By Roseanne Morrison, Fashion Director, The Doneger Group
As viewpoints shift toward AW 2019, ideas were explored across runways and collections in February. Expanding to include updated perspectives, global stories of modern femininity, a layered up approach and strong shoulders all speak to today’s multifaceted consumer.
Copenhagen Cool
The collections from Copenhagen are garnering more and more status with the global consumer, most visibly in the U.S. Many of these brands are not only found in New York department stores but in small specialty stores throughout the U.S. These brands, including Ganni, Baum und Pferdgarten, Holzweiler and Cecilie Bahnsen, are just a few of the ready-to-wear names on the radar.
The lighting in northern Europe lends an innovative technique to colorists in Denmark, providing offbeat color tones and resulting in interesting mashups and mixes. Even pattern play attracts attention in vibrant stripes and plaids.
Feminine style underscores many moods in Danish design, even though understated. Sheer layers are the perfect foil for this, as we witness in many fall collections. Sheer creates a sense of mystery as we are challenged to peer beyond and discover sensuous body curves as well as undergarments.
The Danish Girl represents so many ideals, most especially in her styling cues. Prints, from scenics to marbleized, outerwear evolved from workwear and seafaring style, lend a touch of the ethos of this historical port on the Baltic Sea.
The Vest Layers Up
Layering is a lifestyle. There are numerous examples of this idea throughout Pre-Fall, from dresses over trousers, Lank Layers in our Pre-Fall 2019 Presentation, to the important vest. The body-con menswear-inspired vest doubles as an underpinning and can be worn sans blouse.
The shearling vest is a viable option for warmth and gives the consumer an alternative to down. Most are reversible-important for multiple end use. The elongated sweater vest was also notable on the Pre-Fall collections, underscoring and enhancing the concept of long over long.
Vintage Romantics
Vintage, white dresses replete with delicate lace, embroidery, tucking and feminine sleeve treatments are appearing in spring editorials, spring runways and popular shows binged on Amazon, including “Picnic At Hanging Rock.” It’s a more demure representation than witnessed in some time, as many of the dresses and skirts are maxi length and most silhouettes are extremely modest.
Voile, eyelet, crepe, cotton lawn and silk are base fabrics, with subtle detailing emphasizing the vintage elements. There’s a certain prairie mood to these dresses, including the Australian Outback and American West at the turn of the century.
Designers including Alexander McQueen, Dior, Carolina Herrera and Antonio Marras created virginal white dresses for their clientele for spring. Today, the mood is permeating the fashion consciousness as a new era of romanticism emerges.
A Long Story
A strong styling message from Pre-Fall continues into the season. The concept of pairing tunics over pants is growing on us. It has a youthful tack when pairing sporty jackets and hoodies with menswear. It has a street edge when skirts are layered over utility sets. Layers are associated with warmth, however this concept easily contradicts that fact.
Another option is in knit dressing and career clothes. Easy knits, appearing as simple dresses or tops, are paired with lean, coordinating leggings and skinny pants for a modern message. For a connection to the 80s, sparkle is a nice touch for day to dinner.
The Strong Shoulder
The strong shoulder is surfacing for fall in homage to the eighties and the era of the power suit. This go around, there are certainly vestiges of the 80s, yet the definitive shoulder pad is absent. This is the modern version, lending strength to women without the aggression.
The belted waist, providing the contrast, exaggerates the shoulder line emphasis. Suits and coats are the silhouettes affected by this story, but we continue to see emphasis on giant shoulders and feminine sleeves in blouses as well.
This year, social media was on fire with memes of Kendall Jenner, Rihanna and Arianna Grande wearing supersized, exaggerated down jackets that practically swallowed them up. Now, we’re seeing this impact outerwear design, from down jackets to leather coats by designers like GMBH, Alexander Wang and Y3.
Roseanne Morrison
Fashion Director, The Doneger Group
463 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10018
morrison@doneger.com
