In seasons past, even the most casual observer of fashion could predict the look of an April frock — no matter the cut or the shape, she could count on a profusion of bright, colorful prints.
But in 2011, fabrics in faded pastels and sandblasted hues are giving spring styles their edgiest feel in years. Ethereal, minimal looks in exhausted pink, washed-out ocher and sun-bleached cornflower blue floated down the runway at New York’s fashion week, with models clad in taupe and neutral sky-high heels. It’s a more subdued, sober look, one befitting a world in recession.
But just as the American woman can only stand to tighten her belt so much before breaking down and buying just one, itty-bitty pair of jeggings — on sale! — the eye can tolerate only so much sepia-toned couture. The colors of spring — hot coral, navy and deep emerald green — provide welcome sunspots to monochromatic spreads filling glossy fashion magazines. Still, the vibe is hardly Mardi Gras, thanks to colorblocking — incorporating large blocks of color in one garment — in looks on the racks in both big-box discount chains such as Target and exclusive stores like Saks.
Seventies silhouettes are everywhere but modified for more sleek, modern tastes. The flare on bell-bottom jeans isn’t as wide; batwing, fluted and dolman sleeves create drama in blouses and dresses but without the psychedelic patterns that induce vertigo. Denim, the uniform of the Woodstock generation, is in evidence everywhere, but beware the jean OD that befell so many of our sisters who ironed their hair and parted it down the middle. (Translation: Leave the jean cap in the closet if you plan to trot around in those denim pumps).
As an added bonus, hemlines have moved blessedly south, as in Cuba. While traipsing around New York to cover fashion week in September, yours truly spotted style monsters racing through subways, the edges of their to-the-ground prairie skirts blackened by the city streets and sidewalks. If you wear this trend, just remember to lift your petticoats, or prepare to be soaked like Jenny in her hippie period running through the Reflecting Pool to meet her Forrest.
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