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My boyfriend’s coming
home and he’ll have nothing to wear
SINCE THE DAWN of time, women have
been wearing their husband’s or boyfriend’s clothing. It’s a practice
also followed by gay men: after all, what better way to stay close
to your better half? Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel rose to prominence
with her early designs, which were based in part on the articles
of clothing she purloined from her lovers; and designers are still
following her lead to this day. Borrowing from the men was a big
trend on the catwalks, resulting in some fabulously tailored pants
(Richard Tyler, Bill Blass, Michael Kors), a justified renaissance
for the always iconic western duster coat popularized by John Wayne
and other western action stars (David Rodriguez, Bill Blass,
Michael Kors) and the three-piece suit, reworked to great effect
by John Varvatos in his Charlie’s Angels-tinged collection.
Zang Toi’s signature tuxedo suit, as worn by the underrated
Asian model, Ling, also tapped into this trend.
Emma Peel appeal: the
lean and mean season
A CARRYOVER from the previous category,
I couldn’t help but fall in love with the modern, updated sportswear
looks that were smart, chic and understatedly sexy. I am a sucker
for a smartly dressed woman; and I loved the fantastic pairings
of tailored suit and cropped jackets, fitted blouses, and barely
there tops—all with beautifully-cut trousers and pencil skirts.
Michael Volbracht for Bill Blass, Carolina Herrera, Vivienne
Tam, Richard Tyler (love that red satin suit!), Kenneth Cole
and Jennifer Nicholson all showed pieces that exemplify the
trend and the reasons it will never go away. These pieces have the
ability to be professional office wear for day, and can be changed
out with the addition of evening jewellery for a night out on the
town. It gets even better when beading, embroidery and other fineries
are incorporated into the design. •
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 See
the full story with more reviews, more labels, and Phillip
D. Johnson’s controversial picks on the best of New York
Fashion Week, in the May 2005 print edition of Lucire,
out now in New Zealand and Australia.
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Phillip D. Johnson is features’ editor
of Lucire. Richard Spiegel is New York editor of Lucire.
Some designers,
who should have known better, chose this season to coast. Leave
the retrospective exhibitions for future Costume Institute curators
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Get back to work!
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ABOVE, FROM TOP:
Bill Blass, David Rodriguez, John Varvatos, Zang Toi, John Varvatos,
Michael Kors, Vivienne Tam, Jennifer Nicholson, Bill Blass.
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