Fashion Week Leak: Tribal Fusion

The tents have been up since Friday in New York City's Bryant Park and Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall -Winter 2009 is in full throttle. The most noteworthy of this past weekend's shows would have to be Diane Von Furstenberg (DVF).

When I say noteworthy, I don't necessarily mean that as a GOOD thing. Her theme appeared to be tribal prints meet Moscow couture; Africa meets Russia in mid Autumn. And while it's almost impossible to imagine shopping for NEXT winter when it's still 30 degrees outside, it's even less desirable to wear layers of "nomad" like clothing in obnoxious prints.

Don't get me wrong, I love that DVF owns the whole print circuit. She knows her shapes and colors, that's for sure. But this season she strayed from her normal path, which is perhaps the reason she calls the line "nomad". Be careful Diane my dear, there are many underlying meanings to the word nomad, are there underlying meanings to your newest line besides "hot mess"?

I can't completely bash her line though, I do love that she is carrying over the HUGE tribal trend from Spring into Fall. Because let's face it, there is a true jungle out there when it comes to Spring 09 fashions. My personal favorite is the tribal shoe scene. It's fun, it's wild, and it is an excellent way to make any ordinary outfit go from drab to fab. Louis Vuitton made it the centerfold for their Spring accessory line with their Madonna ad campaign.

I've seen the ad in basically every fashion mag since the January issues have been out. And while I must admit that I find Louis to be a little over the top most of the time, those shoes are HOT. And the great news is that ZARA has a very similar pair out in stores right now. I saw them in the window today at the Newbury Street location in Boston.

Not exactly the same but very similar and instead of the LV price tag you would be enduring, these babies are only $169. Sweeeeet. Now if $169 seems like crazy people prices for super trendy shoes, you're probably right. If you're looking for the same platform stiletto idea but in a more practical form, check out these lovlies by Chinese Laundry for $130 on Piperlime. Same idea, but more likely to last a few seasons than the LV Madonna copies at Zara.

And if stilettos aren't your cup of tea, MIA makes a more comfortable version of the tribal fusion shoe in wedge form. I love wedges because they are so much easier to walk in than traditional heels and they elongate your leg more so than a regular heel does.



My ultimate style suggestion for this Tribal Fusion trend: As soon as the first day of spring decides to roll around throw on a plain white sundress of any style with a pair of wild and crazy tribal stilettos (or wedges) and you will be dressed to kill in any urban (or suburban) jungle.

Fashion Caution: This Tribal Fusion trend should be used to add some fun experimental accessorizing to a very simple outfit (ie: plain white dress, jeans and a simple, unpatterned blouse), do not follow the obsurd fashion example of Madonna in the LV ads...otherwise the fashion police will be all over your fugly ass.