Shanghai Daily News

The latest fall/winter collections shown in Shanghai indicate that fashions for the change of seasons will be `slick,' `glamorous' and even `androgynous,' writes Iris Zhao Boisterous winds are sweeping the leaves along the streets, signaling that winter is not far behind. This is a time of transition.

Gucci kicked off its fall/winter 2004 collection with a high-octane party at the Friendship Hall in the Shanghai Exhibition Center last Friday night. Guests sipped champagne and whiskey mixers in a slick lounge setting. The party underlines Gucci's philosophy of luxury and hedonism. When the lights dimmed and the song, ``My Neck, My Back,'' blasted out, a Gucci playboy sashayed down the fur-topped runway, with a whiskey-on-the-rocks in a GG logo scotch glass and a lit cigarette in hand, suggesting an Adonis who is all about ``love, sex, being alive and enjoying life.''

He looks aloof and very chic, reminiscent of the early 1960s. He wears a slim-cut London Line Norfolk jacket and he has other sports jackets for less formal occasions. In the evening, he looks dapper in a tuxedo in navy or red velvet, in graphic print velvet or silk jacquard, teamed with a frilled cotton voile evening shirt, matching bow tie and pocket scarf and shiny patent leather shoes. The Gucci woman this season is also very slick and glamorous.

She wears beautiful and sophisticated clothes that showcase exquisite craftsmanship in pleats, gathers, darts, embroidery, beadings and feathers sewn onto see-through mesh. A mix of silk and velvet ribbon are intertwined. In the evening, she dazzles in an updated version of the iconic body-clinging white jersey dress first shown in 1996 and a slim, tailored cashmere coat with fox fur and head. Mink, fox, beaver, python, nappa and suede are her choice of fabrics. Her accessories are handbags in all shades of colors and feminine platform high heels with sexy ankle straps. The show ended romantically with the song, ``The Look of Love'' by Dusty Springfield. The night before, Three Fashion Store on the second floor of Three on the Bund was lit in a fiery, shimmering golden hue and the floor was covered with crunching fallen leaves to produce the ambience of a blustery October day.

Three Fashion Store presented a fall/winter fashion show that encompassed nine couture lines created by top designers from Europe and Asia, including Ann Demeulemeester, Bottega Veneta, Costume National, C.P. Company, Marni, Vivienne Tam, Yohji Yamamoto, Y's and Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. The collection defies easy definition and advocates the expression of individualities. It demonstrates the in-vogue concept of ``mix and match.'' In a season where ``return to femininity'' has made such big news, this presentation got the fashion press thinking.

 ``Androgynous'' is one word to describe the show. A woman is not a Barbie doll any more. Instead, she has both feminine and masculine elements. On the runway, it's rich jewel tones -- ruby and sapphire mixing with the omnipresent black. Deluxe sporty sweaters and jackets, tweed coats, tunics, double-layered cardigan coats are all in evidence. Geometric prints for A-line skirts and drop-waisted or asymmetrical dresses also reign this season.