今春刮起褶皺風(fēng)

今春刮起褶皺風(fēng)

Witnessing the emergence of a trend as you journey through four weeks of fashion shows is a bit like living inside Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds.' (Minus the terror, though not without an icy blonde or two.) Hmm, that's interesting. Oh, there's another. And oh. Another. Hang on a second, they're all over!

So it went this season with pleats -- on skirts, dresses and occasionally elsewhere -- which slowly gathered to form one of the widest-reaching trends. There were foil-printed beauties, like the one seen on the model above, at Proenza Schouler. Michael Kors used sharp folds to channel 1970s slink: Playing the part of Lauren Hutton was model Hilary Rhoda, striding confidently in a sexy dotted navy tie-neck blouse and matching knife-pleated skirt with twin front slits. You could almost smell the Virginia Slims. Pleats came minimalist and military-inflected at Salvatore Ferragamo. They were cupcake-wrapper shiny at Rochas and intricately embroidered with a rainbow of sequins on stunning ankle-length halter gowns at Givenchy.

Despite their longstanding association with schoolgirl innocence, pleats can be provocative. Not every fashion lover welcomes them with open arms. 'I think that pleats are deeply unflattering,' said Beth Buccini, co-founder of New York boutique Kirna Zabete. That makes them challenging from a designer's point of view. 'You have to be really clever to pull off pleats,' said co-founder Sarah Easley. 'Pleats are advanced.'

By their estimation, Celine creative director Phoebe Philo has more than enough sartorial I.Q. to work with the style. The designer has used pleats frequently in past collections, but for spring, she included them in nearly every look. Ms. Philo skirted the issue many have with pleats -- namely, that they can add bulk to the hips -- by working in airy sheer silks. When paired with long tunic-like tops that fit snugly over the hips, Ms. Philo's skirts were nowhere near bulky. They fluttered, and flattered.

Another winning solution to the pleat puzzle is simply taking a new angle. Christian Dior creative director Raf Simons did that quite literally in skirts that set pleats askew, so that they radiated out from the left hip, curving around the body and ending in a swishing fishtail behind the knees. Mr. Simons's innovative -- and complex -- pleat play included a pair of wrap-skirt-like shorts made of sharp and skinny knife pleats that were pieced with a panel of black silk. He also inset flippy floral-print pleats into the back waist of an otherwise all-business tailored black jacket, for those looking for a way to make an exciting exit.

Even with more traditional vertical pleats, there's opportunity for newness. Certainly no schoolgirl has worn rose-gold- or silver-foil-printed silk pleated skirts like those made by Proenza Schouler's designers, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. The skirts were inspired by handicrafts used in '70s interiors -- which included various treatments of chrome, copper and nickel. The duo went through a long process to perfect the effect. 'We tried it in 10 different matte foils and 10 different super-shiny foils and then five different metallics,' said Mr. McCollough. They also tested various pleat widths and fabrics types. 'It takes a lot of trial and error to get to a place where you're really happy with it.'

Some innovations are less visible. In his well-received '70s-sportswear-inspired collection, Michael Kors blended a touch of nylon into silk georgette in order to create a crisp and more long-lasting pleat. 'A touch of polyester mixed with natural fibers makes a huge difference,' he explained. 'You want the lightness, but you don't want to get stuck in a rainstorm in a pleated chiffon dress. The next thing you know, you're paying $600 to get it re-pleated.' Mr. Kors is a staunch pleat advocate. 'It's something that's feminine and romantic and catches the breeze,' he said. 'Obviously if you go the wrong way, you could end up in a full Britney [Spears schoolgirl] moment. But I think we're always drawn to clothes that move when we walk. They're sexy in a subtle way.'

With pleated skirts and dresses, hem length is important to get right. 'Shorter is okay when you're young and have Bambi legs. But you have to be careful,' said Paula Reed, creative director of retail website Mytheresa, which will be selling pleated pieces by Proenza Schouler, Christopher Kane and Victoria Beckham. Ms. Reed believes in the pleat's power to flatter -- when it's done right. 'Hovering on or just below the knee has that beautiful kind of Gatsby sophistication,' she said. 'A pleat will hide a multitude of sins. If you get one that's fluid, it kind of skims over and creates an ideal silhouette.'

