what a girl wants, what a girl needs

03.51.00 just4u Label: spring rtw 2008

Nothing gets my shopping juices going like the stuff in New York - mainly because I'm an American sportswear fan at heart, and let's face it, there's lots of good stuff out there for a young girl right now. Take a look at Alexander Wang, with his tailored but easy pieces, or Phillip Lim, with those knife-cut blazers, swishy-but-casual draped dresses, and that perfect navy trench, or Sari Gueron's feminine, beautifully detailed-yet-simple shifts and mini-ensembles. Those with a taste for glitz can get their fix from Derek Lam, who showed wonderfully louche-yet-glamorous satin and chiffon pieces, and sophisticates might want to have a look at Proenza Schouler's cool, assured, and sharp designs. Finally, there's always Thakoon for the arty romantics who also don't want to look like a drip - his clothes are whimsical but not without a certain rigor that separates it from just being cute. In the hands of these few, New York fashion, to me, is in a more interesting place than it was when Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, and Narciso Rodriguez ruled the day. There's nothing wrong with what they do (I am still a big Narciso fan, even if he was rather blah this season), but the new guard have more relevance to what's going on in the world today - it doesn't feel like they're selling clothes to a rarified few (even if at their prices, they are). It feels to me that classic American sportswear, in their hands, is being pushed to a more diverse and intriguing level - the same kind of ease and casual luxury, but there's a kind of artistry and fantasy, mixed with influences from the street that wasn't really there before.