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Style hits and misses of 2007

By Christopher Muther
NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, BOSTON
Thursday, Jan 03, 2008, Page 13

PHOTO: AGENCIES

When fashion scholars look back on 2007, it seems inevitable that the year won't be remembered for John Galliano's wonderfully flowery, romantic spring collection for Christian Dior, or for Rodolphe Marconi's incredible and unprecedented documentary on Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld (yes, the white ponytail is real).

Instead, sociologists will look back and scratch their heads, wondering why there appeared to be an undergarment shortage among young female celebrities in Los Angeles, or why the diminutive Olsen twins were dressed to engage in gladiatorial battle this summer in their ridiculous knee-high sandals. It wasn't all bad - just mostly bad. Here's our highly subjective list of the style hits and misses of last year.

MISS

Tom Brady for Stetson

Sure the Pats QB looks great in the ad, but hold up, partner. We don't wear cowboy hats in these parts. Come to think of it, we also don't wear stinky cologne. Star football players who earn millions may use Stetson to freshen their cat's litter box, but definitely not as cologne. While we're on the subject of Brady, what's happening with his hair? Is he planning to transfer to the Bruins? Mullets belong on the ice, not on turf.

Katie Holmes'transformation won plaudits from fashionistas. PHOTO: AGENCIES

HIT

Red, everywhere

After a couple of seasons of orange on everything from rugs to throw pillows, another color made a comeback this year: red. The rosy hue showed up on high-end furnishings as well as the more affordable stuff. Fashionistas got caught in the crimson tide, too. Looking for a hot handbag? Nothing's hotter than red.

Britney Spears'choice of underwear, or lack thereof, her hats, hair and outift ... last year it seems she couldn't put a foot right. PHOTO: AGENCIES

MISS

Jennifer Hudson's Oscar dress

It should have been a dream date. Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley hand-picked a dress for Oscar contender Hudson. Instead, the dream girl looked like a fourth member of LaBelle circa 1975 in a crazy space-age bolero jacket.

HIT

Thom Browne for Brooks Brothers

Looks like the overspill often seen when a person wears hipsters, otherwise known as the muffin top, is here to stay as the high-waisted jean has been deemed a fashion miss, although these don't look so bad; The wait is worth it for Marc Jacobs. PHOTOS: AGENCIES

A pairing as unlikely as the short-lived Ashley Olsen-Lance Armstrong romance, the collaboration between Thom Browne and navy-blazer supplier Brooks Brothers had the potential to be as appealing as a double feature of License to Wed and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Instead, Browne turned out a collection of classic suits and dresses that appealed to Brooks Brothers' buttoned-down patrons, and attracted more stylish shoppers to the store.

HIT

The natural home

Interior designers had a field day (pun intended) adapting natural elements to the great indoors, beginning with faux bois, then moving on to squirrels, insects, owls, deer, and finally diving into the undersea world. The impetus sprang from an appreciation of fleeting nature, but the hippie-dippy sentiment was kept in check with design smarts from Loyal Loot and Eleanor Grosch.

HIT AND MISS

Katie Holmes' transformation ...

Tom Cruise's bangs

Could Scientology dictate unusual hair styles for men? While John Travolta experimented with dangly hair pieces, Tom Cruise grew out his bangs like a 6-year-old who refuses to get a hair cut. As Tom overdid it with conditioner, his wife finally crawled out of Dawson's Creek and made herself over in the image of her new idol - Victoria Beckham.

MISS

Sharon Stone's fur fetish

Every time Sharon Stone was photographed on the red carpet, she was toting the pelt of some poor deceased animal on her back. It's one thing to accent evening wear with an occasional vintage fur, but Stone must have been dating a Canadian furrier this year given all the mink, chinchilla, rabbit, and lord-knows-what else she was wrapping around her shoulders. C'mon Sharon, only Eskimos and woodland creatures should be wearing fur coats that often.

HIT

Gwen Stefani's LAMB runway show

Fashion week can be a nightmare of pretentious concepts and over-the-top displays of self-importance. But singer Stefani effectively knocked the stuffing out more established designers with a show that was as fun as the clothes she sent down the runway. It wasn't cutting edge or breaking new ground, but her soundtrack of swinging 1960s mod music and the dazzling black-and-white video display was tastier than cotton candy.

HIT AND MISS

Green as a marketing tool

It's lovely that we're finally recognizing the fact that polar bears are losing their icy home, but it's not so lovely that corporations are jumping on the bandwagon by touting items with minimal amounts of recycled material as environmentally friendly. Instead of spending the money marketing their home products and fashion as green, these folks should be spending their cash on reducing waste in packaging, or investing in new, energy-saving technology.

MISS

The high-waisted jean

Assisted living facility fashion finds its way to the young ladies of major metropolitan areas, and the results are pure disaster. Did the American Association of Retired Persons pay Jessica Simpson and Mischa Barton to bring granny chic to the masses? It seems like the only logical explanation for these hideous trousers. Here's hoping that the fragrance industry doesn't follow suit by bottling Eau de Icy Hot.

HIT AND MISS

Marc Jacobs keeps them waiting

The designer's spring 2008 line wasn't polarizing because of the clothes - the black bugle-bead evening dresses and trompe l'oeil underwear were conceptually enthralling. But fashion writers, editors, and Fashion Week organizers were livid at Jacobs' two-hour delay in starting the show. Given that the rest of Fashion Week featured staid spring fashions displayed against stark white runways, it was worth the delay to see Jacobs stage his backward spectacle.

HIT

Catherine Deneuve's ads for Louis Vuitton

The 64-year-old actress is resplendent in adverts for the Vuitton bags. Unlike, say, Tom Brady and Stetson cologne, it's entirely believable that Deneuve would be traveling through Paris with armloads of luxury suitcases.

MISS

Heidi Klum's derriere cleavage

About as sexy as a rat in a bikini, Klum decided to show a little bit of backside at the afterparty for this year's Victoria's Secret fashion show. The dress looked like it was cast out by Carol Channing after she backed into a paper shredder. Pardon the pun, but it's time that someone told Heidi that crack is indeed whack.

MISS

Britney Spears' disregard of undergarments, Britney's baldness, Britney's hats, Britney's hair weaves, Britney's MTV Video Music Award's outfit.

Enough said. ...
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