Hiya, Tuesday. I had such a lovely weekend with some dear old pals only to wake up today to more stupid snow. Meh. But besides all of the salt and slush and questioning why the sweet Lord is so pissed at the Northeast this year (Boston, poor Boston), I have another question for us to ponder, and that is- does fashion still matter?
A dear and very smart friend of mine asked me that the other day, and she was of course referencing the recent death of retail and the jeopardy of big box brands when it comes to selling clothes. As the fashion dominoes fall, my answer was not that fashion was dead or dying, but that the way we shop is changing quicker than you can swipe a credit card. I think retail is going to continue to see some challenges in the bricks and mortar world, but is fashion dead because of it? Of course, I told her that fashion is very much alive, at least to this woman.
But if New York Fashion Week is any indication, I see her point. So far, there are very few collections there that felt new, fresh, or extraordinary. But that got me thinking- if fashion may not be the groundbreaking tour de force it once was, perhaps it has evolved into something else, something more attainable and accessible in the best of ways. As shopping becomes more and more customized to our lives and habits, shouldn't fashion follow suit? Enter the age of a more mindful approach to dress.
By now we are all so bored with normcore, and if you are like me, you don't even want to hear that term. But normcore was a culmination of a bubbling over of fashion as folly, and perhaps fashion has now taken on another life- as something functional, useful, and utterly wearable, but not at all boring. Perhaps fashion is taking a soulful gaze around the universe and proclaiming that clothes need to truly reflect the times in which we live- we are working harder than ever, stressing out more than ever, multitasking more than ever. We are going from bedroom to yoga room to boardroom to chic dining room in one day, and we need clothes that ease the pain of an overtaxed life.
Enter the collections of Donna Karan, and my favorite so far of the week, The Row. True these are high stakes garments for the 1%, but good fashion often trickles down to the rest of us, and sets the barometer for where style is headed.
At Donna Karan, we were granted an Eastern promise- of clothes inspired by the Far East, with obi belts and kimono like, well swaddled layers of luxe. I love the quiet elegance of the collection, which somehow manages to feel ornate in its delicate wrapping and movement. Also fashion seems to be having a "thing" with our waistlines, so get ready to suck it in as Fall '15 focuses on our midsections. (Insert yikes here). I love the beautiful gold coat and all of those fabulous plays on construction throughout the collection. Timeless and beautiful.
And then MK and Ash turned it way up a notch by dialing it way down and showing the most beautiful collection against the quintessential backdrop of the Mies van der Rohe designed Seagram Building. According to Wikipedia the building "stands as one of the finest examples of the functionalist aesthetic and a masterpiece of corporate modernism." These are clothes for women who understand their own style and the Olsens are functional designers and masters of a modern approach to dress- impervious to age, body type, and fashion victimitis. Again, there's a nod to the East with fabulous obi belted suiting (watch that waistline) and leather kimonos, all hued in a deep chocolate that makes me feel decadent just looking at it. Those Olsens are truly showing the world what life after "Full House" can look like- and it's luxe, well textured, and transcendent. Everywhere you look- beyond gorgeous clothes that are not sentimental, overly referential, and altogether timeless. And that chunky knitwear is absolutely fabulous and will be coveted by every fashion girl from here to there. When I look at this collection, I wonder why it would be necessary to wear anything else, and props to showing that new style of clutch held sideways to create a new line. I die. Oh and that model's pixie cut and slipper look is just beyond. I must go shorter with my hair come Fall 2015. I'm more than halfway there and need that look next season. Love it. Love them. Done and done.
Also worth mentioning is a wonderful new design duo the Brock Collection, a three season old husband and wife team that is surely going to take the fashion world by storm. Look after look felt age agnostic and every bit chic. Nothing tricky here, folks. Just beautiful clothes. I can't wait to see what they do next. That black fuzzy coat situation is so good. I want it. Now.
So really, fashion is nowhere near dead. It's alive for those that appreciate modern dress free of too many bells and whistles, without referencing the past but steeped in a futuristic, uniform approach to style, as well as very much right here, right now. I'm inspired by clothes that feel wearable and useful and timeless. That to me, is where fashion is headed, what normcore represented- it's not about dressing normal or being boring or anything of the kind. It's about embracing something subtle and beautiful and sensual that is the opposite of vulgar trend seeking. If this is where fashion is headed, and I think it is, I feel more alive than ever. Fashion is not dead, it's just evolved. And I for one like where it's headed.
And that's what's up this resuscitated Tuesday in the 212. Yours, in fashion forward thinking. And yes, it still matters. XO