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DRESSING UP

The message may be more noted for what it says about lifestyle and wardrobes. The days of devil-may-care denim-goes-anywhere may be finally coming to an end. One of the most interesting developments from the runways was a sign that “occasion wardrobes” were back, thanks to the influence of fashion icons from the 1950s to 1960s like Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn.

“Nothing you can wear can shock anyone anymore,” observes Seventh Avenue fashion guru David Wolfe, Doneger’s creative director. “What is going to get attention now is good taste and appropriate dressing.” Even today’s headliner bad girls seem to have gotten this message. “Some are calling it prison chic,” says Wolfe.

There’s also the influence of the Baby Boomers, now well into their middle ages and looking for clothing that is age appropriate yet youthful. What’s more, Wolfe says there’s a return to dressing appropriate for the occasion. “For years now, a woman could walk out of her house dressed in jeans, blouse, accessories, and looking at her you wouldn’t know if she were going to the mall, church, or to her job.” Wolfe has been pushing a new dress for success concept with retailers and the press for two years and it finally may be taking hold.

DEFINING DETAILS

It is this renewed emphasis on occasion dressing that perhaps could have the most influential effect on clothing, accessories, and fine jewelry. The affluent consumer is embracing this idea as a way to differentiate. While dresses may never fully gain the stature they had 50 years ago, there was such a wide range in every collection that no consumer seemed left out. Even among the kookiest of runway antics, there are handbags, shoes, belts, and jewelry on mannequins. The message is clear: Whatever the look or lifestyle, the defining details are integral to the wardrobe.