The Monday Moan: Fashion Weeks kill me

 





After a month long barrage of designer womenswear the spring 10 catwalk presentations are finally over. Thank Zoolander.





It all started in what seems like a lifetime ago in New York, before the industry’s inexhaustible army of stick-thin stiletto-heeled fashion commandos legged it cross-pond to London, darted over to Milan, then skipped across to Paris, before withdrawing to their duvets towards the end of last week for some well-deserved r’n’r.



Twenty-eight days of pounding runway bass-lines, blinding tungsten lights, and impossibly high heels takes its toll; not least on the models (check out McQueen’s fetish heels for reference) whose four-week catwalking gig no doubt keeps a batallion of podiatrists well stocked in Italian suits and German sports cars.



The great news for British buyers and shoppers alike is that designers from all four corners of the fashion circuit have resoundingly backed dresses as the number one silhouette for next season. Considering we have among the most ravenous international markets for dresses – particularly the shorter variety so key to spring 10 – the collections provided plenty to write home about, as anyone who’s followed Fashion Buyer UK’s coverage over the last month will have learned.



The trends too have been a recession-friendly mix of commercial looks developed to make life as easy as possible for buyers. Even designers like Gareth Pugh - whose reputation for spiky theatrical fashion has generally  kept buyers at bay until now - softened up with presentations that while no less dramatic, were remarkably wearable.





Each Fashion Week played up on their individual personalities in such a way to drive sell-through. So, designers in New York the capital of commercially-led fashion churned out a chorus line of play-safe sportswear-tinged fashion aimed squarely at the department store buyer. London, a laboratory of free and creative thinking tempered its innovative streak by exploring a fresh-looking, clean-lined aesthetic. Milan, the g-spot of sartorial va-va-voom ramped up the phwoar-factor with a veritable boudoir of lingerie-inspired pieces. And, Paris the supercilious grand-dame of Fashion Weeks underlined its reputation for intricately crafted womenswear with a focus on softly draped or meticulously pleated garments.



Over the coming weeks Fashion Buyer UK will break down the main spring 10 catwalk trends, from contrast paneling and precise pleating to cutaway sections and lingerie themes, with a more detailed analysis on each. But, with the catwalks finally behind us, Fashion Buyer UK can now recalibrate its sights back on what’s happening in the UK men’s, footwear and streetwear markets as well as womenswear, which should give plenty of regular readers cause to breathe a hefty sigh of relief.  

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