USA: Designers and trend forecasters gear up for the start of New York Fashion Week

Record ID: 196967

  • Title: USA: Designers and trend forecasters gear up for the start of New York Fashion Week
  • Date: 3rd February 2008
  • Summary: :(L!2) NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA (JANUARY 30, 2008) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THE BIG TENT AT BRYANT PARK/ BANNER READING "MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK" WORKERS INSIDE THE TENT PREPARING RUNWAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) FERN MALLIS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF IMG FASHION, SAYING: "New York's designers tend to design more of what people wear ultimately, and we'll be curious to see the
  • Embargoed: 18th February 2008 12:00
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  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Fashion
  • Reuters ID: LVA7W5PMSSTF578X0TUZDOSB53O9
  • Story Text: Last minute preparations are being made to the tents at Bryant Park as fashion designers and trend forecasters get ready for New York Fashion Week.
    Although it is the middle of winter, and spring and summer are right around the corner, it's time to think fall fashion! The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York begins on Friday, (February 1) and the final preparations are being made under the iconic white tents at Bryant Park. Beginning Friday, some of the world's most influential designers will begin showing off their Fall/Winter collections.
    Fern Mallis, the Senior Vice President of I.M.G. Fashion, which organizes New York Fashion Week, says the world will be watching what happens here. She says,
    "New York's designers tend to design more of what people wear ultimately, and we'll be curious to see the prices and everything, with all the talk about the economy this year, shakes out with what we really see coming down the runway."
    So, what will we see on the runway this week? Lauren Deatherage, a fashion trend analyst for Cotton Incorporated, says the form-fitting silhouette will be the biggest trend. She says, "The general style is going to be long and lean. The sack dress has really served its purpose, but the designers are going to introduce a long, lean silhouette and a cinch waist this fall/winter."
    As for color, icy tones and bright neons will shine. Deatherage says, "Glacial icy tones, like iced over blues and grays and yellows, are definitely going to become our neutrals for fall and winter. I also think we are going to see an evolution of neons. Neons have really started to gain importance, and I think we are going to see neons combine with a feminine twist, with feminine pretty shades of prints and patterns."
    At New York's Fashion Week, great American designers such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors show under the same roof as rising stars from all over the world. One of those rising stars is fashion designer, American designer Brian Reyes, who launched his own line when he was 24 years old.
    Reyes, whose designs have been worn by actresses America Ferrera and Rachel Bilson, says Fall 2008 is all about glamour. He says, "Fall 2008 for us is really a return to glamorous dressing. It's a return to a very controlled silhouette. There is an essence of tailored, but there is an underlying classic femininity that is present in the collection. So there will be a lot of texture and fabric, a lot of light elements with the fabrics that we are using, and you are going to see a lot of color as well."
    New York Fashion Week is a must-attend event for designers from all over the world. This week, Brazil's acclaimed Iodice will show for the first time at New York's Fashion Week. Iodice's graffiti-inspired designs will focus on edgy blues and blacks. His clothes are carried at major department stores around the world, as well as, trendy speciality shops like BR Concept in SoHo.
    Valdemar Iodice says, although he has been showing in Brazil for more than 20 years, he is eager to see how the U.S. responds to his collection. He says, "I am very confident in my work. I think the collection is for the sexy, feminine, sensual woman. We have had a response from the U.S. market.
    We've been distributing the brand, and I'm sure it's going to be a grand success."
    New York Fashion Week wraps up on February 8. About 100,000 people are expected to attend the week-long event, including journalists, buyers, celebrities and bloggers.
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