A new simplicity has hit the runways. When will it hit Hollywood and the streets?

By Darren White 

Columnist

Looking at the recent fall collections coming out of New York and London, all featuring a new modernism, I had a flashback to the red carpet looks from the Grammys – Lady Gaga in a silver orbit dress, Beyonce’s sequin-and-Swarovski encrusted Armani mini-dress, Rihanna’s chopped tulle party dress for the pre-party – and I thought to myself: enough is enough. Every pop starlet is trying her best to out-fashion her peers, looking to avant-garde designers like Gareth Pugh and Viktor & Rolf to create red-carpet gowns that will make them stand out from the crowd. And the starlets do stand out, but not because they look all that glamorous and modern. They just look odd.

This outlandish fashion has now reached the greater Philadelphia area and even the youth on our small campuses. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen women go overboard on the 80s-inspired sequins and leather look popularized by Balmain a few season ago. I like shiny things just as much as the next 20-something with a short attention span, but a skin-tight bandage dress with metallic shoes and statement jewelry doesn’t leave you looking “fierce.” It just makes you look like a fool who needs to invest in a better lamp and a mirror (because, unfortunately, you cannot invest in good taste).

In the six-month interval since the Spring 2010 collections hit runways almost six months ago, designers also appear to have grown tired of most things tight and flashy. Clean lines and bare surfaces have been on the agenda for spring, done in earthy shades of ivory, black, rich browns, and occasional splashes of white and color. Celine, by former Chloé designer Phoebe Philo, was the benchmark collection for this new simplicity. Full of wide leg caramel colored trousers, canvas minis and perfectly cut shift dresses, it perfectly merged the stark minimalism of 90s fashion with early twentieth century architecture. Chloé, by Hannah MacGibbon, paired light, almost sheer white oxfords with boxy blazers, finding a perfect balance between flouncy femininity and boyish charm.

The fall 2010 collections are taking this proposed freshness a step further. The Row (by the Olsen Twins) will be an early favorite for retailers and editors for making minimalism seem fun and vibrant. Who knew a blue python-print day dress could be both simplistic and completely tasteful?!

You’d be smart if you hopped on the trend early. Try pairing a slim-cut tuxedo shirt from J. Crew ($79) with Rag & Bone’s Cheviot blazer, and add simple black or white shorts from Forever 21 ($15.80) and patent lace-up oxfords for an easy, simple, yet graphic take on evening dressing. Pick up Alexander Wang’s Denim Oxford Shirtdress ($465 at Shopbop.com) and add a black cuff bracelet ($39 at Amazon.com) for quality daytime wear.

Simplicity does mean giving up color and sparkle, though. If you need something bright in your life, tuck a bright green t-shirt-inspired silk blouse into some high-waisted camel-hued wide leg trousers ($98 and $128, respectively, at Anthropologie) and add metallic, pointy-toed flats.

So the next time you walk into a room covered in a bed of sequins, a blazer with exaggerated shoulders and leggings tattered into oblivion, just know that when eyes are darting across the room and whispers and gasps fill the room – yeah, they’re talking about you. And not in a good way.

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