Leather makes leap to spring
Dissecting the spring fashion season can be done in one word. Leather.
Need two more? Bold stripes.
The New York Fashion Spring/Summer 2013 shows, which ended Thursday, herald the arrival of what shoppers can expect to see on racks in six months. Make room in the closet for leather — it’s not just for winter anymore. Many designers had shorts as part of their collections; some added skirts of all lengths, including those from Alexander Wang, Tracy Reese and DKNY. Jason Wu and Charlotte Ronson added leather tops — Wu’s included some S&M Helmut Lang-inspired halters, while Ronson went for midriff baring shirts. In short, expect to see leather while sipping cocktails at rooftop bars next summer.
And while in previous season’s of TLC’s fashion-bible-for-the-masses “What Not To Wear” had Stacy London and Clinton Kelly imploring their charges to stray from stripes, designers showed a bold nod to stripes in all widths, colors and angles. Graphic statements from Tommy Hilfiger could be expected, but others who sent far-from-nautical looks down the runway were Marc Jacobs, Yigal Azrouel, Emerson, Altuzarra and Y3.
Lace, floral prints and bold colors remain in force, but a surprise trend may be a literal take on “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Not the book, but rather the monochromatic hue coming down the runway from high-end designers from Naeem Khan and Prabal Garung to Rachel Comey and BCBG by Max Azria.
All the better to accent with bright-colored handbags from Cambridge Satchel Company (Chris Benz) and Proenza Schouler’s seen-on-everyone’s-shoulder PS1 bag.
Originally published in the Chicago Sun-Times on September 15, 2012.