The Wall Street Journal-20080214-On Style- Work Wear- Designers Who Get It

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On Style: Work Wear: Designers Who Get It

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Among the random thoughts that flitted through my mind during the many hours of fashion shows I attended in New York last week were these:

"That's a beautiful look -- but I have no place to wear an ostrich- feather evening gown."

"Can they alter that sheath dress to make room for breasts?"

"Giant Kelly green plaid at the office: Will they laugh in my face, or just behind my back?"

Fashion shows, of course, shouldn't present the same old business suits each season. Designers should push the envelope, elevate our everyday style and set new trends. And let's not forget that many designers show outlandish clothes on the runway to create a spectacle; they don't even expect to make most of those clothes.

But all too often, designers get so carried away with their art -- this season it was ostrich, pheasant and peacock feathers in show after show -- that they seem to forget the real women out there who want to buy clothes. Few of these designers have worked in an insurance office or a bank where they could learn about the workaday lives of the people who might wear their clothes. Instead, they feel pressure from within the fashion industry to produce dramatic looks.

Meanwhile, designers who are beloved by their clients for producing wearable clothes often fear they're not out-there enough for critics and fashion-magazine editors. Some, like Elie Tahari, sidestep the whole issue and don't do a runway show during fashion week. Others, like Nanette Lepore, worry.

Ms. Lepore offers plenty of curvaceous suits with office-ready fabrics. She attributes her designs' wearability to her relationships with real-life women such as her sister. But Ms. Lepore feels the heat from within her industry. "Sometimes I think it's a weakness that I don't push suits farther," she told me last week. "I don't always get the reviews that I want."

Still, there are options for working women looking for clothes that will make them look capable and feel comfortable. Indeed, there seemed to be more wearable styles this year than last, though that probably reflects current trends such as the demise of the baby-doll look, rather than lasting concern for working women.

I attended more than two dozen fashion shows last week and found that a number of designers are creating clothes for real women with today's really active lives. Here is my short list.

-- Marc Jacobs: Mr. Jacobs redeemed himself with the fashion elite by starting his show on time, after a series of irritatingly late shows in the past. He is also redeeming himself with working women -- after last season, when his clothes were so deconstructed that the lingerie underneath was more substantial than the dresses -- by producing a collection of shoes with low or moderate heels. The collection also offered flattering slacks, substantial power blazers and great tailoring, with stylish twists like reversed pleats. The absence of gravity-defying heels and platform shoes was an extraordinary departure from the fashion norm -- and worth applause.

-- Calvin Klein: This is the new Calvin Klein, post-over-licensing and under the direction of designer Francisco Costa. You must like minimalism to favor this terrific collection of felted wool and cashmere: A simple fold at the nape of the neck creates the smart sculpture of a jacket; cuts in the fabric where a lapel might go left the suggestion of a lapel. The colors were generally dour enough to fit into any office full of Brooks Brothers suits. In this season's Calvin Klein, a professional woman will stand out without looking garish or revealing too much.

-- 3.1 Phillip Lim: From a shin-length blue skirt at the beginning to a series of well-tailored slacks and some flashy eveningwear, the collection was modern and artful without being overly sexy or frou- frou. Great tailoring was the key to this collection, including a stunning beige trench coat.

Mr. Lim says his collection "was about power dressing -- the women's version, not the male fantasy." He attributed his familiarity with real women -- as opposed to startlingly thin fashion models -- to his strong relationship with his mom. "In the '80s, to gain respect when you entered the boardroom, you had to dress like a man," Mr. Lim continued. "That's kind of obnoxious."

-- Michael Kors: Some critics griped that the early '60s have been well-plumbed already. Perhaps there's a good reason -- it was a period of flattering tailoring, when room for bosoms was built into garments and women's clothes didn't look manly in the least. Michael Kors might not be cutting-edge, but he dove into the 1960s with aplomb, creating a collection with plenty of options for the chairwoman of the board. The fabrics looked supple, the colors wearable, the tailoring lovely.

-- Nanette Lepore: There are business women who think Ms. Lepore's suits can be too feminine. For them, there is Theory. Ms. Lepore offered curvaceous jackets that were neither too sexy nor too flirty. There were subtle flounces at the back hemline of one skirt, and there was a vertical column of buttons at the rear waistline of another. If you wield a gavel at work but have had enough of man tailoring, this is the collection for you.

-- Oscar de la Renta: As usual, he delivered plenty of beautiful clothes that could move from the boardroom to dinner with clients. His pants are loose enough to be unrevealing yet not too wide in the legs. A perfectly fitted cardigan conveyed comfortable authority. Now to pay for these clothes . . . let's just say that this collection will probably attract few executives from the home-mortgage industry.

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