A Dark & Stormy Fall Season

Maybe the idea of falling leaves and rainy skies throws designers in to a depression. Or perhaps the new fashion rule is to wear only black after Labor Day because the pattern of showing light and positive collections for spring and black and somber clothes for fall is starting to become predictable. Don’t we need something happy and colorful to cheer us up come November? Jill Stuart doesn’t seem to think so. Her Gothfriendly collection, shown at the New York Public Library, was heavy on long clericallooking coats and high-neck, dolmensleeved maxi dresses that seemed like throwbacks to Ossie Clark and Biba. More contemporary looks consisted of rock-star skinny black jeans worn with loose-fitting silky or sparkly tops. Black, grays, and occasional white dominated this somewhat severe collection. It’s hard to imagine Ms. Stuart’s young and girly customer base wanting to look like a character out of “Wuthering Heights.” But they might like her pretty and simply draped black evening gowns.