Dana Karan, 2010 fall collection
The sombre color trend seems to be continuing from last year, when an economic recession seemed to demand a more sombre approach to fashion. This fall, on the 2010 runways, the look is much more luxe, perhaps in keeping with growing optimism about the economy, but I still noticed many designers' shows featured almost exclusively black, charcoal and chocolate brown, relieved by splashes of camel and scarlet. The glimpse of Dana Buchman's collection, above, is an example of the monotone style now on trend.
However, the
Panetone color report for fall, 2010, offers a saturated orchid, lipstick red, and a lovely, piney
green to punctuate the dark colors of fall:
http://www.pantone.com/images/pages/20710/2010-02/index.html
What
excites me most as a knitter about this season's dark trend is the way that
texture has become the real star of the clothes. Designers like Alexander Wang
have transcended their layers of black on top of black by using ingenious
combinations of texture--sheer black adorned by over layers of velvet, ebony
fur, midnight silk embroidered with pearls and chunky ribbed knits to die for.
Oh, the knits in Alexander Wang's collection this fall!
Luxurious and fashion forward all at once, his ingenious wraps transform a dull
woman's business suit into a quirky, tongue-in-cheek statement:
I am
absolutely dying to get my hands on this wrap, in particular:

The ultra
warm looking charcoal wrap is cropped so high that it ends at the collar bone,
leaving a tantalizing glimpse of breast bone exposed from the blouse beneath,
and then the wrap drapes elegantly down to the wrists. Aside from the sheer unexpectedness
of this piece, its practicality is undeniable. So many of us mostly feel
the cold around our throats and bare arms, and don't want to be swaddled in a
huge, bulky knit that will eclipse our figures. I must, I must, get my hands on
a knitting pattern that will allow me to create some pale imitation of this
creation! But the only one I've found so far that comes even close is a new
design by Ann Modesitt in the new book, Wrap Style, by Pam Allen & Ann Budd.

This wrap
has long ties that hang over the front, destroying the effect of the elegant
twist front, and the sleeves are super billowy, but perhaps I could fix those
problems. I have bought the book just for this pattern, and am puzzling over
how to convert it into a suitable Andrew Wang tribute. I would have to change the
yarn, the texture, and the design of this piece, but who knows, perhaps I can
pull it off...
But I
digress from color and texture trends this fall: Dolce and Gabana's collection
has also run with the trend of layered textures. Look at the way
these runway looks combine knits, ranging from fine-weight cashmere to bulky
cardigans with sheer, feminine pieces underneath:
And their black lace pieces (crochet/knit tops anyone?) look so sumptuous, combined with
these deep-orange, vermillion and candy pink flowered silks:
Just looking at these amazing silks was enough to prompt me to dust off my sewing machine from its 10 year sleep and dream about just how I could get my hands on such lush fabrics!
I've had
quite a lot of time on my hands to think about Fall 2010 fashion trends because of my
physical limitations . My podiatrist's stern orders to
stay off my foot for 6 weeks led to a cascade effect of other physical
problems. All the time I spent on my knee scooter and ankle brace activated my
chronic back and neck pain, which became so severe that I had to go on massive
doses of medication, leaving me too loopy and dizzy to even ride the knee scooter
without risk of falling off and injuring my head! It progressed to the point that all my doctors are now encouraging
me to walk to save my back from getting worse. So the knee scooter is back at the medical supply
shop, to my great relief, and I am getting about a bit around the house in the
hopes that all the pain meds will help my ankle, which is complaining quite a bit at the moment. Barred
from working, and much of any phone calling for 3 straight weeks
is either going to drive me out of my gourd, or provide an opportunity for creative expression in some meaningful way. I
decided last week that the one thing I can control in my life that inspires me is fashion, so I
set out a creative plan for a Fall 2010 portfolio. I have created an
actual fashion workbook for myself, illustrated by the runway looks of Andrew
Wang and Dolce & Gabana, and paired with
knitting patterns that harmonize with those looks. Now I just need to come up with a source of these deep floral fabrics and refurbish my brain on how to use the sewing machine, and I'll have hours of entertainment ahead during the recovery process. I may be a bit wobbly on my feet a
few months from now, but I plan to be looking fabulous, and that's quite a
consolation!