Black in fashion trends

FASHION IN BLACK

But this season it’s far from basic

It became as clear as black and white (and a smidge of navy) to me last fall during New York’s Spring 2013 fashion trends collections. I was attending a breakfast at Lincoln Center, and while nibbling on a croissant, I looked out the window, mesmerized by the parade of fashion editors. They were prancing past in such a hodgepodge of colors and prints and textures, the effect was almost dizzying.

Then I focused back on my breakfast mates, who stood out dressed in black and navy. They looked sleek and confident. And strangely cutting-edge. Strangely because when was the last time that wearing black was considered fashion forward? The answer is now.

Some of the most stellar collections this season—Céline, Lanvin, Alexander Wang, Calvin Klein, Narciso Rodriguez—were almost singularly limited to a palette of black and white. Fashion is a cyclical beast by nature, so it makes sense. “There’s been such an abundance of color and print for a few seasons, black and white is acting like a palate cleanser,” says Sarah Rutson, fashion director of Lane Crawford. In the past few years, prints—helped by new techniques for digitally manipulating and distorting images—have come to the forefront. As a result, designs from Mary Katrantzou to Balenciaga to Proenza Schouler  fashion trends  have created memorable fashion moments.

Yet for those of us who are more Alexander Calder in our mind-set than, say, Claude Monet, recent seasons have felt somewhat confining. I love prints in  fashion trends, but I am keener on the architectural aspects of a piece of clothing, which stand out best when delineated in black and white. While I’m not likely to be seen wearing the midriff-baring cutout looks from Alexander Wang and Balenciaga, I am signing up for the sleeveless tuxedo jackets from Céline and Lanvin. “There is something counterintuitive and slightly shocking about wearing black in warmer months,” notes Linda Fargo, a senior vice president at Bergdorf Goodman.

I like the idea of dressing against the grain. But I’m also not turning color-blind come spring. I have my eye on a searing-orange sheath from Narciso Rodriguez, because the freshest way to delve into color is in a single intense, traffic-stopping dose. Fargo agrees: “It feels like a new nod to mod when it’s done all the way, like at Michael Kors or Gucci  fashion trends.” As standout as these  fashion trends colors are, this season you may make more of a statement by going back to black.

By Jennifer Alfano

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