Department stores across the country are flipping over fall, calling it the most exciting season in a decade. It will usher in a new age of ladylike dressing and all the accouterments of a high-society lifestyle.
But if you don’t believe the hype–or are having a hard time relating to soignee suits, fur collars, heavy jewelry or dainty hand-held clutches–rest assured: The underground is alive and well.
Designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and newcomer Nicolas Ghesquiere, the 28-year-old wunderkind at Balenciaga, make it their metier never to clone a retro or established style.
In fact, some go out of their way to seek inspiration from the unlikeliest of places. The Belgian team of A.F. Vandervorst found its muse in a horse, designing a blouse with a hairlike mane and a back seam reminiscent of saddle stitching.
The singular-minded Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons riffed with an early ’80s punk-goes-to-school sensibility for the gray flannel jumper. She deconstructed the traditional skirt by hanging layers of tulle on the outside of the dress, and accessorized it with studded pointy-toe shoes and fishnets.
Although these looks are too extreme for most, without visionaries like these we all might still be wearing shirtwaists and penny loafers.
