APPAREL

Gone are the days where we paid top dollar for buttery beautiful leather. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past four seasons, here’s an update: Green is a the new black. And that buttery leather is O-U-T. This fall, designers like Stella McCartney and Miu Miu opted for animal-friendly pieces made from polyurethane, a safe alternative to previously popular PVC (AKA polyvinyl chloride AKA vinyl AKA the bad, poisonous plastic).

Eco-bags, jackets and shoes flooded fall’s ready-to-wear, and like all good fakes, they feel so real. This season’s soft faux leather has the weight and texture of real leather, is lined with silky taffeta, adorned with zippers and studs to rock it out, and available in a variety of colors.

The good news: Meat haters can still rock out. The bad news: It won’t come cheap. Veggie-friendly jackets can run you a pretty penny. Stella McCartney has a vegan faux leather jacket for upwards of $500, but you can find a good alternative from f1 (left) for a bit less than $200. Less expensive versions are priced below $100, but lack the weight and polished look of the designer versions.

Emma Dinzebach

The headgear craze kicked into full gear in March on the catwalks of Georgio Armani (right), Azzaro (center), Fendi (right) and more. Fall takes us past tired fedoras and accessorizes toques with feathers and feathers with lace. From Amelia Earhart inspired flight caps to shiny lacquer turbans, it is high time to cover your quaff.
In another city, I might provide more subtle ways, like shimmery headbands or sparsely jeweled headwraps, to top off your look. But in Gotham, subtlety misses the point. So put away your single feather clips and get out the entire wing. Actress Samantha Morton wore a dramatic tilted Dick Tracy-esque hat by Giorgio Armani on the cover of the Times most recent T Magazine while the “Batty Brits” inside donned miniature crowns, dual winged hats, mohawks and bright pink fedoras. The message, anything goes! While you might be tempted to use your headgear as the statement piece, take some advice from your spinning instructor and add this season’s hair wear to another statement piece. If you were shy, you would live in Kentucky.
Emma Dinzebach

In 2002, Isaac Mizrahi paved the way for designer’s more accessible lines when he launched his Target collection. Before breaking up with Target to revamp Liz Claiborne’s line, Mizrahi took his signature style to a bit cheaper fabric, proving that you can have a great look without paying cloture costs.

Since then, heaps of designers from Rogan to Loomstate and even the globally hailed Alexander McQueen have submitted their style to fashion-starved Americans via Target. From H&M, we tasted Lagerfeld  (’04), Stella McCartney (’05), Viktor & Rolf (’06), Cavalli (’07)Commes des Garcons (’08), and so far this year we’ve been graced with a spring/ summer collection from Matthew Williamson. There is more where that came from, launching November 14th, our holiday feetsies will shine with Jimmy Choo for H&M. If that weren’t enough, the famed foot designer also created selected suede apparel and a couple of men’s jackets and shoes. Underneath it all, the ever edgy Sonia Rykiel launches special holiday lingerie and clothing lines that will carry H&M through Spring 2010.

Back at Target, Anna Sui launches her “Gossip Girl” line with collections named after the hit CW show’s female characters: Vanessa, Blair, Serena, Little J. Anna Sui dresses start at $59.99, which is a little steeper than Target’s everyday lines, but basically nil compared with Anna Sui ready to wear. And with the variety of styles for everyone’s inner fashionista, the line is sure to sell quickly.

In other words, it’s going to a be a very Merry Christmas.
Emma Dinzebach

OMG What was that? If New York Fashion week was like the tastiest Blow Pop ever, then Paris Fashion Week was a rainbow of Poprocks. Eye candy cannot graze what happened to my eyes last week. Eye ecstasy is really more like it. Thank you Emanual Ungaro for resurrecting pink. Thank you Wunderkind for showing us asymmetry in tights. And thank you Viktor & Rolf for making us wonder if we were still watching ready-to-wear. There was a nipple sticker (Ungaro), a made-from-hay step and repeat (Chanel), sometimes no shirts (YSL, Sonia Rykiel), sometimes no pants, and as models blew kisses from the catwalk designers crossed their fingers in hopes that sex still sells.

What does an average working woman do with barely there textile and pieces that reveal? I’m guessing that in the Spring, people will have to wear pants and shirts, but sheer stuck. YSL’s autumn leather pieces carried over. Candy colors and lips that pop were as frequent as toque toppers and tall platforms. Continue to accessorize with belts, headbands, earrings, sunglasses. Allow these accessories influence your fall purchases. As for businesswear, there were plenty of knee length skirts and safe for work jackets. Just because the models aren’t wearing shirts with their suits, doesn’t mean you should!

The winners? It’s hard to decipher amongst the hoopla. Louis Vuitton, with the afro wigs and feather clogs, looked harder to wear than Gaultier’s visible bra shirts. And Alexander McQueen’s fru fru skirts and devil horned hair looked uncomfortable. However, while parts of Paris fashion week made a New Yorker feel pre-pubescent (like the French can justify excess because – enter French accent – “We’ve been doing this longer than you!”) other shows remained keyed to consumers needs (Hermes, Alexander Wang, Giles). Until spring, patience.

Photos: Paris Fashion Week, Spring 2010, Ready-to-Wear  Ungaro, YSL, Sonia Rykiel, Viktor & Rolf

Emma Dinzebach