|
What Makes a Good Fashion Show
Some years ago I attended a fashion show for graduating students. After several student collections were shown, the soundtrack to the Great Escape came on, spotlights lit the stage – but no models. They – male models dressed in army-influenced clothing – then suddenly emerged from underneath the catwalk, helping each other up, as if conducting a military operation. Yes, it was unexpected, humorous, appropriate, and it woke me and everyone else in the audience right up. And, not surprisingly. Watching a fashion show is a bit like watching a movie. Apart from hoping the person in front of us isn’t going to block our view, we also expect that it will have a theme, and hopefully some unexpected twists.
But, more than anything, we expect a ‘show.’ That little icon on a T-shirt, though very nice up close and personal, isn’t going to be especially exciting from twenty feet away. Designers know this, of course, and will often adjust garments, or create a few pieces just for their catwalk show. And, there have been plenty of good examples of fashion shows lately.
Fashion designer Peter Jensen created a Fall 2009 collection that was attractive and very wearable, as well as unique. Inspired by Nordic clothing and patters, Jensen’s outfits were heavily layered, cozy-looking, yet still sexy. White leather, knee-length boots came decorated with folkloric patterns in simple, bold colors. Big, bold patterns were on display on the garments themselves – such as a silver dress printed with a massively enlarged black and silver hound’s tooth. A woman’s short jacket in light blue, and another short black jacket for men, were printed with traditional clusters of roses (usually seen on old fashioned dresses or upholstery). Inspired by traditional folk-type dress, the silhouettes of Jensen’s outfits were also interesting. One outfit, for example, consisted of knee-length boots, gathered woolen elbow-length gloves, a black dress gathered in tight to the knees, and an aqua, see-through organza cape with hood.
At the other end of the spectrum to Jensen’s fun and colorful look, was Calvin Klein’s fall 2009 collection. And, though completely different, this was another fantastic show. Sparse and minimalist in the extreme, Calvin Klein’s garment’s reflected the more architectural tradition of fashion. Using a slightly stiff charcoal gray, silver, and black fabric, with lots of lines running throughout the garments, dresses and coats held their shape, flaring out slightly, and giving the impression of being ‘suspended’, rather than draping on the body.
Calvin Klein’s dresses were often asymmetrical. Collars were sometimes cut with the right side lower than the left. One dress had thin pleats gathering tightly in one area and spreading out diagonally across the body, creating a kind of ‘wave’ in the fabric. And the fabrics themselves ranged from a thick, dimensional, crackled texture, to wool cut almost into ribbons or threads, subtly showing hints of the body underneath. Of course, when outfits are monochromatic, and a collection is dominated by gray and black, the focus is on the cut and fabric. They’re obviously things that Calvin Klein does well. You can find out more about fabric, cut, and fashion, at www.startingaclothingline.com.
|
