USA: As the tents go up in Bryant Park, designers Catherine Malandrino and Naeem Khan get ready to show their Fall 2007 collections.

Record ID: 1525853

  • Title: USA: As the tents go up in Bryant Park, designers Catherine Malandrino and Naeem Khan get ready to show their Fall 2007 collections.
  • Date: 3rd February 2007
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK USA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DESIGNER NAEEM KHAN'S FALL 2007 COLLECTION ON RACKS AND MANNEQUIN STANDS
  • Embargoed: 19th February 2007 19:27
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA25NXIYTHCLDXWOWOPCU13HNA5
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Preparations are well underway in Bryant Park, as New York prepares to kick off the Fall 2007 fashion season on Friday (February 2). While the tents are going up, there is speculation about whether or not this will be the last season the show is put on in Bryant Park. Last year New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared that Fashion Week had outgrown the venue. However, officials at IMG Fashion who are behind the more than 100 runway shows each season, have not confirmed their departure just yet. In the meantime, carpenters are hard at work putting together sets inside the giant white tents, where models do their thing each season on the catwalk. So what will we be seeing on the runway this season? Linda DeFranco, a trend forecaster for Cotton Inc., says that every few seasons new trends emerge. In the last few years, we've seen a military-inspired look and a bohemian look on the runways. She predicts that this fall, the feminine theme will still ring strong with designers - but with a little twist. "We'll definitely be seeing more of these feminine silhouettes. However this season I think it'll have a little bit of an edge to it, it's going to be a lot different. We're seeing all around very strong women coming into play in the media and everywhere else and we're really seeing the idea of a modern edge coming into these designs. So we're seeing the femininity, but with little dashes of sharp edges or fabrications being used," says DeFranco. As for palettes, DeFranco predicts designers will have the blues this season. And not just denims -- she says there will a range in shades from the bright hue of the Aegean sea to the darkest midnight sky. Beyond the blues, varying shades of wine will carry through to this season as well. Designer Catherine Malandrino, whose upscale Malandrino line will show off site, got a big boost several years back when Madonna wore one of the designers T-shirts on tour. Now, Malandrino has become a favourite among New York fashionistas who want to wear unique fashions with distinctive and delicate details. Malandrino says she's incorporated bold shapes into her collection as well as lots of black, white and magenta. Silhouette is a primary concern for the French native, who turned to the 1960s for inspiration this season. "I started with the idea of a woman in movement and I had in mind this French dancer Zizi Jeanmaire. She was in the sixties working on ballet with her husband Roland Petit. She had a very coquina attitude that I like about a Parisian girl. I think she has the energy and the movement of New York at the same time, this is why I picked her." Malandrino fans can expect to see proportional volume on top, and fitted feminine shapes that aim to please the modern woman. She designs for a woman with sensibility and likes when women take risks. But a big part of her aesthetic is also keeping looks real so that they can be worn by real women. "I encourage woman to give a lot of consideration about their pick every morning. Because I feel that they are giving a little more of themselves every day. And I love this idea that my dress are designed to be worn, you know, in real life." At designer Naeem Khan's studio, Reuters got a sneak peek at runway ready designs. The collection consists of fabulous dresses made from a variety of fabrics, including Khan's own uniquely dyed and crinkled organza. Khan's looks are absolutely stunning -- and he too drew from 1960s for this collection. He explains, "It's going to be very very glamorous because after doing "Dreamgirls" and doing the finale scene for it we really upped it a notch with the glamour issue. And I just thought for me that's the best way to go. Style wise, there's gonna be, it's very inspired from early sixties, Yves Saint Laurent, that's how you're going to see it, sixties inspired glamour." And glamourous it is. Special mirror details adorn flirty shift dresses and a dazzling backless dress is sure to make good impressions on the numerous editors, stylists and fashion buyers who will be attending the show. But the runway styles won't just be seen by those at the shows. Like last year, IMG fashion will have real time clips from fashion shows on their websites. And it looks like they're trying to make high end fashion more accessible to those who want to wear the clothing. Tickets have already gone on sale to the public for fashion shows next season in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston. Don't try buying a seat for shows in New York though -- these are still the hottest tickets in the States and there are no plans to make the runways open to the public. While the masses may not make it to New York for fashion week, one thing is sure - change is coming to New York fashion week - and the designs showing under these tents will certainly go a long way.
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