Speaking Style

If the profusion of feathered headwear doesn’t clue you in, the heavy use of prints should. Carolina Herrera’s collection for Fall 2008 is reminiscent of Ralph Lauren’s for the same season. Sure, Herrera’s designs say more ‘mountaineer’ than ‘farm girl,’ but most of the looks are no less outdoorsy.

While Ralph Lauren decided to use a lot of buffalo plaid in different colors for his collection, Herrera was more subtle with textured fabrics, simple checks and very colorful abstract prints. The interesting, eye-catching pieces were also paired off with plainer ones to achieve a certain visual balance. A patterned top and contrasting gray patterned vest were matched with chocolate brown suede pants for a look that’s rugged and chic at the same time. It’s important to note that Herrera fans will want to pick up a similar pair of suede pants soon as they seem to be the designer’s fashion statement for the season.

But just because an outfit wouldn’t look out of place in Appalachia doesn’t mean that it can’t work in a formal setting as well. There were some pieces like a knee-length yellow dress with a cinched waist and fringe all over that you could take from the hiking trail and straight into a celebrity fashion magazine. Most of the clothes will take a woman of a certain type and age to make them work properly. But even if Herrera didn’t do so well for youthfulness, she definitely gets top marks for inspiration and the versatility of her garments.

In his few seasons at Nina Ricci, 30-year old Belgian prodigy Oliver Theyskens has nothing short of reinvented the brand from a label that was often seen as stuffy to a clothing line that’s youthful yet very feminine. He’s the kind of guy who rarely follows any other designer fashion elements of the season, yet comes up with a really attractive collection. You get the idea that it’s an entirely original, fresh concept. Such is the magic of Theyskens.

The very young vibe in the Nina Ricci collection for Fall 2008 comes from the fact that most of the outfits strike a balance between fashionably feminine and practical. You could practically just throw any one of those outfits on and walk out to the street, and you wouldn’t look over-the-top or costumey. There were a lot of two-piece and three-piece looks that focused on layering soft fabrics on top of each other to create a flowing, floating effect.

Color also kept things interesting for the Nina Ricci show. While other designers were busy showing the fall fashion trend of sober and somber colors, Theyskens was occupied with showing a range of blues, oranges and yellows. But even with the soft, shimmering fabrics draping all over the place, Theyskens showed that he still has that famed appreciation for the female figure. Tight-fitting pants helped define the models’ legs, just like what similar pieces of Gucci clothing did this season. Scoop necks and a few higher hemlines showed a little feminine tease of skin.

There weren’t so many embellishments on the pieces themselves. That and the elegantly simple accessories like shoes reminiscent of a classic pair of Gucci shoes all hint towards and overall look of simple and uncomplicated beauty.

Most fashion designers often choose to go for flashier glamour first and then industry techniques second. Raf Simons, while designing for Jil Sanders, apparently decided to reverse the roles. The Fall 2008 Jil Sanders collection is the farthest thing you’d find from glamorous, especially with bigger brands like Prada and Gucci piling the glamour factor high. It’s distinctive, however, because it doubles as a showcase of novel techniques in dressmaking and tailoring.

The show started with a knee-length, long-sleeved, slouchy navy dress that effectively captured the knit look which has become something of a fashion trend lately. But instead of the form fitting knits that other brands like Fendi and Missoni have rolled out, Simons’ focus on drape gave the designer fashion item an all-new twist. The outfits that followed were alternating displays of beautifully gentle draping and more conservative construction. It’s likely that seasoned fashion connoisseurs will find flaws in Simons’ execution, but real-world fashionistas are sure to appreciate the practicality that his menswear background brings to the table.

But the collection wasn’t entirely devoid of glam. There was also a considerable amount of drama, courtesy of top-heavy details and high, dramatic collars. Menswear fabrics that had a lot of depth and texture helped add another dimension to all the designs that had them.

Aside from the very wearable outfits, accessories were another noticeable factor in the Jil Sanders collection for this season, albeit on a negative note. Simons brought out some rather unusual footwear for the runway show, just like Miuccia Prada did for Miu Miu. Instead of looking modern and interesting, however, the curved shape simply looked impractical and potentially painful. Perhaps Simons would have done better by bringing his menswear eye and aesthetic to his accessory choices as well.