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DAILY 03-02-10 MD SU C9 CMYK
TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010 KLMNO KSK C9
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Raise a French toast at month-long Francophonie 2010
O
f course the biggest thing going information, visit www.francophoniedc. contrasting the 1950s (a black family National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street
this month is the Cherry Blossom org. $30. moves into an all-white neighborhood) and Constitution Avenue NW.
Festival, which begins March 27. with the present day (a white family 202-737-4215. www.nga.gov. Free.
But you know all about that. Your
Potomac Watershed Cleanup
moves into the same house, which is
elderly neighbor knows all about that.
If you’re looking for an excuse to get
now in a predominantly black area) to
Woods
Your weird aunt in Twin Falls, Idaho,
outside and stretch your chore muscles
consider how far we have — or haven’t
You’ll be forgiven for not being able to
knows all about that. So let’s look past
but do anything other than shovel snow,
— progressed.
keep track of all the latest and greatest
the cherry blossoms, starting with a
then this annual effort to clean up our
March 15 through April 11. Woolly
on the burgeoning lo-fi indie-rock scene.
different and less well-known festival
waterways comes at just the right time.
Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW.
But Woods is one band to pay attention
that starts later this week.
Join your neighbors at one of hundreds
202-393-3939. www.woollymammoth.
to. It has an appealingly laid-back sound
Grand Fete of sites in the area. It’s a great excuse to
net. $27-$62.
that’s equally jangly and jammy.
Kick off Francophonie 2010 — a get outside and probably will be the Although the pinched, squeaky vocals
month-long celebration of most fun you’ll have picking up trash all “Hendrick Avercamp: The Little Ice Age” might be a turnoff to some, they fit in
French-speaking nations — with this year. Apparently the National Gallery of with the subdued tunes, floating
party featuring live entertainment by April 10. Visit www. Art doesn’t think we’ve had enough innocuously on top. Throw in a few
Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys. fergusonfoundation.org for details and winter weather. Why else would it be fuzzy guitar solos, and you have
More than 35 embassies, governments registration. hosting the first exhibition devoted to something that’s just the right mix of
and associations will present traditional Dutch landscape artist Hendrick ramshackle, weird and catchy.
dishes and showcase their cultural
“Clybourne Park”
Avercamp, whose favorite subjects March 27. Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H St.
heritage in celebration of the diversity of
Woolly Mammoth Theatre is getting
included skating, sleigh rides and NE. 202-388-7625. www.
the French-speaking world.
GIULIANA NAKASHIMA/THE WASHINGTON POST
another visit from satirist Bruce Norris
outdoor games on frozen waterways? rockandrollhoteldc.com. $12.
Friday at 7 p.m. Embassy of France,
CLEAN SWEEP: Get off your duff
with “Clybourne Park.” The play is a
But don’t let that dissuade you from
4101 Reservoir Rd. NW. For festival
and help out during the Potomac
twist on “A Raisin in the Sun,”
seeing this rare and exciting show. — Justin Rude
Watershed Cleanup next month.
PLANNING AN EVENT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT? TELL US. SEND LISTINGS INFORMATION TO EVENTS@WASHINGTONPOST.COM
c
In Milan, the refinement of power dressing is a beautiful thing
fashion from C1
an’s diverse powers to flourish.
No designers put a more complete im-
age of a woman on the runway than Do-
menico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
Great painters, dancers and musicians
have an undisputed capacity to stir emo-
tions through their work — to reveal
some human truth in a way that requires
no common language, no prerequisite
information. It’s rare that a fashion de-
signer can be that eloquent. Indeed, one
hesitates to even say that a fashion show
was moving, for fear of evoking images
of some high-strung stylist weeping over
a pair of well-balanced stilettos. While
other forms of cultural expression have
managed to retain a bit of soulful purity,
fashion, it often seems, has succumbed
to the stereotype of crass commercial-
ism, artistic laziness and various forms
of wretched excess. But the Dolce & Gab-
bana presentation on Sunday was emo-
tionally riveting. It scratched down be-
neath fashion’s “fierce” and “shut-it-
down” reality-TV veneer, to reveal its hu-
manity, its respect of craft and a deep
and abiding love of women.
Dolce & Gabbana
The show began with a single model
wearing a perfectly tailored, double-
breasted black blazer. A pair of black
lace briefs. Heels. That image conveyed
power, sex, confidence. The model was
not wearing some dominatrix getup.
The moment was more mainstream
than that. It made one think of Melanie
Griffith’s knowing remark in “Working
Girl”: “I’ve got a head for business and a
bod for sin.” Of course, the designers we-
ren’t suggesting that any woman should
walk the streets dressed to provoke. In-
stead, it was meant to draw the eye to
fashion’s triumph — an exquisitely tai-
lored symbol of power — and to the po-
tency of the female form.
The collection celebrated the essence
PHOTOS BY MARIA VALENTINO FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
of the Dolce & Gabbana brand: a unique COMMANDING ATTENTION: From left, Dolce & Gabbana portrayed women as mighty, sexy and nurturing; Armani conveyed authority and rank with flirtatious
ability to see women as mighty, sexy and skirts that were polished and feminine; Prada’s rubber overcoats gave bulk and a sense of strength; Gucci’s long-sleeve dress embodied easy sophistication.
nurturing. Over the years, the designers
have explored those characteristics in
fanciful and adoring ways as well as also driven by an industry that has Armani for having set a standard for Men” feminine form. models, too; power, sexuality and in-
dark and even violent ones. This collec- learned — by way of a recession — that it women’s power dressing — from Wash- Her models were bigger and with tellect come packaged in an assortment
tion included tweed pencil skirts that must make itself as indispensable and ington to Hollywood, from Nancy Pelosi more pronounced curves. And the of ways — at long last, at Jil Sander.
fell to mid-calf, floral printed jackets in attractive to its customers as possible. to Jodie Foster. And now a host of de- clothes, with their bulk and full cuts, of-
gray flannel, cocktail dresses with corse- As the fashion pendulum swings away signers are trying to figure out how ten made the models look even larger
Bottega Veneta
try details. The mood was at once nostal- from rock-and-roll style toward some- women will dress as they continue the than they actually were. There was a And finally, Milan fashion is coming
gic and contemporary. But the finale thing more refined and polished, de- climb up the corporate, political and cul- sense that there’s strength — both literal around to Tomas Maier, the designer at
made the collection soar. Several dozen signers are catering to the women — the tural ladders and break through any re- and metaphorical — in the hourglass Bottega Veneta, who always innately un-
models converged on the runway wear- more mature ones — who actually have maining ceilings. At Gucci, designer Fri- shape and its traditional connotations derstood that one of the fundamentals
ing exquisite black blazers and coats, the money. da Giannini reached back to the ’90s, with sexuality. Real women — of the of power dressing is subtlety. He sticks
pulled over black lace briefs or filmy No one seems interested in speaking when Tom Ford’s Gucci was all throb- physically substantial kind — don’t get to that philosophy in his fall collection,
slips. In the background, a silent film to mythical women who spend their shoved around. which emphasizes the shoulders.
that had been giving the audience a peek days attending three-hour lunches, They’re not linebacker shoulders, not
into the house’s workrooms and the shopping or meeting with their color-
painstaking process of tailoring a jacket,
The best designers
Jil Sander
some regurgitated version of 1980s “Dy-
ists. There might still be ladies who live Jil Sander designer Raf Simons also nasty” style. Instead, the silhouette is
showed the white-coated workers from such lives, but even they don’t want to be
are the ones who find
jumped into the conversation about more about entering a room with a
the atelier slowly gathering in front of perceived as creatures of leisure. The power, as he eases the house out of near- stride rather than a swish.
the camera. The emotion of the moment only messages they’re sending on their
— or at least seek —
asexuality into an attitude that is more His silk twill pantsuit is simple and
came from the proud artisans who are BlackBerry might be to their masseuses,
rarely seen, their powerfully expressive
new and thoughtful
body-aware. To deliver that message, he uncomplicated. The trousers are slim
but they’re projecting the overbooked, chose fabrics associated with the tradi- and tailored. The jacket has strong
craft and its profound consideration of rushed air of a working mother in be-
women.
