DKMI Heil Team Style

I have worked backstage and front-of-house during Fashion Week, and, though I am not of late working for a living designer, just being in Manhattan right now means you can’t help but be inspired by the possibilities of what will be.  But, there’s plenty of time to make sense of next year’s fashions – this week’s Fall/Winter runway trends won’t begin to hit stores until July or even complete their delivery until late October or so.

Never one to be lacking in originality points, let me herald the arrival of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week by bypassing New York’s catwalks in favor of the equally cosmopolitan and inspirational parade of fashions from the Olympic Games opening ‘Parade of Nations’ ceremony.

It is no small feat that Olympians train even when not actively competing, and successfully working in wholesale fashion demands a similar spirit and appreciation of warping seasons.  Case in point:  While next Winter’s collections are on view to buyers, we are approving mark-downs on ‘last season’s‘ Winter styles as this season’s Spring orders are completing their delivery to stores (by 4/15!) and decisions on fabrics for pre-Spring or Resort are again underway.  Even though it would seem it should be all too easy to become discombobulated in such a blurred state of seasons past, present and future, focusing on an event that occurs every four years feels manageably topical, if not especially timely.

Designing for the Olympics is nothing new.  In gear from Roots to Rodarte, the Olympians have never looked better.  At this year’s opening ceremony, an impressive roster of celebrity entertainers performed in custom-designed DSquared creations. But, as is done before and post any runway showing, my eyes were fixated off-stage.

It is a fact that, in New York, experiencing what the crowd at a fashion presentation is wearing is (sadly?) as much a part of the show as the runway fashions themselves.  You would never see the guest list conform to one another’s style – lest you threaten individuality, the very thing that, here, guarantees fitting-in.  It’s not, however, from this perspective alone that I was startled by the Vancouver crowd’s uniform donning of white ponchos:  While the virtual effect was beautiful, with the tiered stadium visually transformed by 60,000 spectators into a white backdrop meant to mimic the city’s snow-covered mountains, from a televised vantage, I could not help but see what appeared to be an insanely massive KKK gathering.

I then watched as each of the 82 competing nations was led into the stadium by fashion models cloaked in Moschino white hooded A-line puffers (that, by the way, were also benignly designed to resemble a snow top).

Further adding insult to injury, many of the models – in this case, the Olympians – sported a black armband in memory of the would-be contestant from Georgia, and greeted the crowd with a raised, one-arm salute.  Only the addition of a quarter of a mustache to the athletes’ upper lip could have been more suspect and likely to elicit responsive ‘Heils’ from the stands.

Color me Jewish and sensitive to war crimes – my mother was born in a concentration camp (don’t fret, she now shops at Neiman’s with the best of them).  But don’t put me in a hooded white anything or give me a black armband to wear, in a room where somebody is (or is likely to be) wearing the same thing.

BRONZE:

Even though I may be steadfast with respect to my individuality, I am very much a team player.

I appreciated Team Switzerland’s striped belts, cleverly influenced by the multi-stripe knit band you’d find on a varsity jacket.  More than I did Team Russia’s overtly Americanized ensemble of baseball cap, cowhide-sleeved varsity jacket, denim and sneakers.  Was Team Russia mocking the United States or defending themselves to those in the global community whom question whether the Cold War is really over?   In any case, the team’s outfit exceeded at overkill but made no fashion statement.

Uniforms worn by Teams France and Hungary looked great, courtesy of Adidas, but were, side from their colors, inexplicably identical in design.

It is, go figure, Team Germany that takes the medal, for looking like a team while retaining individuality.  Worn over a bright yellow track jacket, their black and white multi-pocketed zip-up vests, democratically color-blocked in fluorescent blue for the boys and pink for the girls, and spelling T-E-A-M across the chest, were literally inspiring.  To someone like me in the sales side of the fashion business, fit and functionality is of great import and I appreciated that the women’s vests were proportioned differently than the men’s and that Adidas effectively utilized color to highlight the many pockets and zippers (that appeared to be well-positioned).

SILVER:

The teams not outfitted in Adidas were curiously formal in their approach.  Albeit less formal than a blazer, whose buttons are tone-on-tone or the same color as the base fabric, the sport jacket was by far the biggest ‘trend’ of the ceremony.

Teams from Austria and Bermuda looked outright laughable in their flight attendant-like jackets (think polyester, worn back to a white dress shirt and solid tie or neck-scarf for the women) – and this declaration came well before I even picked up on why the latter team was wearing (bermuda) shorts.

The men of Team Great Britain followed suit (black pinstripe, actually) and the women teammates juxtaposed the dark pant with a white 2-button closure safari pocketed jacket.

Regrettably, ALL of the above failed to style their jackets.

My gold medal-worthy unisex styling rule is to ALWAYS leave the last button of an un-tucked garment undone, be it a shirt, a coat, a cardigan or a blazer.  This styling mandate is for for all seasons and for anyone from ages 1 to 92; following it will not make you look sloppy or unkempt but, instead, project that you are comfortable in your own clothes.  And know how to wear them.

So, if it’s a 3-button suit jacket (which, in men’s circles is going, if not already out, in favor of a 1- or 2-button version), either the top two or just the center button should be closed….but NEVER include the last button into the mix.  It follows, then, that for a 2-button garment ONLY the top button should be closed.  Hugely on-trend right now is the most formal double breasted jacket; this cut also benefits from strategically leaving the bottom corner button undone.  If you have a coat that is button-less but with a French (or two-way) zipper, the bottom zipper should be pulled up from the hem at least an inch, and up to a foot high.

Note: The one exception to the above is for a ladies black-tie or evening suit jacket, where you are likely to find over-sized decorative or jeweled buttons that can look too bulky or hang heavy and pull-on or compromise the fabric if left unsecured.

Of all the athletes who made the decision to button-up for the opening ceremony, only Teams Italy and USA succeeded in their efforts.

Team Italy’s militaristic look may have been channeling Mussolini, but Italian style proved supremely elegant, with the last (one to two) buttons of their longer, 4-button ticker-pocketed top coats strategically – and stylishly – left undone.

GOLD:

Possibly using the same backstage team of stylists secured for his upcoming runway show in New York, Ralph Lauren managed to ensure that the last snap on each and every Team USA members’ cropped black Polo ski puffer was perfectly un-buttoned.  In some cases, the zipper sharing the placket was also inched up from the hem.

Considering the competition was outfitted in extremes, Team USA’s sporty outerwear was particularly fresh atop the more traditional tonal base layers of an off-white cable-knit turtleneck taken back to a winter white fleece bottom.  A pairing of the color white that I am most comfortable with.

And, a winning look that would hold its own even amongst a New York crowd.

BONUS:

Nordic or Fair Isle knit accents were abound at the Parade of Nations.  Team USA happened to be sporting a great hat in the print.

Well, this week’s New York runways carried forward the look, as seen at Marc Jacobs and Rag & Bone to Yigal Azrouel.

So, take care not to lose the arctic-themed mittens, scarves, hats, etc., that you already own.  Or, best yet, considering that current styles are now marked down and on sale, in expectation of being on-trend next Winter, may you be inspired to shop off-season.

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Tags: 2010 Olympics, Commentary, DSquared, Fashion, Germany, Italy, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, New York, Opening Ceremony, Parade of Nations, Ralph Lauren, Rodarte, Roots, Runway, USA, Vancouver