FALL 09 RUNWAY: 80S REDUX

REVIEWING LOOKS COMING OFF THE RUNWAYS OF NEW YORK FASHION WEEK, THE OVERARCHING THEME SEEMS TO BE THE 80s. FROM THE BRIGHT COLORS, TRIANGULAR SILHOUETTES, AND AN EMPHASIS ON EXAGGERATED SHOULDERS, DESIGNERS BIG AND SMALL ARE REFERENCING THE OVERINDULGENCE OF THE WALL STREET DECADE.

LOOK 1: CHADO RALPH RUCCI, FALL 09
LOOK 2: BADGLEY MISCHKA, FALL 09

FOR THE DOWNTOWN CROWD, THERE WAS AN ABUNDANCE OF HIGH-SHEEN BLACK LEATHER AND TOUGH LOOKS OF TEENAGE PUNKS. NO DESIGNER DID IT BETTER THIS SEASON THAN BETSEY JOHNSON, THE ORIGINAL ENFANT TERRIBLE OF THE EIGHTIES, AND POSSIBLY THE ONLY DESIGNER WHO WAS ABLE TO REFERENCE HERSELF. FOR FALL 09, FOREGOING THE RUNWAY, JOHNSON PRESENTED LOOKS IN HER STUDIO'S KITCHEN.

BETSEY JOHNSON, FALL 09

NOTE THE SEQUINS, ANIMAL PRINT, RUFFLES, AND NEON TIGHTS. IF MOLLY RINGWALD HAD EVER GIVEN INTO HER INNER BAD GIRL, THIS IS WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE WORN TO HER COMING OUT PARTY. WE'VE BEEN SEEING OPAQUE TIGHTS IN EVERY HUE SINCE FALL 08, BUT THIS SEASON THEY WERE POPPING UP IN DIZZYING PRINTS.

BETSEY JOHNSON, FALL 09

AT JENNI KAYNE, THE COOL-FACTOR WAS PUT BACK INTO THE LOOK, INFUSING THE COLLECTION WITH A TRUE WEARABILITY AND AN HONEST SENSE OF NOW.

JENNI KAYNE, FALL 09

THE TREND BEGS THE QUESTION, HOWEVER, WASN'T ANYBODY READING NEWSPAPERS WHILE DESIGNING? HISTORICALLY, A RECESSION, OR DEPRESSION DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ARE LISTENING TO, TRANSLATES INTO FASHIONS TRENDING TOWARDS DEMURE AND UTILITARIAN. SILHOUETTES ARE CUT CLOSE TO THE BODY, AND THE EMPHASIS LIES ON SUITS AND ALL-USE PIECES. IS THIS A DELIBERATE BACKLASH TO MEDIA DRIVEN GLOOM AND DOOM? WILL IT TRANSLATE TO RETAIL DOLLARS? ONLY TIME WILL TELL, AS THE SAYING GOES.

I'M INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT WILL COME OUT OF THE UPCOMING MONTREAL AND TORONTO FASHION WEEKS. MORE OF THE SAME OR WILL CANADIAN DESIGNERS HAVE A DIFFERENT TAKE ON THE WORLD ECONOMY?

MONTREAL-MINDED

ALEXI HOBBS PRINT, $100, AVAILABLE @ MONTREAL STATE OF MIND WEBSTORE

WHAT STARTED AS A BLOG FOR THE MONTREAL DESIGN SCENE AND ALL ITS MANY FACETS, HAS NOW EVOLVED INTO AN EXCLUSIVELY, AND EXCLUSIVE, ONLINE STORE. LAUNCHED A MERE 6 WEEKS AGO, THE MONTREAL STATE OF MIND ONLINE SHOP, MTLDESIGNERS.COM, IS DEVOTED TO THE CITY'S INDEPENDENT DESIGNERS OF ALL GENRES. FROM FASHION TO DESIGN OBJECTS, MANY OF THE PIECES ARE DESIGNED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE SITE, AND ALL ARE OF LIMITED RUNS. A QUICK BROWSE FINDS SOME OF THE CITY'S MORE RECOGNIZABLE NAMES, LIKE VALERIE DUMAINE AND ANASTASIA LOMONOVA, BOTH OF WHOM I'M ANXIOUSLY AWAITING SPRING COLLECTIONS FROM, ALONG SIDE SOME NICE SURPRISES.