ways in which to
tional power structure: tartans, shadow shoulders and broad lapels. It’s double-
tween business trips. stripes, plaids and tweeds. But he made breasted, roomy and dark blue. This is a
Dressing for today Armani
allow the full force of
sure those materials were seductively serious suit — ignore the fact that it was
soft and often partnered with transpar- shown without a blouse on the runway,
For years, Milan would have women Designers are tussling over ground
a woman’s diverse
ent chiffon. When he stitched a simple that’s just styling, something to keep the
believe that power attire had to be either once dominated by Armani. He was the sheath dress in cherry-colored plaid, he audience on its toes. The suit does not
the minimalism of Giorgio Armani or first one who really understood that
powers to flourish.
introduced razor-thin slits that were vis- have a tight, little waist or come with
the sexual opulence of someone like Ro- women in the workforce use their ible only as the models walked. The dis- precious details. There are no frayed
berto Cavalli, whose bed-tossed models clothes in the same manner as men: to play of skin was nothing more than a hems to drag through lunch. It’s all busi-
seemed wholly out-of-step with the display their authority and rank. The bing sultriness and intimidating femi- tease — the fashion equivalent of a sly ness, but with an ever-so-slight sensual
world’s mood. The intellectual houses collection that Armani put on his run- ninity. Giannini toned down the fire and wink across a crowded room. Lush coats slouch to the front of the jacket.
such as Prada and Jil Sander were adept way last week spoke to the essence of the at times gave her audience something as could be pulled apart, thanks to the lib- Maier makes fashion easy, although
at evoking women in control of their brand. It was filled with shapely jackets simple as a long-sleeve dress with a side eral use of Velcro, so that the consumer he does not make it inexpensive. He does
lives, but not very good at expressing the with sharp shoulders, vaguely flirtatious slit and a metal belt. The result was easy could have a bolero, an evening dress not make clothes that are flashy. His
pleasure inherent in the occasional loss skirts and dresses in a mix of orange, sophistication — power in a relaxed and a skirt. The idea of nearly an entire pine-green taffeta dress has an elegantly
of control. charcoal and taupe that were polished slouch. wardrobe in a single garment for the constructed corset, but it is entirely hid-
Now designers are seeking the middle and feminine. globe-trotting, fear-of-baggage execu- den inside the garment.
ground. This new place needs to accom- There were also the usual flourishes
Miuccia Prada
tive is a smart one, but perhaps Ver- That’s how ready-to-wear is evolving
modate enormous cultural shifts that in- on Armani’s runway, those pronounce- And Miuccia Prada focused her em- sion 2.0 will be more refined so that the in Milan. Strength doesn’t have to be ob-
clude a French first lady who is a former ments that let the audience know that phasis on the female bosom by placing dress doesn’t look, well, look so much vious. And power can be very, very pret-
model; an American presidential candi- the maestro is still experimenting — al- extravagant darts and delicate ruffles like a coat that has lost its sleeves. ty.
date turned secretary of state, who cam- though sometimes to ill effect. For exam- across the chest for optimal exagger- Simons’s models wore only flat boots. givhanr@washpost.com
paigned in a rainbow of pantsuits; and ple, the floppy felt hats on his catwalk ation. Her collection of thick hand-knit, Their hair was pulled back in a slick
an Italian fashion industry whose most were a reckless touch that made the hash-patterned wool dresses and camel- ponytail. Their faces appeared almost
influential houses have women at the models look as though an amoebic blob colored rubber overcoats trimmed in fur devoid of makeup. The look was spare MORE PHOTOS To see more images
creative helm. was engaged in a distressing mind suck. explored her own archives as well as the and unsentimental, but not austere. from Milan, visit washingtonpost.com/
The obsession with power dressing is But cultural history will remember collective memory of a circa-1960 “Mad There was more ethnic variety in the style.
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