Spring introduces new fashion

Fashion Week is an age old tradition and the highlight of the fashion world as the new season’s clothes hit the catwalk in New York City. For the spring 2009 season there are a lot of old styles that have come back and some new ideas to choose from as well. In Milledgeville, students and faculty can fashionably present themselves with the aid of these fresh looks.

One style that has many people excited is the sophisticated trench, as seen in Tommy Hilfiger’s line. With its upgrade this season, there is finally a jacket long enough to wear over a long evening gown or party dress. Along with the trench, the military jacket, often known as the “Sergeant Pepper jacket” for its appearance on the cover of the Beatles’ 1967 album, has also come back onto the market. Although for many body shapes it is a hit and miss, for others it is a great substitute to a blazer. Britnee Richardson, sophomore biology major, loves many of the season’s new styles, including these new jackets.

“The military has given us some of the greatest fashions,” said Richardson. “Military jackets are cute and I doubt that they will ever go out of style. They will just continue to be modified with their materials and colors.”

Another new style staged at Fashion Week is relaxed-fit pants. Put the skinny and wide-leg jeans in the back of the closet, becasue relaxed-fit is spring’s “must-have” according to Glamour.com. The new cut is roomy at the hips and narrow right above the ankle, and is said to flatter every body type, as well as offer ease.

“(Relaxed-fit pants) is a look that everyone can pull off no matter what their personality is,” said Richardson.

Some classics that have returned to the runway are the black-on-white prints, sequins, 80s flare, and embellished boho. Although black-on-white prints never really go out of style, new patterns and designs were all over the spring catwalk from numerous designers. The neo-hippie, natural look returned from more recent fashion shows with only a little more focus on embellishment. Alexander Wang, an up-coming fashion designer that presents modernist-meet-vagabond style, brought the 80′s flare back into the fashion scene with plenty of cropped cuts and bright colors that seemingly collaborated with the revival of sequins.

“I’ve always been a fan of loud colors, no matter on dresses, shirts, skirts, pants or hats,” said Kelsi Nilsson, a sophomore mass communications major. “I’m really glad that designers are incorporating these bold colors into their lines this season. I’ve also always loved the hippie-chic look, which is coming back for summer.”

One of the most do-able and loved looks of the season is hot acid colors being added to simple silhouette outfits, reminding older designers of ’90s collections. Designer Issac Mizrahi featured this style in a clean, innovative way. Alix Erola-Rebellato, sophomore pre-nursing major, joins Nilsson in her appreciation of these bright colors.

“Bright colors are coming back, which is awesome because everyone can find a bright color they look good in,” said Rebellato. “They’re so much fun that you can’t help being happy when you wear them!”

Keeping with this trend, the new colors for the season are magenta and cantaloupe shades, leaving the cobalt-blue behind in 2008.

Accessories for the season are being dominated by oversize necklaces, big bangles and oversize pattern bags. It seems the simpler the outfit, the better the accessories need to be. However, Rebellato thinks the bags need to be used in moderation.

“Oversized bags have been in for a long time, but I really don’t like seeing ladies carrying mini suitcases with them,” said Rebellato. “They aren’t practical and, if anything, they tend to hide a great outfit more than accentuate it. Who really needs that much stuff anyways?”

“One outfit that will not need these new accessories is the pastel suits. Pastel suits pin on the office essential by turning out blazer-and-trouser combos in soft pastel shades,” said Glamour.com. For professors or interning seniors, this new style will get you more excited about going into the office.

The most controversial outfits of the season are the mix-and-match funky patterns and zipper accents. The mix-and-match gives many rebellious fashion-istas the excuse to go a little outside the lines, matching patterns that would normally not go together. Rebellato said she admires this bold style when done tastefully.

As for the zippers, they are usually associated with more punk fashion; they were presented on many designers more feminine pieces. Richardson is unsure about the zippers. “I am not too sure about this ziper idead,” Richardson said, “maybe only in moderation. The fashion industry and department stores may shock me by presenting some pieces that make this daring and bold look work.”

Overall, the Spring 2009 Collection offers something for everyone – from bringing back vintage designs to completely modernizing them into something new. Whether going to dinner, to classes or to the office, there is something offered for every GCSU student or faculty member willing to try something new.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 17 2009. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry