Spring Things

By Sophia Mossberg • Sep 14th, 2009 • Category: Juicy Story, Style

Under the Bryant Park tents, repping the flag and its aesthetic roots couldn’t be more in vogue—until florals and patterns swamped the catwalk (Derek Lam), followed by the return of the banded dress (Hervé Leger), not to mention exotic safari print swimsuits (DVF). Divergence and contradiction in look and sensibility provide a colourful window into spring fashions. Standouts so far are those that convey a certain time period or place, however incongruous in the context of each other. Though there are no coherent seas of furs or neons or nudes as in the fall, the Mediterranean, the Nile, and both local coasts are flamboyantly represented.

Drawing upon a history of exploration and militia, Alexander Wang’s 2010 collection is red, white, and blue in hue and in feeling. Classic lines are revisited as flowing A-line skirts and recurring forms of beige maintain references to the American west, and a smattering of striped red and whites atop blue bottoms and brown penny loafers reinforce flag fever of days of yore. Pieces are elegant, if casual; and trendy, if simple. Wang’s designs are more romantic in spirit than was his F/W ’09 assemblage of studs and boots. They are exceedingly wearable without reaching minimalism, as in past seasons. Rather, a dynamism exists in the structures of fluid skirt drapery in combination with coarser textures and peek-a-boo cut-outs. And of course, rock-tinged biker chic wasn’t quite out of his system from fall ’09, so we can once again relish a decidedly fewer set of minis and leather (black, natch).

On the bolder, brighter, and more patterned side of the tracks is Derek Lam’s collection of vintage silhouettes and wild prints. Blues, greens, and reds burst from the belted get-ups evoking ‘40s sophistication. The collection features waist-hugging frocks with busy floral ornamentation (and many a trim thigh). A mid-century working woman dons the rainbow, vivid as Mediterranean yellows and teals. Casual glamour? Yes, please. Floral blouses, star-studded belts, and laced oxford booties lent the collection a modern elegance that visibly referenced an earlier epoch— one that has the oomph to reinstate itself today.

Photos:
Style.com