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New York, NY -- May 22, day three of Fur Fashion Week, exhibited the expanding diversity and inclusiveness of fur fashions, presenting four collections that embraced fur as sportswear, glamour, knit fur, shearling fur, non-outerwear, accessories and fur trims.
Jerry Sorbara's 1996/97 collection for Neiman Marcus embraced both of the strong voices of the season: a need for young, high-energy sportswear, but also an appetite for traditional luxury and glamour. Sorbara used a light hand with coloring a series of vibrant powder pink, apricot, ice blue, lilac and yellow dyed minks. A group of black and white slickers with leopard or zebra stenciling and nutria liners were some of the most dramatic young rainwear of the week. Cashmeres showed off Sorbara's fine tailoring. Old-world, classic Neiman Marcus elegance were expressed with sables, Russian broadtail coats, chinchilla and even a winter white ermine floor length coat, and Sorbara made his case for the return of the evening accessory with nine black and white mink capelets and stoles.
Resa Bason excelled at soft, feminine colors, shapes and treatments in her 1996/97 collection of shearling furs for Denimaxx. Tones like sungold, honey, pumpkin, light gray, celery, lavender and blue kansas looked fresh in either simple, clean cuts or gently flowing but slightly restrained styles. The news of this collection was in the details, though. Fabric looped fringes added a new dimension to shearling, especially on a suede finish. Razor cuts offered an accent that's another updated version of fringe. Embossed alligator and crocodile print shearlings were sophisticated, cyber finishes, and fringe took on yet another, lowkey life with slightly pinched edges.
It's probably safe to say that there's hardly anyone in the North American fur industry today who doesn't know about knit furs by Paula Lishman. These unique apparel items made by her Blackstock, Ontario-based company are not as established in the consciousness of fashion editors yet, however, so this year Lishman decided to bring her vision -- and strong environmental ethic -- to New York's showcase of designer collection premieres and the media it draws. She established her individuality immediately in her show, playing whimsical Canadian music and opening with a scene of two dancers wearing leotards and shawls, interpreting birds in flight -- a reference to her husband's famous work with migrating geese.
This year's Paula Lishman collection included her now-traditional knit sheared beaver, her washable fur-with-cotton knit combinations and mosaic sheared beaver-trimmed knit garments. Silhouettes are vast as the potential of this unique, highly drapable "fabric": slinky dresses, swing coats, skirt suits, long sweeping coats, little clingy cardigans, and absolutely all manner of capes and accessories.
Saga Furs of Scandinavia showcased fur-trimmed garments and fur stoles in its two-part American Designer Initiative, designed to provide important American fashion designers the opportunity to learn about and work with fur. Designers Victor Alfaro, Anait Bian, Donald Deal, Han Feng, Elizabeth Fillmore, Eric Gaskins, Sylvia Heisel, Susan Lazar, Michael McCollom, Roland Nivelais, Tracy Reese, Cynthia Steffe, Rodney Telford, Zang Toi, Troa, Van Buren, Joan Vass, Heidi Weisel, Yeohlee and Gabriella Zanzani -- most of whom worked with fur for the first time -- used Saga mink or fox to expand the boundaries of what can be done with fur. They trimmed collars, cuffs, hems and even used fur arms to add texture, drama and excitement to glamorous, minimalist and avant garde fashions.
Manufacturers who assisted Saga by executing the fur trims were: Alixandre, Ben Kahn, Corniche, Fox Unlimited, Gus Goodman, Grecophilia, Miller & Berkowitz, Mohl Fur Co., Moschos Furs, and Sol Seifer.
Saga's second presentation brought back the romance of the stole. For more on the variety of new and established designers who helped build excitement for this new trend, see an upcoming issue of Fur Age.
Saga Furs of Scandinavia is the joint marketing company of the fur breeders of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Saga promotes fur and fur fashion trends to consumers and the international retail fur trade.
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