TAKING FUN TO THE RUNWAY AT MERCEDES-BENZ FALL 2011 FASHION WEEK

There’s one word you hear a lot around a Jeremy Scott runway show:  fun!  Just like that, “fun!” with a big exclamation point.  He’s fun.  His clothes are fun.  He wore sneakers topped with cuddly teddy bears.  See?  Fun.  And there is nothing wrong with that.  You can’t help but smile all the way through the show, from the bright, fuzzy platform shoes to the product placement – big Coca Cola and Superman logos, with some cheeky messaging.  Even his inspiration was fun, not so much the wild parties from his school days, but the preparations for the wild parties.  He told me, “I was just really excited about the time I went to college and getting dressed up to go to parties and just the attitude and the excitement and the enthusiasm of dying your hair, choosing your outfits, getting it together, making it look awesome.”

This is not to say this isn’t a serious collection, it is.  And there were some lovely, wearable looks, pretty print dresses and even an elegant, sparkling evening dress (ok, with a Superman logo and bright orange train).  Nowhere in sight was the dour, depressing blacks and grays we’ve seen so much of this Fall.  Here, even the black shined.  This was all about the pop.

Hair was designed by my favorite fashion week stylist, Eugene Souleiman, who, as always, captured the true spirit of the collection.  “Color, color, color, fun, fun, fun,” he said, combing out a batch of brightly-colored hair extensions.  “It’s about having fun, it’s about getting color out, it’s about enjoying it, it’s about celebrating, having a personality in life.  That’s really what it is.”

And there was a lot to celebrate in this show.  It’s been a while since Scott’s shown in New York, and he brought out a lot of new, innovative designs, while staying true to his own aesthetic.  He said, “I just try to be open and evolve.  I don’t want to be stuck in one place.  It’s always important to have a lineage, a recognizable element in your work.  I think that any creative person wants that even as much as you want to surprise people.”

Eugene Souleiman said the collection, “brings a little brightness into our drab world.”  As outrageous as some of his designs are, Scott still has a massive celebrity following.  He famously designed the costume Britney Spears wore in her Toxic video.  I only hope he brings his brightness back to New York again next season.

To hear more from Jeremy Scott and to see video of his runway show, click on the Red Stiletto icon below.

camera:  Scott Fetterman/Chad Cooper     edit:  Scott Fetterman

music:  Tony Di Pietro……voiceover:  Amanda Hohman