VERONA TUNIC BY VALERIE DUMAINE, $95

THIS GEOMETRIC PRINT TUNIC FROM DUMAINE IS THE PERFECT TRANSITION PIECE FROM WINTER INTO SPRING--EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO GET YOU THROUGH THE NEXT FEW MONTREAL MONTHS. PAIR IT WITH A TURTLENECK AND OPAQUE TIGHTS OR THROW A JACKET OVER IT, LIKE THE VENDETTA.

VENDETTA JACKET BY VALERIE DUMAINE, $149

I PARTICULARLY LOVE THE SGT. PEPPER DETAILING. I'LL BE WEARING THIS FAUX-LEATHER JACKET RIGHT THROUGH TO SUMMER.

FOR MORE CASUAL DAYS, THROW THE VENDETTA ATOP THIS OH-SO PERFECTLY REVEALING PRINTED TANK FROM URBAN PIGEON.

SILKSCREEN LAVENDAR TANK BY URBAN PIGEON, $35

THIS TANK, LIKE ALL THEIR PIECES, WAS HAND PRINTED IN THEIR LOCAL STUDIO.

I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF ACCESSORIZING--THERE'S NO BETTER WEAPON IN YOUR ARSENAL. AND THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR JUST ONE MORE. CONSIDER THE FLORA RING BY MYNTA.

FLORA RING BY MYNTA, $78

WITH ITS ORGANIC DESIGN AND GALVANIZED STEEL, THIS UNISEX RING IS THE PERFECT BALANCE OF TOUGH AND SWEET.

IN A FASHIONABLY MONTREAL MOMENT

AS SEEN ON THE BUS TRAVELING DOWNTOWN. FASHION-LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT...OR WAS IT SIMPLY LUST? EITHER WAY, I MISSED MY STOP GETTING THESE PICTURES.I COULDN'T RESIST SNAPPING THIS PICTURE WITH MY CAMERA PHONE. I WAS JUST SITTING THERE, WHEN THESE BEIGE SUEDE WITH CHOCOLATE LEATHER TRIM BEAUTIES APPEARED IN FRONT OF ME. NOTE THE HIDDEN WEDGE AND THE RIDING BOOT DETAILS. I ADMIRE HER FASHION COMMITMENT FOR BRAVING A MONTREAL WINTER DAY AND RISKING THESE LOVELIES.

FASHIONABLY MONTREAL

I'VE STUDIED AND WORKED IN FASHION, BOTH IN AND OUT OF THIS CITY, FOR NEARLY A DECADE NOW. IT IS MY HONEST OPINION THAT MONTREAL IS ONE OF THE BEST CITY'S FOR FASHION, AND ONE THAT IS SO RARELY RECOGNIZED AS SUCH. IT USED TO BE, BACK IN ITS HEYDAY. AND IT SHOULD BE ONCE AGAIN. I WOULD LIKE TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THAT MOVEMENT.

THERE IS SUCH A WEALTH OF TALENT HERE--YOUNG AND NOT-SO YOUNG, EMERGING AND MAINSTAYS. FASHIONABLY MONTREAL IS A VEHICLE FOR DISCOVERING ALL OF THIS, COVERING EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD OF FASHION FROM THE COLLECTIONS TO THE PHOTOGRAPHY CAPTURING IT.

SOME OF IT YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE AND SOME OF IT, HOPEFULLY A GOOD DEAL OF IT, YOU WON'T. I HOPE TO SURPRISE YOU AT TIMES, OPEN YOUR EYES TO YOUR OWN CITY, AND INSPIRE YOU TO BREAK YOUR CHAIN STORE HABITS (AS FABULOUS AS SOME OF THEM MIGHT BE). OUR DEAR CITY IS BRIMMING WITH FASHION, IN EVERY LITTLE CORNER. I HOPE YOU ENJOY OUR JOURNEY.

FASHIONABLY YOURS MONTREAL,

ANDREA