Just writing this column is taking much longer than it should have. Why? Because of excuses. In college I learned the phrase, “Excuses are the tools of the incompetent upon which monuments of nothingness are built.NEW YORK – Layers are nothing new, but the way New York Fashion Week is wearing them is.
The list of trends for next fall is piling on as the catwalk previews of new designer collections near their homestretch: There’s fur, leather and lace, cozy knits, military looks. Now the good news about your investment, should you choose to bring some of the new styles home, is that you can wear them all at once.
The interest in layered separates bodes well for menswear-inspired styles, said Brandon Holley, editor-in-chief of Lucky magazine.
“Men dress more in separates, and I think women are enjoying being out of the day dress. That’s when style really comes in for me, when you pick the skirt that will go with the shirt, and the sweater and the bag, and a scarf.”
Holley added, “It’s not just layers, it’s interesting layers.”
The look also extends the life of any one piece through changes in weather.
That summer top gets a sweater in the fall, Holley said, and the turtlenecks and knits are so light, you can wear them when it’s warmer outside.
And, she said, it seems like it’s going to be leather weather year-round.
At Wednesday’s Michael Kors show at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents at Lincoln Center, models were styled with fur vests over leather trenches and a slip dress underneath, or a Mongolian-fur vest with a chunky alpaca pullover.
“Mix up the texture,” Kors said backstage before the show. “Mohair, tweed, plaid, faux and real fur, satin and lace.”
But if a shopper had to choose just one thing, he’d go with a coat. “The coats and outerwear this season are outrageous.”
