and will bring the natural simplicity of this season's fabric direction.

The New Order

1. Peter Piletto introduces a print that is loaded with texture interpret the abstract & ikat trend that has dominated the runways this season.
2. Talbot Runhof utilizes a flirty floral to make an ultra feminine statement. I love how the floral motif creates a scenic of blooms that is not so typical and gives the garment's character some life.

I am a full blooded, pure-bred Fashionisto and have to respect the legendary houses that have laid the foundation for the future of fashion prints, but, there is something very intriguing about the collections that are rising in the ranks. This season was saturated with print masterpieces across the board that addressed form, color, mood and history. However, I was most impressed with the new-comers who utilized patterns to show that their collections have the depth necessary to attract the eye of today's discerning consumer. BRAVO!

I Wish I Was Home

"We're not in Kansas anymore Toto." These days when you venture into the home textile editorials you have to wonder who the target viewer is. The "Do-It-Yourselfers" seem to hav e taken over the reigns from the high brow interior specialists to make a stand in the market place. The reality TV craze has infiltrated virtually every audience base now and is strongly influencing consumers to seek bolder patterns & more vibrant colors. And, we must agree that, nowhere is the personality more vividly expressed than in the home.

I think it is fantastic that we are being given many more options in the marketplace to execute uncoventional ideas in creating personalized living spaces. The modern home maker wants looks that are outside the scope of traditional home palettes and seek options in furnishings that immulate the motifs and moods found on the fashion runways.

Him, Her, She, He........

Sometimes it is rather obvious that a print is either male of female simply based on the elemets used to render the overall layout. For example, butterflies & flowers tend to tell a feminine story while sports themes & stripes have a masculine appeal. However, the abstract side of things seems to be a prevalent look for the past couple of seasons and is steadily gaining momentum. Several brands have indoctrinated the policy of runnnig prints that have only one distinction of gender, the colorway.
This brand of merchandising is seen mostly in the European market where basic prints are brought to life by a sophisticated color palette that adds a twist to the typical metropolitan silhouette. Patterns are surfacing in the most precarious ways lately as designers are focused on giving the customer more options to express style and personality.

No Lines On My Stripes Please,...

A print is intended to evoke an emotion and then to pinpoint a collection's focus or drive a Brand's direction. By implanting a definitive element to create the effects of contrast and texture, this same strategy is adopted for the placement of a stripe and a plaid. Simple geometry it is not, because it is every designer's challenge at one point or another to get their creative juices jammed with linear formatting.

This pattern is fashioned and referenced by vintage Ikats designed to explore surreal impressions of a stripe by Coloured Zebra Print Studio Paris, France. It will be a refreshing way to approach the abstract & tribal trends that will dominate the editorial features for the transitional mid-season deliveries.

Let's define this to be a forward look that allows some freedom to flow within the theorems of engineering skirt borders. Besides the obvious Missoni House of Milan, I know there will be some prominent peices rendered by adopting this look to interpret the retro mood for Spring 2009. RTW Separates, Accessories, & Home will be key markets guiding the trend.

What is Urban?

Again, I took a dive in to the minds of my contemporaries to gain some clarity on what is now being dawned as a the new cliche' , "Urban." It was once a term used to describe something that is indigenous to inner city culture and largely influenced by the Hip-Hop community.

The celebrities & supermodels are driving the "street chic" look home from the runway to the red carpet and creating an aesthetic genre that is undefinable but clearly recognizable as "Urban." LuQman of Luzzine Media/Photography states,"Urban is the spice that gives historical depth and colorful flavor to all major metropolitan cities around the world." This easily translates to taking what we see and applying it to what we do, and in this case, what we wear.

The recent printed hoodie craze has led to the evolution of the sweatshirt by adding the dimensions of color & embellishment to rival its cousin the T-shirt. Above are textile renderings from the Prints of Orange studio depicting both the literal and abstract approaches to urban apparel concepts. The silhouettes of B-boys in various break dancing poses is a nostalgic hint to a historic movement that inspired a generation. However, on a more sophisticated note the framework of a computer's motherboard makes for an intricate pattern that stands as strong as any contemporary geometric and will debut in children's outerwear later in the season.

SPRING, AGAIN?... 2009, ALREADY!!!!

Soon after talking to several high end and moderate market designers, the verdict is in...Holiday is a wrap, and let's move on to Spring 2009 with something special to wow the buyers. The age old dilemma of delivering a collection that is fresh, and focused on leisure is still the task at hand, and with all of the intricacies entailed. Basically, let's design for a customer that will be touring the sunbelts of the world, while the rest of the shopping floor is reflective of the weather at hand.

With so many ideas flying about the circuit of market & private label designers, it is impossible to tell what will skyrocket to design stardom and make every editorial feature and claim the illustrious title of TREND. Fractured geometrics, photoreal florals, & safari skins infused with pretty peaches, oranges, & magenta tonals seem to be on the boards at prelimenary go-sees.

The Print highlighted above is one of the most forward out of Europe & quickly making a splash on the boards in the contemporary market interpreting, "Opulent Oasis: Safari." Even if reduced to a mere 4 tones, this print still creates a forward appeal to take the obvious floral a step further in demension and style.

This upcoming season of the vernal equinox will definiely be a colorful display of modern delicate lines playing background to the charactrization of organic shapes and references. But... lets remember, those of us with holiday & resort deliveries...EMBELLISH, EMBELLISH, EMBELLISH!!!...and start planning a winter vacation with a firm Spring direction to build on for a crisp & comfortable new collection.

Women's Ready to Wear

Let's forget about forecasting for a moment and talk about what's going on right now in terms of shaping the season's moods into cohesive trends. Moving in to Holiday is going to be a welcoming saunter through elementary textile history after such a dark and virtually print-free Fall. Look for sharp geometrics rendered in black & white colorways for an elegant yet fun way to dress up this seasons ever so dark palette. Betsey Johnson has chosen a graphic approach to covering this trend as a way to evoke pattern & color in a very flattering contemporary rendering.

This whole feeling of simple geometrics infused with color will also be dawned on the racks of Marc Jacobs in a most unique way. The bold patterns are subdued by warm friendly colors against very mature & sophisitcated silhouettes. Printed pants coupled with rich yarndyes & knits is a winning look for this house of pop idolotry.

The most effective use of pattern this season was clearly demonstrated in Chloe's presentation of the modern woman with a retro desire for style. "Contemporary Romance." The use of applique, embroidery, & matte colored embellishment creates a story of texture that is undeniably fresh. The floral selection is an array of abstract shapes that seem to compose a surreal garden scene from an era past and an age yet to come.