Anyone who’s felt out of fashion because they won’t deign to wear one of the skimpy mini-skirts that are all the rage for fall owes a debt of gratitude to Catherine Malandrino and Alice Roi.
On the first full day of Fashion Week, these two smart designing women presented lovely spring lines that you don’t have to be a stick to wear.
Skirts were knee-length or longer (often they fell to the floor) at Malandrino, who paid homage to the God-fearing, church-going women of Harlem at a noontime show at the Apollo Theater.
The show started with a strong-lunged gospel singer – clad in a gauzy black Malandrino dress, of course – belting out hallelujahs before the models hit the stage wearing vintage-looking (think late ’30s) chiffon dresses with jagged, layered hems and skirts done up in crisp cotton eyelet or with sweet embroidered swallows and graceful lace cutouts.
Though not all of Malandrino’s models were African American, they all wore Afros.
Every girl got one – even slick-haired English roses like Erin O’Connor and Jodie Kidd had fuzzy poofs of hair extending from their heads, often enveloped in cute crocheted hair nets or peeking out from under snappy fedoras. It looked super.
Alice Roi’s show was Amish style by way of Cuba. Or Puerto Rican-flavored Pennsylvania Dutch fashion.
Or something like that. Whatever. It looked great.
Her skirts were conservative – long and frequently to the floor. Roi’s tops looked great, but the best had puffed sleeves and woven grosgrain ribbon waists and cuffs.
Roi does have a great eye for detail, but it’s nothing compared to that of the team at Bruce, whose 16-piece collection was so carefully considered, so wonderfully edited that not a single stitch looked out of place.
The smart, minimalist girls who love this line (Bruce’s show was an unequivocal highlight of last season) will adore this collection – especially the black off-the-shoulder top with small, tightly pleated ruffles worn with smart black shorts.
Ever wonder how a London girl might dress if she had a home on the range?
Luella Bartley’s show held the answer.
Faded denim skirts with washing-machine shredded hems (do try this at home, kids!), sheer black blouses and hippie-ish skirts, well-cut military-esque Sergeant Pepper jackets worn with sleek pants – there was some good stuff here.
But those candy-colored sweater bits, featuring a cheesy sunglasses print? Definitely for a limited audience.
Diane von Furstenberg’s line, however, had major mass appeal.
Aside from the ultra-sheer, nipple-revealing dresses and shorty-short gym shorts, the divine DVF turned out a slew of great things, including smart suits, cute chiffon mini-dresses and, of course, her fab wrap dresses, which showed up in a new range of patterns and cuts that are sure to please her rabid fan base of NYC’s chicest gals.
