C: Is for the Contrast of Fashion!

Fall this year brings both excitement and envy. Glorious hues and fabrics mixed with a variety of textures. Proenza Schouler light fabrics in metallics and sequins were melded with heavy wools and velvets, creating an environment of chic. Cocoon coats, sequined and satin wide-leg pants, fur-collar jackets and button-down shift dresses contributed to the collection. Jewel-toned mini dresses in purple, forest green, and mustard yellow. Special attention to coats and I can’t help but notice the not-so-skinny trousers. In fact, the one I’m featuring is a palazzo, extra-wide, very loose, and ultra-fab pants. This is a collection I want to own.

Nicole Miller's yin-and-yang dynamic paired boxier jackets and cozy cocooning sweaters with super skinny black pants with patches of satin. The trend that seems to be emerging is either loose tops and tight bottoms or vice versa. The miniskirt is also on the rise here as well as at BCBG Max Azria, Erin Fetherston and Kimora Lee Simmons' Baby Phat line.
It's doubtful that Miller's customers already have a black, zip-front catsuit like the one she put on the runway. A silver-lame printed tunic dress with a halter neckline, worn with a black blouse underneath, was flashy but again balanced on top with an element of restrained. Structured evening gowns with delicious open backs and tasteful metallic fabrics. It is a year and line for a powerful, strong women.

PORTS 1961 use to be one of my favorite lines. Known for its romanticism and throwback to another era the clothes seem to dance with you. Tia Cibani new show found inspiration in Gaelic mythology. The Fall 2008 collection entitled “Lassair,” meaning flame or fire, featured every color of the Scottish rainbow. Limerick, ross, indigo, and a vibrant shade of red were offset by neutral dulse, peebles, sycamore, and cork tones. I loved the colors, the way it moved, it is extremely sensual. A number of pieces made use of feathers to further enhance mother nature’s presence, either on the fabric itself or as a head piece. Moreover, jeweled ribbing and cinched waistlines created powerful feminine silhouettes, especially when combined with sharp and sleek overcoats or jackets. However, the designs took on an avant-garde form. Taking the “street” concept to another worldly level, some of the shredded black shapes towards the end seemed to evoke the 80s grunge era, or in a few wildly out-there cases, simply tattered but fashion-friendly garbage bags.

This next season opts for the contrasts of billowy vs second skin as well as opulent jeweled tones to the starkness of nature. It seems as our political campaigns hit snares so does fashion and that is a F.A.C.T.