It's September 2011, and Americans continue to feel the painful memories of the most devastating terrorist attack in U.S. history. Although our country is still in the midst of one of the worst economic downturns since the great depression, the fashion industry gave us an unexpected feeling last week: optimism.
Typically, fashion trends are a direct reflection of what is going on in society. The lower the income level, the less progression takes place. During hard economic times, people don’t want to spend money on items that will only be in style for one season (and, as we all know, the past several years haven’t been particularly easy on our wallets). Add in the recently inescapable images and footage of September 11th perpetuated by every possible media outlet, and new fashion trends seem to be the last thing on the minds of Americans.
However, last week, American designers surprised us all and found a way to send a strong message of positivity with:
metallics and embellishments
bright colors and feminine fits
The clothes weren’t the only positive aspects of the week. After showing his last two collections in Paris, Zac Posen made his return to New York this year. Dianne Von Furstenburg and Anna Sui both displayed their patriotism in different ways: DVF handed out little American flags when she came out onto the runway to take her finale bow, while Sui added sailor hats to some of her models, and blue and white star lighting on the runway.
Though these looks are six plus months away from hitting the stores, fashion week showed us that we can all start wearing the real breakout trend of the season right now: the unbreakable American spirit.
