Fashion industry shines in metallics for fall

[February 14, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- In the flash of a shoe or burnished honeycombs of copper and gold, the fashion industry put a metallic shine on glamour for fall.

Not blinding bling, though. The sign of more optimistic times, without being irrational, has come during New York Fashion Week in subtle threads of beaded embroidery, understated sequins and tasteful, textured mosaics.

Victoria Beckham said it Sunday, on fashion week's Day 4, with a loose V-neck caftan above the knee, and chiffon-covered resin bits around the neckline of a fitted dress for night.

Metallic thread embroidery draped with tulle over the shoulder of a delicate day dress was one of Lela Rose's shining moments.

Jason Wu's runway included a stunner for evening with a high neckline, fitted short sleeves and well-placed sparkle. Peter Som put it in on a black cigarette pant and a gorgeous blue fitted evening gown.

There were pinks, greens and blues amid the gun metals, and playful bows on metallic sandals from Cynthia Rowley.

VICTORIA BECKHAM

For her favorite Upper East Side mansion runway venue, Beckham wore one of the loose, cashmere cocoon dresses that she said she found intimidating when she was more of a novice. The swing trapeze dress and a multi-metallic honeycomb in a caftanlike silhouette were also items she added to the collection with a surer hand.

These roomier designs take more work, but they are worth it so women can be fashionable -- as well as comfortable, explained Beckham, her hair pulled into a long ponytail. (She announced last month that she and husband David Beckham are expecting their fourth child.)

"I designed this collection before I knew I was pregnant," she said with a laugh.

Using a palette she described as "desert brights," Beckham offered a teal matte gazar V-neck cocoon that she said was "young red carpet," but the finale gown in the same color and fabric was the one to talk about: It had chiffon-covered resin bits arranged in a mosaic pattern that looked like shards of shattered glass around the neckline.

LELA ROSE

She offered a broad-stroke collection that covered the full wardrobe needs of her well-heeled customer.

For daytime, there was a green cashmere crew-neck top with sculpted shoulders paired with a canvas pencil skirt covered in the colors and textures of an oil-painter's palette.

A black dress with a dropped waist and a blanket-style, hand-loomed organza skirt with a bow at the hip was just right for a dressy dinner. A black-filament embroidered miniskirt -- worn with a slouchy blouse -- was electricity on the runway.

"I dress this way every day," Rose said of her never-casual clothes in a recent interview. "I am always in a dress -- or something that's 'dressed.' And I love to wear cute shoes with it. I feel better about myself this way. I like to be turned out."

The shiny copper burnished brocade on an open-neck dress would draw the wearer lots of well-deserved attention.

DEREK LAM

Lam played with texture and layers, experimenting with new fabrics to achieve a winter-friendly look without the bulk.

Lush fur and fuzzy shearling played against supple lambskins and doubleface wool, with fluid, silklike layers underneath. Lam used a subtle palette of black, indigo, smoke blue and olive with strategic splashes of red and burgandy, as in the small touches on a chintz tweed trouser.

In his notes, Lam said he lightened the sleeves and backs of heavier garments to help with cold-weather layering, and turned to more lightweight fabrics to "blur the idea of seasonal clothing."

But he was most inspired by new textiles. As prices have risen for materials like cashmere and silk, he wrote, fabric mills responded by mixing in less expensive yarn and coming up with new treatments, like the chemical pressing of soft challis to give it more loft and texture. He called the resulting fabrics "very unique and modern."

ADAM LIPPES

He found strength in numbers, mixing materials, prints and scale.

It was an homage to his customer, he explained in his notes, because "she appreciates the discovery in the everyday and reflects it in her personal style."

Lippes flies a bit under the radar, but the recent acquisition of the Adam label by Kellwood -- while leaving Lippes in charge creatively -- could mean a bigger splash at some point.

The clothes, while not headline-grabbing red carpet numbers, are ready for more attention. He offered for the new season a nice mix of modern, wearable styles, including the opening look that paired a lace T-shirt with a cobalt buffalo-plaid skirt and the finale gold-embroidered dress that used a slight asymmetrical hemline to give the silhouette a little freedom and movement.

Outerwear, though, was really the highlight, especially blanket-style coats.

[Associated Press; By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL]

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