No Must-Have Look for Spring/Summer 09: China Daily

by Terri Potratz | October 15, 2008 at 08:56 am

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BC Fashion Week: Nicole Bridger S/S 2009

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China Daily rounds up a few of the top runway looks for Spring/Summer 2009 from the New York, London, Paris and Milan fashion shows, but note that there is no singular must-have ticket for the coming season. They wager that this indifference could be attributed to the global economic crisis, as consumers are weary to draft up their wish-lists for next summer in the midst of this gloomy financial situation.

Although none of the popular looks stood out as a singular "must-have" or definitive winner, China Daily did note a few worthy runway trends to consider.

Nude basics:

Call it sand, skin or champagne: There was a steady parade of nude colors on the runways, although models weren't necessarily showing a lot of skin.

"Everyone did nude, but it wasn't lingerie nude all the time -- it was an interesting mix with yellow and orange," observes Price.

And, she adds, these flesh tones weren't used to complement delicate, romantic pieces as much as strong, futuristic looks.

Asymmetry:

Designers offered up the modern goddess as their collective muse, showing a string of one-shouldered looks. Most of the outfits were evening gowns but the asymmetric style was also popular with more casual, shorter silhouettes.

Gladiator sandal grows up:

The gladiator may reach its full height of popularity in spring '09. What started as a flat summertime-sandal alternative to the ballet slipper has gotten a progressively higher heel as the years have gone on. The shoes on the runway this go-round had towering heels, tough-girl styling and sometimes seemingly unstable architecture.

Corsetry:

While a more relaxed shape dominated, there was a proliferation of tight corsets, too. It was the yin to the yang, and the "va" in vavoom. Corsets were featured in old-school cocktail dresses and playful rompers. Prada also adopted bra tops, so the lingerie look may linger awhile.

Humid hues:

Either the fashion industry isn't going to let the shaky economy drag it down -- or designers are trying to escape it. There was a clear tropical influence on the clothes for spring-summer. If nude is the must-have neutral over standard black and white, then tangerine orange and hibiscus pink, along with ocean blues, are the favorite infusions of color instead of pastels.