I ❤ NY
Sonnet in the Daily Mail
2nd April 2007
SAY the words New York fashion and what springs to mind (for me anyway) is one big yawn. New York design is wearable and well-made, classic, a bit sporty. But exciting? Oh dear me no.
You need only glance at the assembled members of the American fashion press in the front row of the shows - all supersmooth blowdried hair, French manicures and kitten heels - to realise that while American women can do polished, they can't do funky.
The famous names in New York, from Calvin Klein to Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan, produce predictable clothes in various shades of taupe for women who like to look slick but safe.
For anything remotely innovative you have to go to London. For impeccable craftsmanship, Paris. And for high-end luxury labels, Milan.
But all these preconceptions are about to be overturned with an exhibition, New York Fashion Now, opening at the V&A museum in London next month.
The work of 20 young designers has been gathered together over the course of two years by the curator, Sonnet Stanfill, who, when I her for a sneak preview, told me that New York is enjoying a fashion moment not seen since London was swinging in the Sixties.
And the reason for this renaissance? The after-effects of 9/11.
'The terror attacks happened during New York Fashion Week,' she reminds me. 'It meant all the shows were cancelled and many young designers were hit hard. Everyone was thinking: 'Who needs fashion?' It seemed irrelevant and frivolous. But it was also the best time to start a business: the only way was up.'
New York designers have always risen to a challenge. For the first three decades of the 20th century, well-heeled women in America looked only to Paris. Two world wars changed that for good.
Unable to get hold of clothes from Europe, women had to look at home-grown designers, such as Geoffrey Beene (the first designer to appropriate men's tailoring for women), Clare Potter and Claire McCardell, who was among the first to dress women in slacks and unstructured, sporty clothes.
In the autumn of 2001, keen to shore up the economy, the press and fashion buyers were behind the new young designers who emerged out of the ashes and whose work we will be able to see next month.
Some names will already be familiar. There's Zac Posen, whose clever draping and supple fabrics are beloved by movie stars. Proenza Schouler, who designs luxurious, feminine sportswear. Behnaz Sarafpour, the Iranianborn designer who was inspired to start her business by the events of 2001 and has since become most famous for her miniskirts.
And finally Derek Lam, who has been hired to inject edge into the Italian luxury brand Tod's and is one of the very few designers to address the issue of very young, very thin models.
But while you may not be familiar with the rest of the names on show, rest assured many are bound to become the Marc Jacobs and Narciso Rodriguezes of the future. Surprisingly, there is even the occasional Alexander McQueen in the making, in a section entitled Avant Garde.
The names here include Slow And Steady Wins The Race, a label designed by a female designer who wishes to remain anonymous; Three As Four, whose designs, as well as being hung in art galleries can already be found in Barney's, the Manhattan equivalent of Harvey Nichols; and Miguel Adrover, a radical designer (his clothes were sometimes made to be worn inside out) who sadly went out of business in 2005.
Another even more surprising is entitled Atelier. New York fashion has never been about craftsmanship and bespoke tailoring, but there are a handful of designers who have made a name from intricate, beautifully made and hugely expensive clothes.
THERE'S Maggie Norris, who learned her trade at the coat-tails of Ralph Lauren and whose evening gowns can cost £25,000. For his label Lost Art, Jordan Betten makes intricate pieces in leather and suede by hand for celebrity clients including Lenny Kravitz and Britney Spears.
Korean-born designer Jean Yu, who opened for business only three months after 9/11, makes simple but sumptuous dresses; and finally Costello Tagliapietra, who tailors deceptively simple double-knit jersey or bias-cut satin dresses.
Menswear, too, will feature heavily, with new labels Thom Browne, which is all about retro tailoring and cropped trousers, Duckie Brown, which gives tailoring a slightly whimsical twist, John Varvatos, who has been known to send men down the runway wearing ponchos, shawls and carrying a handbag, and Cloak, a label (since closed; being an up and coming designer is nothing if not perilous) renowned for tough, masculine clothes.
And, of course, an exhibition on New York fashion wouldn't be complete without a section on designers who rely most heavily on celebrity endorsement. Here you will be able to see outfits by Zac Posen (Gwyneth Paltrow wore one of his dresses to this year's Oscars) and Sean 'Diddy' Combs, whose label Sean John is hugely successful in the U.S. because it is both affordable and cutting edge.
•NEW YORKFashion Now, sponsored by Ecco, is at the V&A from April 17 to September 23. Entry is free.
