IF local partygoers want to have fun this fall, they don’t always look like it.
Over the last few weeks, guests at galas and dinners and other dressy events have been dressing to reflect the more somber mood they’ve adopted since the events of Sept. 11.
The majority of the women at Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year event came in matte black dresses, including Rosie Perez and honoree Salma Hayek, two women who’ve never been shy about wearing color.
Further proof that gilt trips are over came at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, where rapper Lil’ Kim – a woman who never met a pastie she didn’t love – dressed in a reasonably tame Versace blouse and trouser outfit.
“I wanted to look very rich and classy,” the diminutive diva told reporters at the event.
It’s a huge change from this time last year – or even last summer – when partiers were getting gussied up in elaborately beaded and feathered dresses, flashy sequined tops and over-sized jewels at the drop of a hat.
Party-hearty socialite Marjorie Gubelman says the flashier dressers among us will shelve spangles in favor of Little Black Dresses and dressy suits inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s famous le smoking – a slick, feminine tuxedo.
“I don’t think people are necessarily going to begin dressing totally minimalist,” she says. “But I don’t think either that anyone will really dress as they did before, either – like they did when everyone was living large in the ’80s or before the Internet bust.”
There’s lots to choose from this season – designers including Calvin Klein and Tom Ford predicted the move toward subdued party clothes.
At last February’s shows debuting fall 2001 fashions, Klein scored a huge runway hit with short black cocktail dresses, while Ford banked on black and other dark hues such as deep plum when designing new collections for both Gucci and YSL.
Following is a quick look at what’s in and out:
IN:
Black
Matte jersey and silk
High, demure collars
Simple jewelry (pearls)
Bare shoulders
OUT:
Bright colors
Shiny, sheer fabrics
Necklines cut down-to-there
Sequins and rhinestones
Bare bellies
