Uptown Baby

In a city that dictates dress by zip code, we can always count on Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, and Carolina Herrera to outfit uptown ladies. However, spring 2005 has proven New York's fashion identity finds it more at home uptown than ever before.

Targeted for her cash flow and classic tastes, the uptown woman was arguably the biggest story at the New York Spring 2005 collections. At Derek Lam, it was pretty bows on blouses, career jackets, and sheer, romantic chiffon gowns. At Behnaz Sarafpour — who showed her Japanese inspired collection at Tiffany's, the uptown jewelry institution — it was pulled together looks of obi sashes, abstract printed sundresses, full skirts, and socialite approved evening gowns.
Tuleh, Marc Jacobs, and BCBG's cardigans and suitably wild prints and ethnic detailing corresponds with the well-traveled uptown lady who has a knack for effortless mixing and matching. Business and pleasure — another conundrum solved by the clean sheen and boho elegance (a running theme in many takes on uptown) of Proenza Schouler's light tropical prints on voluminous ladylike jackets, sweet cardigans, linen separates, long gowns and high-wasted pants — defined their delicately polished collection.

Narciso Rodriguez flipped the script on his predictable dark shift dresses (a safe uptown hit), instead proposing colorful, looser silhouettes (turquoise a-line skirts, coral colored sundresses) while keeping that important sexy bust line, details sure to please in shape uptown girls who favor weekly yoga and pilates.

Like Narciso, fueled by a need for the traditionally chic, both Doo ri, Lacoste, and newcomer, Thakoon, took the sport and leisure aspects into their own fourth dimension, lengthening and loosening silhouettes for a feel that has the flexibility to hover comfortably between courtside tennis and cocktail parties.

Roland Mouret's plethora of inventive, razor sharp suits suggest a notion of uptown elegance, much like the subtleties, and sharp, defined lines of his form-fitting gowns. Unsuspecting devotees to downtown style like Luella and As Four grew their own roots in sophisticated uptown polish and prettiness. At As Four, it was gold tinted, slinky pleated gowns, that would look deadly on the right downtown doyenne, but presented on patrician looking models with pulled back hair, it bared an uptown imprint. Luella hit a confident note with apple printed tennis skirts and jackets, crisps white tops for uptown white girls with a bit of edge.

The lengthy lists of brands — from all levels of exposure that couldn't resist the commercial, sales friendly aesthetic of the uptown woman-also include Jeffrey Chow (jeweled tone a-line skirts and satin tops), Tracy Reese (up-dos and printed cocktail dresses), Tommy Hilfiger (upper eastside preppiness), Richard Chai(tulip skirts and pretty bows). There was no mixing of messages at the New York spring shows, the aim is to sell and the target is uptown baby!
-Krista Freibaum

Photos: Luella spring 2005
Narciso Rodriguez spring 2005
Proenza Schouler 2005
As Four spring 2005