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Written and photographed
by Richard Spiegel
I ALWAYS REMEMBER that famous phrase, 'When in doubt go in black', and
by living in New York City it's not a question of doubt but a state of
mind. You can always tell who is from New York just by the amount of black
clothing they are wearing. Famed wedding-dress now turned prêt-a-porter
designer Vera Wang has given the New York woman's safety net with her
fall 2000 collection. Despite the rich wash of colour as seen from other
design houses, Vera Wang has chosen black as her trademark for fall.
Everything from evening dresses, cocktail dresses and
trousers come in black, with only a dash of colour with some garments.
Normally, one might state that there is a lack of imagination, but I feel
differently: there is obviously a niche here and what better a mark of
differentiation in stores? If everyone is going for colour then going
for black can set you apart and Vera Wang may have taken a wise gamble.
There were some different colours—mostly browns
and different hues of honey which seemed everybody was hitting on. Wang
had quite a few alligator pieces in different colours, including a brown
alligator overcoat matched with an off-white skirt and black top.
As for Vera's evening wear, she decided to shift gears
and yes, she tossed out some color on the catwalk! Gold and sliver glitter
outfits graced the runway, giving a welcome visual feast. There were a
few sequinned numbers in addition.
The word which was voiced by many in attendance for
the entire week was that most designers were playing it safe; as for Vera
Wang I would say she was playing it smart! She is fully conscious of who
her customer is. What they seek in a Vera Wang collection is a slick,
polished, urban look for the city woman.
R I C H A R D S P I E G E L
Richard Spiegel is Lucire's New York Editor.
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