The Shoulder

New York, London, Milan and Paris RTW weeks have finally come to an end. At the beginning of it all, I couldn't help but be a little excited by the wealth of shoulder that was being led down the runway. Everyone and their mother was referencing the 80s, which in turn referenced the 40s.

Exhibit A: Marc Jacobs


From a construction standpoint, I'm always interested in a designer's ability to transform the figure, whether to accentuate features or deform them. After all, boning, padding and darting have shaped figures far longer than have our modern practices of cosmetic surgery and exercise. So these new shoulders at first seemed refreshing and captivating.

But as we moved onto Milan, all of the exaggerated shoulders had already begun to lose their sense of novelty, and once that was gone, all that was left was a bad taste of Reaganomics.

Exhibit B: Gianfranco Ferre


Exhibit C: Dolce and Gabbana


While I believe that the widened shoulder is flattering to most women's figures, as it shrinks the waist, some of the more extreme examples overstepped the bounds of flattery. These versions referenced a tired form of "working girl"-era feminism, where the power of a woman was still defined by how "male" she was. No kids? Check. Doesn't show emotion? Check. Linebacker shoulders? Check.

The collections in Paris, thankfully, didn't seem to be as focussed on the shoulder. It still showed up, as it did comically in the otherwise great collection that Olivier Theyskens showed for his last hurrah at Nina Ricci (see below). But the more successful shows either tapped into the emotion of the times (Junya Watanabe) or attempted to provide a form of long-lasting, luxurious comfort (Lanvin).



Nina Ricci RTW S/S 2009

So at the end of it all, and assuming you have the money to spend on designer clothes, what does a woman want at a time like this? Designers seemed conflicted over whether the answer is escapism (via princess-like leg-of-mutton sleeves and Mildred Pierce shoulder pads) or comfort (via high quality, multi-season pieces). In some cases, that conflict appears to have crippled designers whose collections I am normally so eager to see. Nicholas Ghesquiere's show for Balenciaga was unfortunate. The palette was soothing, and the draping was absolutely beautiful. Sadly, that draping resulted in some of the biggest-looking hips to come down a runway since you could smoke heroine.


Balenciaga RTW S/S 2009

And if Raquel Zimmerman's hips look big, you better damn well bet that it ain't going to flatter a normal figure. Some amazing prints finally made it down his runway, but gone was his futuristic sensibility that in the past has taken those prints from dowdy to edgy, as he did in one of my favorite collections of all time, Balenciaga RTW S/S 2008.

Of course, how these collections translate into the looks actually available on the racks of department stores is anybody's guess. Given the conservative stance that most shops are likely to take when placing orders right now, I'd guess that many will be softened for a more widespread appeal, or buyers will opt for the safer looks that were mixed in between all of the costume drama. With the mellowing of conspicuous consumption, it's hard to imagine the sidewalks of next year jam-packed with shoulder pads, squeezing the nonbeliever out to the gutter like those wretched golf umbrellas. But crazier things have happened.