Clean slate

These days, it doesn’t take a lot to make a fashion statement. Probably as a conscious deflection of the chaos and overindulgence world affairs already provide, Fashion Week catwalks sent out pieces that magnify a more serene obeisance to simplicity and a new brand of minimalism.

From Carolina Herrera to Narciso Rodriguez, fashion’s latest obsession is with an updated version of the subdued detail-parsimonious trend that molded the ‘90s dress code. Rather than the over-all sleek aesthetic that corporalized Calvin Klein’s reputation, fashion’s new take on minimalism infuses volume and texture amid all the restraint and temperance. The pipe dresses and shifts are still around, but they have to compete with balloon skirts and peplum finishes. The new minimalism also figures in the woman’s shape: boning and corsets mold the body to a different type of sleekness, while wide belts resiliently carry on the waisted revolution.

And all these minimalist bets are in the season’s preferred non-colors: black, white, and gray. Designers such as Marni and Catharine Malandrino, known for their effusive color play, hit the catwalk with sleek pieces in charcoal, white, and all the shades in between. Even light-eyed wonder Vera Wang succumbed to the possibilities of more somber tones with her most recent fall/winter offering.

Singaporean brand Urban&Co pumps up the versatility of minimalism by setting it in the workplace, a locale where the minimalist code is very much welcomed. Founder and head designer Rachel Koh, however, doesn’t feed the working girl with the usual corporate composite: dress shirt, pants, pearl studs. Her alternatives include stylish yet "wearer-friendly" black, white, and gray separates that, as local retail manager Karen Chikiamco explains, can make the switch from office staple to evening ensemble with even the littlest imagination. The confines of bulky blazers and stodgy shapeless skirts are dismissed in favor of chic shrugs over a shapely corset dress, and a billowy knit peacoat over a sleek tube dress. Ill-fitting schoolmarm button-down blouses rescind to make way for a ruffled halter top with elegant rhinestone buttons.

In another move towards neo-minimalism, Urban&Co revises clean white cotton as a crinkled lightweight fabric made into shirtdresses, blouses, and waisted skirts. The rumpled finish adds volume and texture to the ironed out monotony of office staples. Sashes or waistbands, usually in black, cinch in the graphic finish.

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Urban&Co is located at the 2/L Glorietta 4, 2/L Shangri-la Plaza, and 2/L, Bldg B, Megamall. E-mail comments to ana_kalaw@pldtdsl.net. No spam mail, please. I’m vegetarian.