That delicate floatiness, however, needs a grounded base. Mr. Kors advised steering clear of mincing kitten-heel sandals in favor of a chunky platform -- like the ones in his show -- or a sharp-toed stiletto. 'You need something that makes it urban,' he said. 'And unless you're 5-foot-10, a little height doesn't hurt.'

For pleat newbies, Kirna Zabete's Ms. Easley suggested Victoria Beckham's short skirts with just a sliver of pleats peeking out from the hem. 'That's one way to minimize the risk,' she said. 'Another is to skip anything printed and go monochromatic with a white pleated skirt, white T-shirt and metallic heels.' She added, 'You could obviously also do all-black. But how sad for spring.'

Keeping Pleats In Line

How to maintain a knife-sharp look

Say No To H2O

Pleats don't react well to water. 'A pleat in a natural fiber, when exposed to any sort of moisture, has the propensity to come out,' said Wayne Edelman, president of Meurice Garment Care dry cleaner in New York. In humid climates or if the forecast is rain, Mr. Edelman advises against wearing pleats made of 100% silk or pleats that are only steamed in and not sewn. The dry rule also extends to cleaning and maintenance. 'No de-wrinkle spray and no steam,' warned Lois Von Morganroth of Brown's Cleaners in Santa Monica, Calif.

Store With Care

As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth hundreds of dollars in professional cleaning bills. Neatly hang pleated pieces immediately after taking them off. 'Use a nice skirt hanger or a dress hanger that keeps the pleats in a straight line,' said Ms. Von Morganroth. 'If you don't hang them properly, the pleats will go off-kilter over time.'

Don't Try This at Home . . .

Professional dry cleaning is almost always the best option. Look for a place that has experience with pleats. Meurice, for example, employs a specialist who only handles pleated items. 'She is an artist,' said Mr. Edelman.

. . . But if You Do

Check the care instructions and fabric content. Synthetic fabrics are usually permanently pleated, said Mr. Edelman, making them easier to tend to at home. These pieces can be hand-washed or gently machine-washed and hung up to air dry.

穿梭在四個(gè)星期的時(shí)裝秀上，見證一個(gè)潮流的興起，有點(diǎn)像生活在阿爾弗雷德·希區(qū)柯克(Alfred Hitchcock)的電影《群鳥》(The Birds)中。(沒有那種恐怖的感覺，不過偶爾也有一兩個(gè)冷冰冰的金發(fā)女郎。)嗯，有意思。噢，那邊還有一個(gè)。噢，還有一個(gè)。等等，到處都是!

你看，這一季開始流行褶皺了——半身裙上，連衣裙上，其他衣服上偶爾也會(huì)出現(xiàn)——這些褶皺慢慢聚集起來，形成了影響最廣的一股潮流。普羅恩薩·施羅(Proenza Schouler)秀場(chǎng)上有燙金燙銀效果的美衣，就像圖中模特所穿的這件。邁克爾·科斯(Michael Kors)用挺括的褶皺帶出了1970年代的優(yōu)美線條：扮演勞倫·赫頓(Lauren Hutton)角色的是名模希拉里·洛達(dá)(Hilary Rhoda)，她穿著性感的圓點(diǎn)海軍藍(lán)領(lǐng)口系帶式上衣，搭配正面有兩條開口的刀形窄褶短裙，邁著自信的步伐走在T臺(tái)上。嗯，幾乎都可以聞到Virginia Slims香煙的味道了。菲拉格慕(Salvatore Ferragamo)的褶皺是極簡(jiǎn)主義，并受到軍裝風(fēng)格影響。羅莎(Rochas)的褶皺如同紙杯蛋糕的褶邊一樣閃亮。紀(jì)梵希(Givenchy)的褶皺在美艷的及踝露背裙上與五色繽紛的亮片錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜地交織在一起。

