Miniskirts and pops of color at Rag & Bone
NEW YORK (AP) — Outside, there was sleet, snow and slush. But inside at the Rag & Bone show, one could find at least a temporary solution to Friday's winter storm: Hot mulled wine to ease the chill, and some fun, colorful clothes.
Designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville were interested for the fall and winter preview in pops of bright color — like mineral green and grape — and in a more overtly masculine style. "We referenced men's silhouettes a lot more than usual this time," Wainwright said in an interview.
On the other hand, the collection at New York Fashion Week was full of flirty quilted miniskirts, too, giving it a feminine accent along with the structured jackets and coats. A grape-colored crochet mini was a typically fun look, as was an orange bomber skirt paired with a long coat, also in grape. A mohair coat — in grape again — was paired with a jodhpur pant in black wool and looked just yummy enough for a walk in the cold.
There were lots of soft sweaters, too, like a charcoal "funnel sweater" paired with a crochet skirt of the same color. A charcoal sweater-coat looked deliciously big and warm — one envied the model who got to wear it on such a cold evening. And one of the most appealing looks was an oversized peacoat in a lovely chartreuse, paired with a wrap skirt in royal blue.
Overall the looks felt wearable, while not ordinary. Neville said that was always a difficult balance to get right.
"Some designers can do anything in the name of artistic license," he said. "We try to keep it more accessible, something that's relevant to the Rag & Bone girl, while still being interesting of course."
The fashionistas crowded into a cavernous space next to Manhattan's main post office wore an interesting mix of winter boots and stiletto heels, depending on how seriously they were taking the weather — or how far into denial they were.
For Alyssa Montemurro, 22, the four-inch heels were a necessity, in her view: She interviews models for a website, and needs to be able to talk to them. "I'm 5 foot 3 on a good day," she said, "and when you're interviewing models backstage, it's best to be somewhere near their face level."
