For it’s Junior Fashion Week, San Francisco’s talent and strongest statements came from some of its new participants. A vast majority of the trends we saw on the runway were repeats of last season’s (Fall/Winter) trends. Everything Ruffles, Balloon Shapes, Spanish Flare and Hooded Looks. Last season trends aside many of the younger or new designers jumped outside of the box and gave us a few trends we are starting to see on other runways post Fashion Week.
Out the repeat trends, one of the most repetitive trends throughout the fashion week was Ruffles. The repetition of ruffles from collection to collection became more of a headache. Only a few designers really took the ruffle to the next level. Like designer Cari Borja who showed several ruffle looks in her collection. Borja edited the ruffle technique by cutting the ruffle in a zigzag motion and finished the hem with a zigzag stitch. Another strong trend that Borja added to her ruffle looks was rich printed fabrics like brocades even damask fabrics.
For over 6 seasons now the world of fashion has been pushing the skinny pant onto the runway. This trend was originally developed from Hedi Slimane’s second collection for Dior and women buying up his first skinny collection like it was hot stock market item. At the menswear collections for Spring/Summer 07’ in Milan and Paris, we finally are seeing the skinny pant slowly disappear. The trend is slowly disappearing at the SF collections. Designers Kelly B, Briana Swords and Laura Sato of HisByHer took the full leg pant into their collection with open arms. While some designer added a sailor look to pant the relaxed leg is a great look for Spring/Summer 07’.
A few designers this season have taken the post war 40’s and restructured the whole look for the woman today. Three designers at San Francisco really mastered this look, from HisByHer a black silk satin dress with a button down front. With a peter pan collar and cascading pleated fans on the back of the skirt in a white silk satin. Another great look was designer Lily Samii’s hunter green cotton dress with a boxed neckline and a short sleeve lined with a ruffle. This look incorporated another new trend this season, the frayed edge. Samii finished the hem of the dress and edges of the belt with a frayed edge.
From Cari Borja, Donna Lou, Erin Mahoney to Pink Elf and Tamiece, prints were scattered all over the runway. Designers showed a broad spectrum of print designs. From modern prints in bold and brass colors of rust and copper to feminine floral prints in aqua’s and pink’s. While there were a few designers who showed some dull prints, designers like Cari Borja and Erin Mahoney flourished. Mahoney’s Pucci and St. Laurent inspired prints were vibrant and light up the runway. Designer Cari Borja only showed a handful of prints but her eye for combining contrasting prints is complete!
Lace is very delicate and certainly special and often its absent for long stints during collections. Finally lace is making a comeback! Only a few designers used lace in their collections this season, for designer Cari Borja lace added a sexy Spanish look to her feminine and earthy looks. Borja’s standout look was the black polka dot lace over a black life print on white silk. The strapless gown is made up of several tiers of silk and lace gathered creating a ruffle shape. At the Donna Lou show, designer Amanda Lefebre showed several skirt and dress looks with a polka dot lace petticoat. She also detailed the seaming on several piece with lace. Designers Besnik and Lily Samii took lace to the extreme; Samii detailed her lace with beading and cashmere tweed thread, which she threaded through the lace design.
You mix McQueen, Jeremy Scott and a little Heatherette in a bowl and what do you get? Justin Davis and his label Davis Eyes & A.N.G.E.L. In the opening section Davis sent out a series of cult looks that mix the pop world with the modern jersey looks Norma Kamali. The combination of fabrics Davis used in these looks did not complete the looks or the overall feeling of the collection. While there was a rocker chick feel to the collection, piece after piece the show was a parade of the same look. The first two looks to open the collection were a brocade dress and skirt/top combination. There were too many types of brocade used in each of these garments. One of the standout pieces in the opening section was the cream jersey mini dress with long sleeves and band of gold brocade fabric trimming the hem of the dress.
The must have piece from the collection is the strapless purple pop print dress with a ruffled hem. Take the hot pink and purple drape below the waist and you have a cute dress, less is more when the look is more on more. At the close of the collection I was a little confused with the last look, a model walked out with the crotch of her leggings hanging between her legs. You can see the play with lines in several of the looks but Davis is to focused on making each look unique that she did not realize that there is no real fluid design from one look to another. In the end I would love to have seen more loud prints from Davis and less of the minimalism.
