Anti-fur activists stage New York fashion show
Date: 13-Feb-03
Country: USA
Author: Ellen Wulfhorst
Sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, a group known for disrupting fashion shows to protest the use of fur, the design team of Gaelyn and Cianfarani played up street-tough and Gothic-inspired looks that more than hinted at bondage and sado-masochism.
Their laced-up harness tops were made of strips of recycled bicycle inner tubes, as were short skirts of rubber flounces or rubber strips alternating with sexy black lace.
Biker-style jackets were made of latex, sliced into a fringe at the back, while skirts and pants were made of recycled rubber cut into floral designs. Tops were revealing halters, high-necked rubber and lace or open in back with criss-crossed straps.
Rubber ribbons and rosettes adorned sheer cotton dresses and full-length skirts.
The shiny latex gowns in brilliant copper, plum and purple were body-hugging, leaving little to the imagination and unforgiving to anything but the most perfectly toned figures, with corset tops, ruffles and open backs.
Even the funky footwear - spiked high-heel boots, strappy sandals and ankle boots made by Moo Shoes - was leather-free.
The design team sought out alternatives to leather and animal skins, said PETA vice president Dan Mathews in a statement. "You can create looks that kill without killing animals," he said.
Meanwhile, veteran Bill Blass, with designer Lars Nilsson, weighed in with a traditional display of dressy suits with tight-fitting jackets, and ornate gowns in grid-like plaids and block prints inspired by the lines of modern architecture.
Blass gowns in his annual show of fashions for the fall were bold and basic red, black, white, navy and green, in simple straight lines with slit, kilt-like long skirts.
Suits were classic herringbone or stripes in camel, gray or wine; skirts were knee-length and pleated, in swingy wool or black lurex lace for a dressier look; and pantsuits were sophisticated and wearable in stretch wool with pleated trousers.
Designer Douglas Hannant appealed to a sense of grace and charm in his show of fall fashions, with a line featuring delicate detailing such as top-stitching, tweed and satin overlaid with black fishnet and skin-revealing cut-outs.
His suits were glamorous, with striking silhouettes, front kick pleats and belts, his smoking jackets sported sheared mink collars, his gowns were velvet or bias-cut satin silk and tops had draped deep-cowl necks.
All were in a luscious mix of earth tones, such as beige, sienna, claret, watermelon and chocolate or shimmery, almost colorless hints of platinum, iridescent glass green and taupe.
The semi-annual array of fashion shows was set to continue yesterday with designers Michael Kors, Anna Sui and Matthew Williamson.
