Chicago Fashion Needs More Focus
By Suzy Evans in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 26, 2009 7:00PM
Leaking tents and standing water don’t scream fashion show to us. However, on a dark and stormy Thursday night, damp was definitely “in” for the opening of the city-sponsored Fashion Focus Chicago. Fashionistas and photographers huddled in the moist tent in Millennium Park anticipating Chicago designer’s Spring 2010 collections for Macy’s. Before the show began, the presenters apologized for the rain, which had gotten to some of the garments backstage. “Wet is in for Spring,” they joked. The audience chuckled nervously. So what if some pant hems and shoes were a little wet? Well, we forgive them for the weather. But the clothing? That’s another story.
It wasn’t bad, per se. It’s just that, there really weren’t any new trends. Studded belts, gladiator sandals, rosettes, and leggings are just not titillating after many seasons already on the runway. We love a good ruffle and high-waisted skirt, but we love them right now. We were hoping to have something new to look forward to for Spring, aside from the end of another Chicago winter. Also, apparently khaki, tweed and baggy pants are back. (We are not excited about this.) These outfits simply confirmed for us that clothing trends reach the middle of the country last and we might always be lagging behind other fashion capitals.
There was some adventurous pattern and texture mixing, which was appealing. The go ahead for pairing plaid with stripes or florals with polka dots came a while ago, but a few designers did it with aplomb. Although we weren’t fans of her strap necklaces, eco-friendly designer Lara Miller’s use of bright pinks and blues was refreshing. We also loved 5p1t’s green, short-sleeved dresses.
We do applaud the designers for using models with a wide variety of body types; however this choice unfortunately presented some problems with fit. There were one too many oversized shoulders, on jackets we’re pretty sure weren’t supposed to have them. And we would have diagnosed more than one model with a case of too tight pants.
Unfortunately we can’t agree with Chicago hair designer Mario Tricoci’s claim that the Windy City is one of the world’s fashion capitals. New York says fur vests and sequins are in, and while we’re not really behind these unflattering trends either, at least they’re new. Be original Chicago! Putting a bird on the model’s shoulder doesn’t make you trendy. It just makes you a Carrie Bradshaw wannabe two years too late.