PARIS If the gods who rule Paris fashion got it right thisseason, we're all going to get into the black.
In the fall haute couture shows last week, there was hautehippie black at Gianni Versace. Corseted and see-through black atChanel, Christian Lacroix and Thierry Mugler. Politically correctblack suits hiding luxe sweaters at Emanuel Ungaro. Jet-headed blackbras at Yves Saint Laurent. Movie-stars-on-ocean-liners black atValentino. Furred and feathered black at Christian Dior. And fromGivenchy, the man who brought us Audrey Hepburn in the little blackdress, the new mother-of-chic little black suit.
Sooty, snooty black is more than a color in these fall-wintercollections of the world's most expensive clothes, literally blackingout all other shades: It's a symbol of the times. Safe.Responsible. Recession sensitive. Easy to maintain.
For U.S. retailers looking in Paris for fashion that they willbuy later in the form of less expensive ready-to-wear, the biggestsilhouette news of the season is the over-all endorsement of manyskirt lengths. With the exception of Versace, who showed only oneabove-the-knee skirt in a collection that was otherwise headedstraight for the ankles, designers are definitely pro-choice when itcomes to hemlines.
As Kal Ruttenstein of Bloomingdale's remarked: "The only lengththat looks wrong is very short."
Ruttenstein, Ellin Saltzman of Bergdorf Goodman, NicoleFischelis of Saks Fifth Avenue and Joan Kaner of Neiman Marcus allsaid they came to Paris expecting the majority hemline to be atmid-calf or below and were surprised at the lasting power of short -short meaning an inch or two above the knees.
By offering choice in lengths - including that all-time favoritejust-below-the-knee length sanctioned by Coco Chanel and now endorsedas nouvelle longueur by Karl Lagerfeld - designers literally aregoing to all lengths to assure women that it's safe to buy somethingnew and that they no longer need worry about a hemline that'sobsolete.
"Even at these prices," says Kaner, referring to the $16,000suits and $25,000 gowns of haute couture, "women want choices, andmore and more designers realize it."
Here are the season's trends from the 20 couturiers sanctionedby the Chambre Syndicale, the governing body of Paris fashion, andthe three de facto participants in these biannual fashion rites:Valentino, Versace and Mugler. The latter presented a collectionthat was part ready-to-wear - clothes already seen by buyers at hisMarch opening - and part made-to-order.
PANTS: From Saint Laurent's narrow cigarette-leg velvets to thewide-legged see-through wool voiles worn over thigh-high stockings atChanel to the sheer black chiffons at Mugler, there are pants inevery collection. Versace even managed to make bell-bottoms lookchic in black wool teamed with matching long, narow jackets. Pantsalso continue as an expression of the mannish mode introduced earlierthis year in ready-to-wear. At Dior, designer Gianfranco Ferre givesa couture touch to gray flannels and pinstripes by adding sablecuffs.
With the exception of Ungaro's majorette jackets with epauletteson the shoulders, most pants jackets are long and lean with lots ofshape-defining seams. Most pants are shown with high heels - somewith wafer-soled platforms, others with thick-heeled pumps orT-straps, and a few with sleek, high-heeled boots. The high-heelwedge at Chanel looks especially directional.
LOOKING BACK: Versace's Cher-and-Cher-alike bell bottoms andvests may be rooted in the '70s, but they may well redefine the '90s.Lagerfeld's hippies for Chanel recall the wispy, misty flowerchildren of Woodstock memory.
The name-that-decade-movement also features Valentino's remakesof Hollywood heroines of the late '30s and early '40s, complete withMarlene Dietrich pantsuits, Greta Garbo hats and Carole Lombardsnoods. Ungaro salutes '30s surrealism with red-lip andeyelashed-eye embroideries on cashmere sweaters and strapless gowns.
While designers all say change is in the air, by week's end thatbegan to sound like a lot of hot air. Ferre's collection for Diorgave a lot of oxygen to the tradition of grand couture by way ofinflated jacket peplums and blown-up sleeves that breathed new lifeinto old ballgowns, thereby pleasing customers who prefer the statusof the status quo.
CORSETRY: The cinched waist looks like a cinch to succeed,thanks to the staying power of the corset. This trend that startedin ready-to-wear is now literally and figuratively shaking thefoundations of couture.
For Lagerfeld of Chanel it's Mae West meets Tara in gowns with corseted basque bodices and big,drape-swagged skirts. For Lacroix, it's jackets with trompe l'oeilgirdles that lace in back. And for Mugler, it's laced-front,laced-back girdle jackets or tops in a gravity-defying range thatincludes silk faille, wool, metal and Plexiglas. Some are worn withlaced-together girdle skirts, some with see-through black chiffonskirts with ribbed seams and some with tulle tutus.
FUNDAMENTAL ORNAMENTAL: In keeping with the toned-down mood inmany collections, jet emerges as the bead of the season, oftenreplacing the more traditional jewel embroideries. Passementeriebraid, leather appliques and upholstery-inspired tufting and quiltinggive the clothes a touch-me look. And for the first time in manyseasons, ribbons appear as intricate braidwork on the bodices ofgowns.
Marylou Luther is a New York-based fashion writer.
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