A new arena for fashion in this century: resort wear gained its own category in this decade. Christian Dior showed off kaftans and trapeze silhouettes in strawberry pinks, corals, whites, parrot greens and Hawaiian hats, with its Resort 2009 collection. Chanel’s collection for this year is comfortably androgynous, with loose separates in whites and marshmallow shades – not forgetting its trademark pearls. Perfect for our tropical weather.
This was more than a design element; it changed wardrobes around the world. Who started it? Was it Giorgio Armani with his Spring Summer 2000 collection that showed off the navel? Or did D&G tell us how to dress with its ultra low-waist trousers outlined with thick belts? Or was it Ralph Lauren, who combined flirty ruffles with low-rise trousers? Or was it just Shakira and her sensuous belly dancing in her low-rise jeans? Perhaps it was just Levi’s with its eye-candy ads of models in low-rise jeans and nothing else.
Gypsies spelt glamour and ethnic elegance with their folkwear. Jean Paul Gaultier sent out models in micro-ruffled, tiered silhouettes for Fall Winter 2005, while John Galliano, at the Fall Winter 2004 RTW show, sent out super-voluminous skirts and jewelled accessories. The Gypsy look was all about colour – bright, vibrant, with ethnic motifs. Etro captured the look perfectly at its Spring Summer 2008 RTW show.
All images: Etro, S/S 2008, RTW.
Images courtesy: elle.com
Designers decided to pull up their pants – literally! While the ultra-low-waist was still in fashion, some designers decided to look above the waist for inspiration. Dolce & Gabbana nipped waists with powerful corseted belts in its Fall Winter 2007 collection. Versace combined thick belts with pencil skirts for Spring Summer 2001. Anne Valérie Hash, with her Spring Summer 2005 Couture collection, showed Parisians how to wear chiffon blouses with hish-waist trousers and suspenders. Etro, in 2007, showcased capsule dressing in separated but kept with the trend with thick belts.
All images: Anne Valerie Hash, S/S 2005, Couture.
Images courtesy: vogue.co.uk
By the end of the ‘90s we were recovering from the minimalist fashion trend. The look from the Wild West galloped on to the ramps in the early 2000s, with brown suede, leather fringes, hipster belts and cowboy pants. Christian Lacroix added a very Moulin Rouge touch to his cowgirls in its Fall Winter 2001 Couture show. BCBG Max Azria’s Fall Winter 2002 collection was full of suede. We especially loved the Barbarian collection by Lagerfeld for Fendi, for Fall Winter 2002.
Even Queen Victoria had a secret, and that was the legacy of her style. The genius John Galliano had his model-dolls in flounces, ruffles and corsetry in his Spring Summer 2004 collection – looking for all the world as though they had just come out of their powder rooms. Alexander McQueen, in Fall Winter 2006, ended his collection with countless ruffles. Chloé’s girls were characters out of Charles Dickens’s England, in their laces, crochets and bows and frills in Fall Winter 2005. Even Gareth Pugh, in 2009, dramatised the ruffles with his exorbitant collars cut sharply, all in white.
As fashion revisited years in the 20th century, we had a chance to bring back our disco dresses from our Studio 54 days. Indian-born, London-based designer Ashish Gupta won over the crowd with his sequinned dresses all through last year. Donatella Versace sent out super-shiny dresses with a high dose of glamour for Versace Spring Summer 2002 Couture. Chanel, everyone’s favourite, announced black, sequinned shorts for Spring Summer 2007 and made us glitter in its Fall Winter 2008 Couture show. We were magpies who loved anything with shine and sparkle.
All images: Ashish Gupta, S/S 2008.
Images courtesy: londonfashionweek.co.uk
If life was a cruise then we dressed to enjoy it, with our blue, red, or white stripes. Helmut Lang had his sailors walking in plain white or black but accessorised them with ropes and knots. Both Giorgio and Emporio Armani, in their collections for Spring Summer 2004, had jackets shining with bold, golden buttons, reminiscent of a captain’s wear. We absolutely loved Kenzo’s collection for Spring Summer 2006 – think stripes, sailor jackets, chiffon, striped scarves, striped leggings - all on a ramp built as a barge on the water.
The gentlewoman never looked so powerful before. Androgyny was a strong look of the decade – perhaps signalling the equality that men and women had finally started to share. Right from Helmut Lang with his Spring Summer 2001 collection of clean cut jackets and trousers, to Jean-Paul Gaultier with his Fall Winter 2009 collection of dark suits, broadened shoulders, wide lapels and pin-stripes, androgyny was everywhere. Marc by Marc Jacobs had loose, untailored but handsome cuts, in its Fall Winter 2006 show. Gianfranco Ferré, in Fall Winter 2007, sent models in black leather gloves, wide layered lapels and belts with bows. It was a time of dressing making a statement.
Fashion and technology became fast friends and only our step into the 21st century could have propelled that move. Futuristic fashion is a new turn to creativity. Balenciaga’s gorgeous robots in shiny black jackets and metallic slim-fits for its Spring Summer 2007 collection had cyber-style. How can we forget our very own Manish Arora who enthralled Parisian ramps with his blend of glitter, sparkle and sci-fi? And Hussein Chalayan’s sci-fi dolls gave plastic and metal a new use.
