Entirely Dresses

Chicago Wedding

wedding article

With military influences remaining such a strong trend both on and off the runway (every other person on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg sports a green army jacket these days), it’s no surprise Banana Republic’s Fall 2010 collection was heavy on utility pieces. The retailer certainly knows a thing or two about the style—it originally peddled safari vests and field coats before being acquired and rebranded by Gap. Creative director Simon Kneen turned out twill miniskirts, an olive-drab wool dress, and slim cargo pants, which he paired with washed silk frocks and great cardigans tailored to resemble ladylike jackets. “It’s all about the modern mix,” he said backstage. “Formalwear mixed with casual attire and sportswear.” The mostly neutral procession of looks wasn’t the most exciting big-brand collection we’ve seen, but Kneen’s mix-it-up message speaks to the approach these companies must take now: “It’s about the individual, rather than a uniformed look.”—Romney Leader
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Edie Beale goes to Girl Scout camp. Creative director Jenna Lyons’ starting point for J.Crew’s Fall collection meant that the label’s rumpled chambray button-downs, boyfriend chinos, utility jackets, and tweedy coats were accessorized to the hilt with Albertus Swanepoel hats, brooches and necklaces galore, textured tights, ankle socks, and desert boot wedges, as well as spangled, fur-trimmed shoulder bags. “I’m not expecting people to dress like this,” Lyons said at Milk Studio’s sun-drenched penthouse studio, referring to the Grey Gardens-influenced styling. “But they could, and I would love it if they did.” The important point is that, following the lead of the company’s cleverly curated catalogs, there was ample opportunity to deconstruct the looks and find plenty of gotta-have-them, affordable basics, along with some truly special pieces. Among the on-trend surprises: an olive-drab vest with Mongolian shearling lining, a sweater jacket trimmed in alpaca, and, yes, diaper shorts—all pieces with that “Oh, is that J.Crew?” potential. “I love it when people ask that,” said Lyons, who has been on a roll lately. “But why are they so surprised?”—Nicole Phelps
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Cerruti, the French tailoring label, hasn’t had much of a profile in womenswear for several seasons, but on October 1 last year, the company signed the London-based Australian designer Richard Nicoll to revive its credibility. In the short time he’s been there (while shuttling to and fro on Eurostar), Nicoll has identified the house strength in daywear and set about recasting it for a modern woman’s working life. One of the ways he does that is through tonal color, matching cranberry shades in a single look, then grays; moving into a strong passage of petrol, teal blue, and navy; and then into unconventional pastel tones of apricot and beige-pink. Yet being allocated the last-but-one slot in four weeks of shows didn’t do the management any favors. While scores of editors were streaming home after Hermès, or struggling in traffic across town to make Miu Miu, Cerruti had chosen to show in the bleak, out-of-town cluster of abandoned warehouses the Chambre Syndicale of Paris has christened “Halle Freyssinet”—and which some international fashion professionals have taken to calling “Hell.” Overall, there was not enough here to make a fair evaluation of the soundness of Nicoll’s ideas about dressing working women. His mohair knits certainly have a fluffy appeal, as does the windowpane check tailoring, but notions like pants in see-through perforated fabric and latex skirts and leggings aren’t going to fly. Next season, Cerruti would be better off taking their presentation back home to their classy, light-filled showroom in the center of Paris, walking distance from where their customers live, work, and stay on business.—Sarah Mower
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