fall and its fabulous fifties

Season after season, it's inevitable that there's always an it factor that's talked about amongst editors, buyers and other fashionistas that flock from New York to Europe for fashion week. Ever since Marc Jacobs brought back the 80's with a colorful cacophony; presenting his fall 2009 collection last year and John Galliano paying homage to Mr. Dior with a fifties influenced haute couture presentation, you would think designers recreating fashion eras would be put to a rest for quite a while. With 2010 fall collections full of seventies knit dresses, voluminous full length skirts from the fifties, and busty cleavage tucked in corseted dresses, it's explicit that reestablishing fashion eras will live on for quite a while.

From New York, to London, to Milan, concluding in Paris, collections were a little more sophisticated if you were to compare them to last year. In Europe, it all started with Miuccia Prada, who first introduced the comeback of the curvy silhouette earlier in the season for Milan fashion week. The sixties beehives, cable-knit knee high socks, patented-leather kitten heels, and retro prints - everything was nipped, tucked, and hemmed impeccably provoking very domesticated women, however making sure women were never vulnerable, always strong and independent. Miuccia Prada also kept younger consumers in mind with Miu Miu. The collection was reminiscent of Twiggy back in her modeling days. Short and narrow silhouettes, patened leather square-toe loafers with metal detailing, wool sleeveless shift dresses with high neck bracing collars or floppy bows - all in outstanding colors. Meanwhile in Paris Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana must have kept Lucille Ball and Audrey Hepburn in mind when tailoring their fall 2010 collection. Striking lineup of sleek fitted suits, draped velvet and silk cocktail dresses embellished in medallions in jeweled tone and autumn colors transcending into floral skirts and dresses, lace detaling and lace overlay. Lean silhouettes, yet had a sense of relaxed luxury and ultimate sophistication - an ode to the Sicilian heritage. Marc Jacobs had a strong sense of nostalgia. He loved the idea so much he used the same twenties, thirties, fifties and sixties motif in Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs fall 2010 collections. In both presentations Marc played with proportions and texture, but never contrasting from a sweetly romantic palette of cozy neutrals and pale pastels. “This season was a manifesto for beautiful, ladylike clothes”, Jacobs explains for Louis Vuitton. The Vuitton lineup was indeed an ultimate manifestation of curvaceous women. Lara Stone, Adriana Lima, Bar Rafaeli, Karolina Kurkova, Coco Rocha, and Elle Macpherson are just some to name a few. Despite the fact that Italian designers Giorgio Armani and Nina Ricci's new creative director Peter Copping weren't targeting full figured women, collections were echoes of fabulous women just breaking into their thirties. Short hemlines, high hemlines, and plenty of cocktail dresses in memorable colors.

Everything from the clothes to the shoes and the bags, all classically stated was done in rich autumn colors and new silhouettes for the season. Timeless seasonal classics are definitely a trend this fall. It seems as if fall 2010 collections were just as crisp, clean, and euphoric as the season its self.

Sharp tailored outerwear with voluminous skirts at Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs.
-Caroline Trentini for Louis Vuitton and Joan Smalls for Marc Jacobs-


Corseted busts and svelte skirts at Dolce & Gabbana and Nina Ricci.
-Andreea Diaconu for Dolce & Gabbana and Tao Okamoto for Ninna Ricci-



[Photos: Style.com]


-Jordan Mixon, Delaware