Glamour trips back on platform heels
An extra-terrestrial summer in which well-heeled earthlings dressed like sexy cyber warriors is almost at an end.
Anything with references to Andre Courreges or Paco Rabanne, such as metal-studded belts, sparkling silver clutches or shiny shift dresses, which are still the rage, will be lost in some other galaxy.
From this fall, the look of cutting-edge fashion will be defined by the glamorous women of the ’20s through the ’50s, especially those voluptuous girls conceived by Alberto Vargas and silver screen sirens like Marlene Dietrich, Jean Harlow and Ava Gardiner. If you have a hard time picturing this particular retro style, right now is a perfect time to check out Dita Von Teese and Christina Aguilera on MTV.
While Gucci’s signature tailoring was all about sharp modernity, its references to the American icon meant plenty of feminine styling and elegant details reminiscent of black-and-white portraits of Hollywood film stars.
Christian Dior Korea’s 2007/08 fall and winter show was an occasion to emulate Dior’s 60th birthday bash last month at the Orangerie de Versailles in Paris, where John Galliano paid tribute to Christian Dior’s 1947 New Look in his 2007 fall and winter Haute Couture collection.
The French spirit of celebration flew half way across the world and ensured the celebrity-endorsed show was an extravagant success.
The show, at the Papertainer Museum in southeastern Seoul, was a homage to fashion history for 150 journalists from the Asia-Pacific region, except Japan, along with Maggie Q, the star of “Diehard 4.0.” and familiar faces from Korean movies and TV.
The new retro look for Dior’s pret-a-porter came from the 40th anniversary collection reflected the original Dior silhouette with exaggerated collars or sleeves that were vibrant in bright candy colors; their theatrical touches included glittering gemstone appliques, furs and ruching details.
For Fendi Korea’s fall and winter presentation at Gramercy Kitchen there were new “Voodoo” bags, evening gowns and fur coats all inspired by primeval rituals that originated with the Zuni tribe in America’s Southwest. These represented a big shift in style, from sleek metallic clutches to large hobo bags made with a pile of hairy fur and feathers.
If the rich and famous of bygone eras had to hide their bodies behind heavy, chunky furs the new-age prima donna, thanks to modern tailoring technology, can show off her svelte figure while still being warmly wrapped in fur.
To complement the new season’s hourglass outfits, Fendi’s latest chinchilla coat is sheared ultra-thin and dyed to match fox fur at the hemline, with the overall effect that’s natural and wild. Even the female-mink manteau falls gracefully on the body’s curves.
“At around 70 million won ($70,000) each, stylish Korean women find these extremely well-constructed coats,” said Linda Jung, the merchandising manager at Fendi Korea.
Inspired by the libertine heroine in Francoise Sagan’s novel “The Unmade Bed,” Croatian-born designer director Ivana Omazic reworked the traditional Parisian chic with a Slavic edge. To Omazic this meant an outfit consisting of a sexy Siberian tiger print dress, a shiny or tweed raincoat cinched at the waist with an obi sash and a luxurious bag made from hair-on calfskin.
It is ironic that Korea at last gets to have an improved inventory of Gianfranco Ferre clothes only after the designer died in June. “This luxury brand suffered years of mishandling in Korea,” said Candy Chen of It Holding Hong Kong,
“But it will change as the local distributor, Wearfun International, has signed a contract with It Holding, which is aggressively expanding Ferre, especially in Asia.”
Ferre sold his company to It Holding in 2002, and then worked as its creative director.
Ferre’s last women’s collection from Milan, shown during a presentation at Wearfun’s private art gallery in southern Seoul, represented the late designer’s architectural and glamorous compositions, with bold contrasting colors, silhouettes and textures.
The songs lyrics include the lines “No more troubles, no more hurting... I’ll walk away with my dignity,” seemed ironic as gorgeously decked-out supermodels tripped and stumbled down the runway in agony, wearing shoes that had more in common with stilts than footwear.
By Ines Cho Contributing Writer
[inescho@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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