盡管長久以來都被和女學(xué)生的純真聯(lián)系在一起，但褶皺也可以很有誘惑力。并非所有時(shí)尚達(dá)人都張開雙臂歡迎褶皺。紐約精品店Kirna Zabete聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人貝絲·布奇尼(Beth Buccini)說：“我覺得褶皺很不襯人。”這使得褶皺從設(shè)計(jì)師的角度來看變得很有挑戰(zhàn)性。Kirna Zabete聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人莎拉·伊斯利(Sarah Easley)說：“要設(shè)計(jì)好褶皺得非常聰明才行。褶皺是很高級(jí)的元素。”

賽琳(Celine)創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)菲比·菲羅(Phoebe Philo)有足夠的才華來設(shè)計(jì)這種元素。這位設(shè)計(jì)師在過去的系列中經(jīng)常使用褶皺，但是今年春季，她在幾乎每款設(shè)計(jì)中都納入了褶皺元素。菲羅回避了很多人在設(shè)計(jì)褶皺時(shí)存在的問題——也就是會(huì)讓臀部顯得太臃腫——她采用了輕薄的透明絲綢作為面料。和卡在臀部上方的長袍式上衣搭配時(shí)，裙子顯得一點(diǎn)也不臃腫。裙擺輕輕飄動(dòng)著，非常漂亮。

另外一個(gè)解決褶皺難題的好辦法是簡(jiǎn)單地?fù)Q個(gè)角度。迪奧(Christian Dior)創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)拉夫·西蒙斯(Raf Simons)就把裙子上的褶皺設(shè)計(jì)成了斜紋，這樣褶皺就從左臀輻射開來，勾勒出身體的曲線，最后在膝蓋后方形成漂亮的魚尾。西蒙斯對(duì)褶皺所做的創(chuàng)新和復(fù)雜的改動(dòng)包括一條裹裙式的短褲，設(shè)計(jì)有挺括的刀形窄褶，搭配一塊黑色絲綢。他還為一款黑色外套的后腰部嵌入了寬松喇叭式的花朵圖案褶皺，很適合那些想要優(yōu)美轉(zhuǎn)身的人。沒有這個(gè)設(shè)計(jì)，這件衣服就只是一件純商務(wù)的合身的外套。

即使是傳統(tǒng)的縱向褶皺也有創(chuàng)新的機(jī)會(huì)。肯定沒有女學(xué)生穿過普羅恩薩·施羅的設(shè)計(jì)師杰克·麥科洛(Jack McCollough)和拉扎羅·埃爾南德斯(Lazaro Hernandez)設(shè)計(jì)的那些玫瑰金燙金或燙銀的絲綢褶皺半身裙。這些裙子的靈感來自70年代室內(nèi)裝飾用的手工藝品，包括對(duì)鉻、銅和鎳的各種處理。兩位設(shè)計(jì)師對(duì)裙子的效果進(jìn)行了很長時(shí)間的完善。麥科洛說：“我們?cè)嚵耸N不同的啞光金屬箔和十種不同的超閃亮金屬箔，還有五種不同的金屬面料。”他們還嘗試了不同的褶皺寬度和面料類型。他說：“經(jīng)過反復(fù)試驗(yàn)才達(dá)到我們真正滿意的效果。”

有些創(chuàng)新不那么明顯。在邁克爾·科斯廣受歡迎的靈感來自70年代運(yùn)動(dòng)服的系列時(shí)裝中，他將尼龍?jiān)厝谌肓苏娼z喬其紗，從而做出比較活潑和更持久的褶皺。他解釋道：“一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)聚酯纖維和天然纖維混合在一起會(huì)帶來巨大的不同。你想讓衣服輕薄，但又不想變成太過蓬松的褶皺雪紡裙，于是就花600美元把褶皺重新做了一遍。”科斯是堅(jiān)定的褶皺倡導(dǎo)者。他說：“這種東西很有女人味，很浪漫，能隨風(fēng)起舞。很顯然，如果走錯(cuò)了方向，最后就會(huì)弄成布蘭妮(·斯皮爾斯學(xué)生裝)的打扮。但我覺得我們總是會(huì)被走路時(shí)會(huì)動(dòng)的衣服所吸引。它們散發(fā)出一種難以捉摸的性感。”

