COLUMNISTS I’ll be brief: the one, overriding, unmistakable trend of New York fashion week was, well, brief. The miniskirt is back, trailed in a far distant second by the jumpsuit (sporty at Y-3 and DKNY, and surprisingly elegant at Halston, Philip Lim, and Derek Lam).
The mini’s return suggests that – given the hemline’s classic relationship to bottom lines and the theory that when they go up, so does the economy – either American designers are engaging in wishful thinking or they know something Wall Street doesn’t. After all, displayed front and centre in the tents at fashion week are a number of sparkling red Swarovski crystal slippers created by 18 designers including Manolo Blahnik, Diane von Furstenberg and L.A.M.B in honour of the 70th birthday of The Wizard of Oz. Their ruby glow bathed all clothes and catwalks in a dream-like light reflected back by the plethora of lurex, lamé, and gold embroidery everywhere from Marc Jacobs to Derek Lam (the message, perhaps: wear your treasure on your sleeve if you can’t keep it in the bank).
