By Suzy Menkes
International Herald Tribune
NEW YORK - 'It seems more like two years!" said Tommy Hilfiger backstage, posing with members of the Black Eyed Peas group after the finale of his 20th anniversary show.
The designer, now a television star as well as a fashion legend, grew his company to the beat of hip hop music, portraying larger-than-life versions of what he calls "all-American preppy classics." Those greatest hits were reinterpreted for his 2006 show.
That meant fresh-faced young folk playing "I-borrowed-my-partner's-shirt" - except that the women also took boxer shorts from the male closet (two pairs of them) and wore them visibly above low-slung pants.
If it all looked like a parody of rapper fashion from the 1980s, the show was merrily done. Hilfiger mixed preppy Madras plaid, seersucker and cotton printed with the clean-living sports you might do in the Hamptons (tennis racquets and yacht anchors). A bit of Old England, American style, came as V-necked, cabled cricket sweaters and crested decoration. Colors, checks, plaid pants and even backpacks were all super-sized.
Although the hot, sunny late summer streets of the city are filled with sportswear, it is an endangered species on the New York runways. By reviving its fresh, clean lines, Hilfiger offered a comfortingly familiar look, reflecting the 20-year trajectory of his company, projected on the backdrop as a long series of past achievements.
And what about the putative sale of the Tommy Hilfiger empire, which even includes Karl Lagerfeld's eponymous line? "No comment" from the company. But then you don't spoil a good party by responding to rumors.
René Lacoste was the founding father of sportswear, nearly a century ago. But the current creative director Christophe Lemaire came up with a new vision: "preppy pop."
It was a good description of the brisk, crisp menswear, where tailored jackets in the same green and white striped tennis-court colors on the runway were mixed with soft, narrow pants with a modern cut.
The graphic, mod look turned more tricksy for women, although Lemaire had a theme for that too: "Copacabana clashing with Harajuku." Sounds eye-popping? It was, especially as primary colors dominated. But when the traditional Lacoste polo shirt was sent out as a minidress, slightly longer at back than front, the effect was cute. Throughout the show, footwear, from ballerinas with sneaker laces to cut-away mules, were inventive.
Most young women are unlikely to want the top-to-toe effect (not to mention designer kneepads). But Lemaire has a vision for Lacoste. By bringing an urban twist to sportswear staples, he took the line as fast forward as the smash serves of the tennis star Andy Roddick, sitting front row.
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