Come spring, the jumpsuit will be facing some tough competition from overalls. The utilitarian standbys got a makeover on the catwalks, with Ralph Lauren leading the way. The designer showed both beat-up denim versions and a glam satin style for after-dark, and he wasn’t the only one to sex up the look from its pedestrian [...]

Back in the mid-eighties, Donna Karan launched her simple dressing system, Seven Easy Pieces, and made black stretch-jersey bodysuits (along with leggings and strong-shouldered jackets) part of the modern woman’s uniform. That’s Paulina Porizkova and assorted other runway lovelies modeling the look for Spring 1986. Lately, the one-piece has been revived by Dov Charney’s American [...]

Call it optimism or call it escapism, but Spring 2010 is the season of the ruffled party dress: usually short, often chiffon, and almost always nude (we refer to both the color and the prevalence of sheer fabrics). Marc Jacobs—who else?—kicked the trend into high gear with his parade of ballet nymphs in New York. [...]

Designers produced plenty of surreal fashion for Fall—Dolce & Gabbana’s glove hat, anyone? The most wearable take on the wackiness trend just might be the split-personality dress, seen, for starters, at Aquilano.Rimondi, Josh Goot, and Versace. Depending on your vantage point, the woman in Alexandre Herchcovitch’s little number is dolled up in sequins, or playing [...]

The news that director John Hughes had died brought to mind some of the indelible images from his films Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and (our all-time fave) The Breakfast Club. And that in turn made us nostalgic for our own 1980’s school days. A quick study of the Fall shows turned up plenty [...]

The notion that Kate Moss sparks trends is hardly new—see pirate boots, cutoffs, vintage dresses on the red carpet, etc. And it seems the supermodel’s innate style is more compelling than ever for designers as well as consumers. Case in point: the Gloria Swanson-channeling look she dreamed up with Marc Jacobs to wear to the [...]

Celebrities (see Beyoncé, Rihanna, Michael Jackson, et al.) may be the only people who can afford Balmain, but the French house has helped ignite a passion for little sequined dresses that seems to be recession-proof. Crystalline creations from Thakoon, 3.1 Phillip Lim, and Emilio Pucci sparkled defiantly on the red carpet at the Met ball, [...]

For many of us, white can be tricky to pull off even in summer. Now designers are suggesting that fall should be a blanc slate, too—see the ivory suits at Ralph Lauren, creamy toppers at Aquilano.Rimondi, or L.W.D.’s at Josh Goot. In fact, the little white dress seems poised to give the L.B.D. a run [...]

Designers’ fascination with the eighties is taking many forms, some obvious, others less so. The Krizia animal sweater may be a rare breed that’s unfamiliar to all but the most devoted collector, but it’s a look that resonated for Fall. For more than 20 years, Mariuccia Mandelli selected a different critter to feature in her [...]

Is fashion finding religion? For starters, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana play priests in the upcoming musical film Nine. As for the Fall runways, the models at Todd Lynn’s show carried rosary beads and walked to chants; there were cassock coats at Giambattista Valli; and the headgear at Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, and Fendi recalled [...]