WHO: DEREK LAM
WHO THEY ARE: Some thing Derek Lam is the next Ralph Lauren. He also designs bags for Tod’s.
COLOR TRENDS: Lam, like many other designers this spring, went a bit all over the map with his color palette: poppy red, peach, orange, grey, white, silver, black and grey, and a liquid bronze fabric. It was hard to find a consistent look in all this, although Lam is good at fit, cut and tailoring – and his shapes are always well drawn. But they are not always truly flattering. That peach had a nice look and would probably really pop on shiney bronzed summer skin.
MAJOR TREND: Who ever though the jumpsuit was a good idea? Lam decided to haul it back again – like many before him – with disastrous results. He did it in dressy fabrics, and it just looked like a farmer on her way to the opera. They were baggy and boyish and just all wrong – and can one quickly hit the ladies room in them? They just aren’t modern. But his dresses faired a lot better – some of them had anorak strings sewn into them, zig zagging across the dresses, to sport them up. Lam cuts a mean blazer – and this season, he did his signature long blazer in a peach tone, which he showed over black legging-pants. It looked chic – but not not new or earth-shattering. His dressy dresses at the end were the only thing here worth craving. Leave the great American sportswear to Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren, Derek – and stick to sexy dresses.
WHAT’S RELEVANT TO HOLLYWOOD: Well, not those jumpsuits, that’s for sure – unless your name is Chloe Sevigny and you are cool enough to carry that off. The molten bronze liquid looking dress is a nice early evening startler – for a casual Hollywood charity event. Also interesting were the molton bronze pants – there are a lot of silver, sequin, silk print and other unlikely fabrics in pants this season _ some of them work, some don’t. Some come off a bit harem. These actually work. A peach tight cocktail dress with a scarf back is stunning – again, perf for “Mad Men’s” January Jones – a little bit retro, and a lot modern and chic and Grace Kelly – just like Ms. Jones.
