Feathers and fur fly at New York Fashion Week

NEW YORK: Michael Kors brought a taste of Africa to his spring 2012 collection Wednesday, while J Mendel brought out white furs for the penultimate day of New York Fashion Week.

The catwalk could have been called the big cat walk as Kors, in the 30th year of his label, presented "memories of Africa."

Models came out in coats, dresses, shorts and jacket that evoked the safari theme, whether in zebra stripes, leopard print, or khaki that at times seemed authentic to the point of looking dirty and beaten-up.

A leopard dress decorated with russet feathers, ponchos with African prints, Spartan sandals, snakeskin patterns, big leather belts and oversized shoulder bags -- this was a collection for the roughest and toughest of fashionistas.

Models may have been smiling at times, but there were holes in their cashmere outfits -- carefully created holes, of course.

Actor Michael Douglas sat in the first row alongside model Rosie-Huntington Whiteley and actress Zoe Saldana. Rocker Courtney Love was also taking in fashion at the Lincoln Center in central Manhattan.

Nanette Lepore splashed hot pink, yellows and oranges into her collection, building on this year's tendency for bright colors.

And while the fashion world wondered whether Madonna will finally sign with Coty to create a perfume, Norma Kamali treated onlookers to a 3D video runway show with special glasses.

There was a more classic look at J Mendel, with long black and white dresses, and plenty of bare backs.

In keeping with the traditions of the label, founded in Paris in 1870, designer Gilles Mendel threw in little sleeveless boleros of white or blue fur.

Fashion week in the Big Apple ends Friday with Marc Jacobs, who asked for a delay in his scheduled appearance because of the recent Hurricane Irene. Shows from Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein are also still on the program. (AFP)

Russian fashion looks to motherland for inspiration

(Reuters) - Russia's style gurus have turned to the motherland for inspiration at the capital's fashion weeks, celebrating ethnicities and returning to a pre-Soviet era of elegance.

Flowing felt coats, the bright blues and hot pinks of folkloric shawls and cloaks reminiscent of tsarist cavalrymen dominated doyen of fashion Slava Zaitsev's show this week.

"I showed the potential Russian fashion has," said the 73-year-old Soviet icon, who continues to dress the wives of Russian leadership, something he has done since the 1970s.

Zaitsev said he wanted to show a "history of Russia" on the catwalk, beginning with the waistcoats and top hats worn by nineteenth century writer Alexander Pushkin, to heavily embroidered floral jackets evoking the pre-revolutionary Russian countryside through to modern metallic gowns.

Loose-fitting, all-fur mink shirts and trousers evoked Russia's tribes scattered across the Arctic, who live off and wear reindeer.

Another Russian establishment, Valentin Yudashkin, whose boutiques line Moscow's multi-laned roads, strayed from his usual violet and black gowns and also looked towards home turf for his show.

Dancers dressed in traditional Caucasus outfits leapt upon the catwalk to perform the lezginka dance from Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus, where Moscow is battling an increasingly difficult Islamist insurgency.

Models then clad in shaggy ram's wool hats and ankle-length coats traditionally worn by some in the North Caucasus strutted across the runway.

"Russian design is moving towards the nationalistic, becoming closer to styles we can identify with at home," said Viktoria Slezko, general director of Russian boutique chain Fashion Code, which only sells creations by Russian designers.

But behind the tributes to their landscapes, there was lament for a stagnant industry which limps behind its European counterparts such as Milan or Paris.

"We have incredible talents who could be on the level of other countries, but our state does not realise this yet," Zaitsev told Reuters.

"It is a tragedy," he said as models wearing black and red prints similar to Russian lacquered boxes hovered around him.

Zaitsev said there was not enough funding or encouragement for new designers to emerge, a sentiment echoed by ambitious young designers trying to break into the market.

"Russia is more Asian than European. There is an organisation issue here, and this is the main barrier for young designers," said Muscovite Mikhail Vilchuk, 24.

Vilchuk said perseverance and patience earned him the right to show his geometrically designed men's clothes this week, but that many aspiring designers were put off.

"These sorts of things would not happen in France," he said.


 By Amie Ferris-Rotman

Credit: Reuters