Ready to wear

The Jakarta Post - WEEKENDER   |  Tue, 03/24/2009 3:04 PM  |  Ready To Wear

Pret-a-Posh

Serious fashion customers wouldn’t buy clothes with names like “Lindsay Lohan” or “Jessica Simpson” on the back label. They want proper clothes by proper designers who have been trained properly, not people who were last spotted at the end of a paparazzi lens leaving Starbucks. So the thinking went. But Victoria Beckham has recently launched her line of dresses with classic cuts, high quality and equally high prices (some go for up to $2,000) that is being sold in select department stores next to Roland Mouret as well as Valentino and Givenchy. “Fashion is what I love. I've dreamed of doing my own clothing line from even before I was a Spice Girl. Now I'm able to do what I love and I've found I'm really good at it," Posh Spice said modestly. Her clothes are selling despite the name on the label. So does this prove that we are getting less name-obsessed and not more?

 

 

A Browne Season

Skyrocketing unemployment is perhaps not the ideal environment for opening a designer store, but Brooks Brothers and guest designer Thom Browne's Black Fleece line defies expectations. Showcasing the collaboration's designs for men and women, the idea for the team-up began more than two years ago and the goal was to come up with new variations of Brooks Brothers' 190-years tradition of clothing. "When you look at the collection and look at the individual pieces, the Black Fleece line is not flashy," Louis Amendola merchandising officer for Brooks Brothers, says. "It can be a little more extreme, but it is very classic, with an updated twist." Sturdy, yet finely detailed tweeds and flannels prevail. So do the grays, whites and navy –nurturing a fetish for old school preppy. The brothers have proven that there will always be room in every economy for designer clothes.

 

 

Back to the 80s

Mention the 1980s, and we are reminded of beehive hair sprayed into place, heavy eye makeup, neon colored clothes, sharp shoulders and all that jazz. This was evident throughout the Marc Jacobs's Fall '09 collection. Created in a brilliant riot of vivid pinks, yellows and electric paisleys, the clothes had a party feel to them as it brought back 1980s Manhattan –a city that doesn't really exist anymore. Jacobs told the Wall Street Journal the show was a tribute to, "What New York used to be before it was gentrified and such a boring place to live – when artists could make a living here." The whole silhouette recalled the power shouldered moments of French designers Claude Montana and Thierry Mugler, but with a couple of twists.

 

 

 

Spoken For

While long-lasting British labels such as Turnbull & Asser have dressed important figures like James Bond, the niche remains largely inaccessible to the younger, trendier set. Until now, that is. Bespoken was born to create only the finest garments with uncompromised craftsmanship and quality. The line reflects contemporary detailing and a modern fit, while paying homage to the dignified tailoring traditions of its ancestors. In Old England, “bespoke” was a term for tailored clothing with the customer’s surname written on the actual fabric, hence the garment “was spoken for.” Bespoken has carried this philosophy to heart and offers modern interpretation of this traditional and delicate process. Everything is handmade and in a limited edition, embroidered with a number from 1 to 100. The subtle intricacies and attention to detail make Bespoken a wonderfully interesting and innovative brand that opens the door to a new era of masculine style, something we have not seen in years. 

+ Nikeeta Lakhiani

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