Soar to fashion heights in feathers
They add glamour without much fuss. They require no extra steaming or special storage.
And they are air light, of course, compared to your grandmother’s brooch or the jewels locked in the vault.
Feathers are the new favorite embellishment for holiday parties and New Year’s Eve festivities.
They come in amazing colors. And they’ll get you noticed before you make a sound.
High-end fashion designers provided enthusiastic endorsements in fall collections. Feathers showed up on runways as diverse as John Galliano and American couturier Chado Ralph Rucci, whose pumpkin-colored bolero resembled a large, lovely sleeping bird.
Marchesa designers — favorites with Hollywood red carpet walkers — gathered white feathers into a short dress anchored with a belt. The Bill Blass group sent out puffy white plumage on a mid-thigh-high dress.
Miuccia Prada tweaked jackets and coats with plastic feathers. And at Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs opted for gray ostrich feathers glimpsed like a petticoat beneath a full skirt gathered up on one side.
For small doses, feathers decorate handbags, enveloping them with wings or adding a mothlike touch. They also sprout from shoes and spiff up earrings. A black feather cape or shrug could be a basic party piece forever.
“It seemed to be a flock of feathers,” says front row regular Constance White, the fashion director for eBay, giggling at her own pun. “They were running almost neck and neck with fur on the runways.”
Celebrities, as usual, have helped drive the trend. Feathers got a boost when designer Kevin Hall put Vanessa Williams in feathers for the Emmy awards.
Roseanne Morrison, who tracks high-flying trends for New York consultants Doneger Group, says she saw quite a few feathers but only in the high-end designer arena.
“They are very expensive,” she says.
A word of caution is in order: Don’t wear feathers in a heavy wind or if you have a jealous parrot.
And don’t even think about getting near your cat.
Feather Light: A touch of brilliant plumage adds a lift to gold jeweled earrings from Pade Vavra. Earrings $1,495, Churchill
Winging It: Here is the evening bag that will take you away. Blue feathers and sparkling jeweled trim are likely to be one-of-a-kind at the party. It’s “Go for Baroque” by Moo Roo. Bag $613, Churchill
Flight Status: Jenny Packman’s feathered cape is the holiday party classic that will come out every year. Imagine the magic it will add to a simple black dress. Cape $1,495, Churchill
Birdland: When you hear a chorus of “ahs” as you enter a room, you are probably wearing Jenny Packman’s peacock feather evening gown. The stunning embroidered metallic dress will definitely light up a room. Dress $3,665, Churchill