Have You Been A Naughty Or Good Girl This Year Thus Far???



"FW09 was the season of the Bad Girl, epitomized by Balmain’s super-short mini dresses and edgy shoulders. Nowadays, the masses are sporting studs, metal hardware, chunky black boots, etc. It’s an overall hardcore look that’s available to purchase everywhere from Barneys to Forever 21.

So naturally it’s time for a black backlash.

Technically the backlash started in SS10, with Prada and Christopher Kane showing sweet looks fit for Alice Liddell instead of Alice Dellal. But thus far, FW10 has offered even less black and very few tough, spiky accessories. The look has been replaced by pastels, greys, beiges, whites, and (gasp) flats.

However, there are still a few designers dedicated to the most versatile shade in the world." Fashionista



Good Girls


In New York, the fade to white was most obvious at Marc Jacobs, where no color darker than gray appeared on the runway. Marc’s Kabuki girls from spring have evolved, or devolved, to the Marc Jacobs wallflowers of yore. The flat shoes, ankle socks, big cardigans, and pastel long dresses all read perfectly demure, not a touch of sin or mischief.

Also in NY, Rodarte’s monsters turned to angels, SUNO showed African-inspired brights, and Karen Walker showed no black at all, favoring light-colored prints and tons of rose, creme, grey and mint.



Bad Girls


Some designers, however, are sticking with naughty instead of nice. Alexander Wang departed from his relaxed sporty aesthetic to something hard, black, and all business. Altazurra was all edge, as was Preen, Donna Karan, and Louise Goldin.



Going Bad


Some designers known for their sweetness chose FW10 as the season to break away. Thakoon, Jason Wu, and most successfully Peter Som all strayed from their good-girl, pretty-dress image to something conceptual, grunge, and rebellious.



A Little Bit of Both


Straddling the line are Frank Tell and Christopher Kane. Tell, illustrating the trend towards lights, showed a collection that moved through the color wheel, from black to white via blue. And Christopher Kane, not wholly abandoning his Lolita of last season, chose black leather (the naughtiest of all), but adorned it with the girliest of embroidered flowers.

We’re excited to see what pops up in Milan and Paris, expecting Prada to push back against lovely with tough and Marc to stay light at Vuitton. By the end of fashion month we expect the rift between light and dark to grow. Which side will you be on?

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