Good afternoon, Friday. Having a weekend is a gift and I for one will be cherishing some down time. In the middle of tons of projects at work that have made my head spin (worth it- going to be beautiful), I did somehow manage to find the time to review almost all of the collections for Resort 2014 (priorities, people). Allow me to say it's one of those seasons that has my number- sure resort clothes are a good deal more casual and loosened up than other collections, but I'd be hard pressed to say there was much I wasn't digging. There truly was something for every type of vacation- whether you want to wear Sonia Rykiel and capture that Parisian spirit (Louis Vuitton's muse was also the cool Parisian girl, with ridiculously great clothes) or say, a ballerina inspired vacation courtesy of Ralph Lauren, whose baby pink ballet sweaters recall that ballerina chic I've always adored.
And as usual, there's trends emerging from said collections, five of which I've captured below. Read on, dear fashion friends. Read on:
The choker pendant necklace- I spotted this very art teacher from the 70s accessory on stylish necks at Cushnie et Ochs, Derek Lam, and Ralph Lauren, as well as at Marni. Look for the metal choker to be an "it" piece in 2014- a perfect centerpiece for all of your favorite black dresses.
Leggy lengths- Perhaps with all of this talk of rebound, designers are going short once again when it comes to skirts. I adore Stella McCartney's short and cheeky dresses, and House of Holland's printed mini numbers look super fresh to me, and Alexander Wang went mini on much of his looks for his lower priced T line. Look for short to make a big splash next year, and hopefully, the market will act accordingly.
Postmodern minimalist- Years ago, my friend Jon and I worked with a woman who wore very severe Japanese clothing, and talked in a very monotone voice with very little emotion. The ultimate minimalist, we fantasized about vacations with her family at the minimalist theme park, where all the rides had sharp lines, were shrouded in darkness, and steeped in complete silence.
You'd be greeted by that character from "The Seventh Seal", who would say: "welcome to the minimalist theme park" with outstrectched and cloaked arm as pictured here. Cut to now where resort is shaping up to have very minimal overtones- ALC loosened up but still had sexy silhouettes with lots of black, Calvin Klein and JW Anderson both had looks that felt super postmodern with little bells and whistles (in the chicest of ways), and The Row's quiet chic was but a whisper, but a beautiful one. I love clothes like this- they are never vulgar- and as I get older I like my confidence to speak for me, not my clothes. I love how flattering most of these pieces can be- dressing in a minimal way is like having a uniform, and muses for this look like Vogue's Tonne Goodman always look timeless and stylish as well as on trend.
Seasonless suiting- There's something about packing a suit when going on vacation that is just chic as all get out- and the collections did not disappoint. I adore menswear and always have- standouts were at Stella McCartney (the lizard print trimmed tux jacket was fabulous- oh and lizard print another trend for resort), Louis Vuitton's denim suit was beyond anything (may be my fav from the collections), and Altuzurra breaks us off a hot piece of 70s glam with his great looking jacket and pants looks. And Thom Browne also didn't disappoint in that department- his pieces made me feel like going on a time machine vacation- back to swinging 60s Carnaby Street London- the eccentricity of the pieces felt very London 60s to me. Plus all the black (another big trend for resort- all black everything) options allow for all year round wear.
Tulip tops- As hemlines are rising, shoulders are getting a bit broader- I'm loving the new sweater shapes at Jason Wu, and House of Holland did some outstanding mini dresses with this new shape as well. Think it's a great look to make the waist look smaller and shift the focus up to the face and shoulders- adorable.
And special snaps and circles go to Lanvin's outstanding presentation (that Rembrandt lighting was a stellar nod to resort wear suited to sleepy, candlelit Venice), and Louis Vuitton had me at first look.
My super styley friend Tracey wrote me this am to tell me to check out the collection, where there was not one thing she would not put on her body. I couldn't agree more. Positively cool, effortlessly Parisian, sexy and cool all at once, and just super strong and on point. There's talk of Marc Jacobs leaving Louis, and if this was his last collection, he went out on a very high note indeed. That Chanelish jacket is everything. It's hard to choose really...agree with Tracey that I'd wear these pieces everywhere, all packed in a vintage LV trunk for good measure.
I also adored Marni's salute to a vacation filled with art gallery visits (her clothes are so perfect for art lovers- chic, simple, and works of art in their own right). Nina Ricci's collection had my favorite LBD (fear not, there's still knee length pieces like this one here), as well as effortless and gorgeous and flattering silhouettes that were feminine and well suited for warm climates- and the muted palette was stunning.
Oh, and Rochas. ROCHAS. I'd take your loveliness to the Bahamas or Bermuda and wear every piece. The shapes felt so new and Marco Zanini's architectural yet still feminine aesthetic feels groundbreaking to me. Obsessing...
But nothing says simple, sexy vacation dressing to me like the black strapless number from Stella McCartney, shown at the top of this post. It's easy, flattering, forgiving, and the perfect piece to throw in a bag and just get away. I'm so happy that designers are keeping it loose- enjoying the lack of skintight pieces- perhaps we can all relax a little too...here's to that and here's to the gorgeous clothes for Resort 2014. I sense some very happy retailers with all of these wearable looks. Cause that's what's up this take me away kind of Friday in the 212. Have a wonderful weekend. 'Tis the season for style and fantasies of stylish getaways. XO