Buccini noted that a number of Paris designers, including Elbaz and Olivier Theyskens at Rochas, perked up their whites with couture finishes.
At Lanvin, a low-back shift came in washed ivory Duchess satin, a classic white blouse in laundered charmeuse. Theyskens said the crinkled stretch cotton of a long white skirt and matching jacket brought to mind rustic cloth from his ancestral Normandy. A model in the showroom said the skirt was as comfortable as her bluejeans. At the opposite extreme is the dark, elegant pantsuit. Buccini recalled that Bryan Bradley closed his Tuleh show in New York with a pair of masculine pantsuits. They served as a double apostrophe for his collection, and what was to come at the European shows. Stores next spring will emphasize a variety of pants styles and jackets -- "I've never bought so many jackets," Buccini said.
If you don't count Bermudas, there are three styles of pants that will be relevant: the slouchy trousers that Theyskens showed (and which are held in place just below the waist by an interior band of grosgrain ribbon); the wide, cropped style at Michael Kors; and the tailored Saint Laurent toreador pants that look best belted.
The Saint Laurent pants incorporate another spring trend: the trim waist. The tulip-shaped skirts at Fendi, with their cummerbund waists, bear
mentioning. It's a flattering look, especially with a plain white blouse. (Bergdorf will now be carrying Fendi ready-to-wear.) The difference in jackets next season is the line of the shoulders. Theyskens removed almost all the padding from his jackets to help give a lean, natural-looking slouch. But most designers did something a little bit funny.
Frida Giannini pinched the shoulders of her Gucci black satin jackets. There is a slight peak to the paisley and Regency striped jackets at Balenciaga, too, with some of Nicolas Ghesquiere's styles getting an extra Baroque buildup.
Rei Kawakubo took the look to extremes, evoking monarchy with her sternly piled tartan shoulders. Junya Watanabe's pinched-back trench coats brought the message down the earth: sharp tailoring is one of spring's high signs.
In the absence of any clear statement about sexy dressing, except from the Alaia and Versace archive messengers, it is tempting to include a category called Just Pretty. But that seems Just Drippy.
There is, however, a nice undercurrent of sexual thought and tension working through a number of collections.
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