New York Fashion Week: Keeping An Eye On The Cloth

So, yes, it is New York fashion week and I am actually here. Before I arrived I interviewed Robert Burke, a former VP at Bergdorf Goodman's who now runs his own consulting firm. We spoke about the story on the 1970s revivals happening on the runway for a Portfolio piece and about the ramifications of the exchange rate (not to be confused with the economy) for a video that will appear later this week. One of the big problems designers and retailers everywhere are having is the strength of the Euro. It has added significantly to the costs of their fabrics, most of which are sourced in Italy for designer collections. So what are they doing? Buying cheaper materials. Burke said, "they're using less expensive fabrics in more inventive ways." It's one of those lines that is just stuck in my head. Last night we saw the first New York show by Jonathan Saunders, a man known for his talent with prints and colors. But the show last night was fairly monochromatic. He showed long, tight dresses go by in shades of beige and camel, long beige coats with giant fur hoods, and black dresses with chiffon pleated panels on the sides -- think of it chiffon as a trim. "Was it," I wondered, "a way for Saunders to show his new New York audience that he's not merely the print man they'd heard about, but a guy who can fashion a silhouette too? Or was it the cost? Designing your own prints is one of the fastest ways to add to price of materials. The message at Y-3, Yohji Yamamoto's line for Adidas, seemed to be Cool. It was staged in an igloo, complete with melting blocks of ice, so we were all freezing for one thing. But it was, even more than usual, focused on street wear over athletic wear. There was nary a sneaker to be seen. But trousers that looked like jeans from the back and leggings from the front -- a design statement or .... a way of mixing inexpensive denim into the collection? Diane Von Furstenberg, like Saunders, is known for her prints. But solids reigned at DVF and her trademark dresses were shelved in favor of little suits. Everything was belted to give an 1940s air. Later today, the most-anticipated re-launch of the season -- Halston. □