Expect simple, modern looks at New York Fashion Week

It will run till September 12 closing with shows by Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs.

Designers from around the world began unveiling their latest looks at New York Fashion Week on Thursday, as fashion buyers and editors assembled to see what will be au courant for spring, with trend watchers expecting a season of simple silhouettes.

Hundreds of shows are slated in New York over the coming week, displaying looks for spring 2014, before attention moves on to events in London, Milan and Paris.

The range on New York catwalks can be vast, from Custo Barcelona’s joyous prints to Carmen Marc Valvo’s beaded evening wear, Diane von Furstenberg’s lush colours and Ralph Lauren’s polished classics.

Longtime designer Carolina Herrera can be relied on for sleek sophistication and veteran Michael Kors for his clean lines. Mathieu Mirano has made a name for himself at the age of 22, designing for pop singer Lady Gaga.

Others are harder to figure out in advance. Roseanne Morrison, fashion director at The Doneger Group, who specialises in retail trends and forecasting, said she expects an abundance of skirts, A-line sheaths, cropped tops and soft pants in a departure from skintight looks of recent years. “I think we’re just moving into this whole mood of simplicity ... almost unencumbered,” she said.

Tadashi Shoji, one of the first designers to appear on Thursday, showed an abundance of sleeveless sheath dresses and cropped tops, separately or by pairing abbreviated tops over sleek A-line silhouettes.

Giving a boost to the simpler clothes are innovations in fabrics such as latex and neoprene, Morrison said. Clothes now can be minimally cut or draped without losing character.

“It’s finally advanced to the level where it’s got softness too, but it still has substance,” she said.

Shoji’s runway proved Morrison to be on target. The Los Angeles-based, Japanese-born designer brought out dresses of neoprene, some bell-shaped or square-necked with a full skirt, topped with embroidered tulle overlays and lace detail.

Shoji said his spring 2014 line of chiffons, rosettes and frosted pastels was about “sweetness and liberation.”

Husband and wife team Max and Lubov Azria of BCBGMAXAZRIA presented flowing dresses and gowns in pastels and block prints in cool cottons and silks. Tailored chic but with an urban edge and a touch of sexiness, BCBGMAXAZRIA accented solid-coloured dresses with sheer panels above floral hems, adding linen/leather open-toed booties for a smart daytime look. The sheer panels appeared in the designers’ dresses, trousers and gowns, a repeating theme in a show that featured oversized trousers and cropped tops as well. A Fashion Week fixture, Azria founded the company in 1989 and has been showing in New York since 1996.

Fashion Week in New York, a twice-a-year event, runs until September 12, closing with shows by Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2013.

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