對(duì)于褶皺半身裙和連衣裙，褶皺長度合適很重要。零售網(wǎng)站Mytheresa創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)葆拉·瑞德(Paula Reed)說：“如果年紀(jì)輕，而且有小鹿斑比(Bambi)那樣的腿，褶皺裙子短點(diǎn)是可以的，但要很小心。”該網(wǎng)站將出售普羅恩薩·施羅、克里斯多弗·凱恩(Christopher Kane)和維多利亞·貝克漢姆(Victoria Beckham)設(shè)計(jì)的褶皺作品。瑞德認(rèn)為褶皺如果設(shè)計(jì)得好會(huì)很襯人。她說：“落在膝蓋上或略低于膝蓋會(huì)有蓋茨比(Gatsby)式的精致優(yōu)雅。褶皺可以掩蓋很多缺陷。如果是流動(dòng)的褶皺，就會(huì)有飄逸的感覺，打造出理想的身形。”

不過精致的飄逸感需要合適的鞋子來配。科斯建議不要穿太浮華的中跟涼鞋，而應(yīng)該搭配粗跟高跟鞋——就像他的時(shí)裝秀里的那些——或者尖頭細(xì)高跟鞋。他說：“需要有東西讓它有都市感。除非你有1米78，不然增加點(diǎn)高度也無妨。”

對(duì)剛剛接觸褶皺的人來說，Kirna Zabete的伊斯利推薦維多利亞·貝克漢姆的短裙，這條裙子只有一小塊從裙邊探出的褶皺。她說：“這是把風(fēng)險(xiǎn)降到最低的一種方法。另一種方法是不要用任何印花，就是簡(jiǎn)單的白色褶皺裙、白色T恤和金屬高跟鞋。當(dāng)然也可以全黑，但是對(duì)春天來說太煞風(fēng)景了。”

打理褶皺：如何保持挺括感

不要沾水

褶皺對(duì)水的反應(yīng)不是很好。紐約Meurice Garment Care連鎖干洗店總裁韋恩·埃德爾曼(Wayne Edelman)說：“天然纖維的褶皺碰到任何濕的物質(zhì)都容易變形。”埃德爾曼建議，如果天氣潮濕或者預(yù)報(bào)有雨，不要穿著100%真絲褶皺的衣服或者褶皺只用蒸汽壓制而沒有縫制的衣服。干燥規(guī)則同樣適用于清洗和保養(yǎng)。加州 莫妮卡(Santa Monica)Brown's Cleaners干洗店的洛伊絲·馮·摩根羅斯(Lois Von Morganroth)警告說：“不要噴防皺劑，也不要蒸汽熨燙。”

悉心儲(chǔ)存

人們常說，花幾百美元做專業(yè)清洗不如平時(shí)好好保養(yǎng)。褶皺衣服脫下后要立即掛起來。馮·摩根羅斯說：“用質(zhì)量好的裙子衣架或者連衣裙衣架，保持褶皺在一條直線上。如果沒掛好，久而久之褶皺就會(huì)塌下來。”

在家里不要嘗試這樣做……

專業(yè)干洗幾乎總是最佳選擇。找一家對(duì)處理褶皺有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的店。比如Meurice就聘用了專門處理褶皺服裝的專家。埃德爾曼說：“她是一個(gè)藝術(shù)家。”

……但如果嘗試了

檢查護(hù)理說明和面料說明。埃德爾曼說，合成面料通常是永久褶皺，在家里比較容易處理。這種面料可以手洗或者輕柔機(jī)洗，然后掛起來晾干。