5 Highs (and Lows) From the Year in Fashion

2014，一个折腾的时尚年

It’s been a funny, mixed-up year in fashion.

对时尚界来说，今年是有趣、混乱的一年。

Simply consider the fact that the biggest trendsetter of September’s fashion month was neither a fashion brand nor one based in the big four fashion capitals (New York, London, Milan, Paris). It was Apple, and its unveiling of the Apple watch took place in Cupertino, Calif. — though it made waves all the way to Colette, on the Rue St.-Honoré.

想想看，9月时装月中最大的领潮者既不是一个时装品牌，也不在四大时装之都(纽约、伦敦、米兰和巴黎)，而是苹果公司——它在加利福尼亚州库比蒂诺发布了苹果手表，不过这股浪潮一直席卷到巴黎圣奥诺雷大街的科莱特精品店。

Or consider the fact that in June a celebrity not known for her irony got up to receive a “fashion icon” award wearing effectively nothing.

或者想想看，6月份，一个并非以讽刺闻名的名人上台接受“时尚偶像”奖时实际上什么也没穿。

Rihanna wasn’t, as it happened, implicitly making a searing Emperor’s New Clothes commentary about the prêt-à-porter universe when she accepted her prize from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in a see-through “dress” by Adam Selman, but she was creating an Instagrammable moment. As for the rest of us, we were caught between celebrating social media and bemoaning what it might mean for style.

蕾哈娜(Rihanna)身穿亚当·塞尔曼(Adam Selman)透视“连衣裙”领取美国时装设计师协会的时尚偶像奖时，并不是想用辛辣的皇帝新装暗讽成衣界，但她的确在Instagram上引起轩然大波。而我们其他人的心情则介于赞美社交媒体和哀叹它对时尚的重要意义之间。

And so it went: up and down and back and forth. During the resort shows, brands were split straight down the middle between those that opted for a mega-moment, complete with traveling collection and flown-in supermodels (Louis Vuitton, unveiling its resort collection in Monaco; Dior coming to Brooklyn), and those that refused to even allow a photo out in public until the clothes went into stores (Céline).

所以这一年就是前后左右来回折腾。在度假系列时装秀上，各大品牌的做法大相径庭：有的选择制造轰动一刻，用飞机接送超级模特展示旅行系列(路易·威登[Louis Vuitton]在摩纳哥发布度假系列;迪奥[Dior]选择在布鲁克林发布新装);有的则在服装到店前拒绝泄露哪怕一张照片(比如赛琳 [Céline])。

You might blame it on the seemingly irreconcilable standoff in Washington, one side pitted against the other, or even the unpredictable weather switcheroos from hot to cold and back again, but the oppositions were enough to give you conceptual whiplash. No wonder by the time the pre-fall collections rolled round in December, the biggest trend was a mélange of contrast print in black and white.

你可能会将这归罪于华盛顿相互对抗、似乎不可调和的局面，甚至归罪于忽冷忽热、变幻莫测的天气，但这些对立足以让你在精神上受到打击。难怪12月份早秋系列亮相时，最大的潮流是黑白混杂的对比图案。

Fashion reflects reality. The proof is in the pattern.

时尚反映现实。证据就在图案之中。
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1. INFLUENCERS: IN AND OUT

1. 有影响力的人：流行与过时

In a Kardashian world, where it often seems the bigger and blingier the better (at least for the blogosphere), the debuts of Lupita Nyong’o and Amal Alamuddin as sartorial tastemakers stood out for their sheer elegance and refusal to play the over-the-top game. Rather, they proved that restraint and exquisite taste (and a refusal to pander to the common social media denominator) can have its own explosive effect.

在卡戴珊的世界里，似乎是越大、越奢华越好(至少对博客圈来说是这样)，但露皮塔·尼永奥(Lupita Nyong’o)和阿迈勒·阿拉姆丁(Amal Alamuddin)以绝对优雅、拒绝夸张脱颖而出，成为新的时尚领导者。她们证明，克制和精致品味(以及拒绝迎合社交媒体的常见标准)有它自己的爆炸性效果。

From her red caped Ralph Lauren at the Golden Globes to her “Nairobi blue” Prada gown at the Oscars, Ms. Nyong’o offered an ode to the memorable effects of saturated color and simple lines. The new Mrs. Clooney, a human rights lawyer, used her three-day Venetian wedding as a showcase of what it means to look smart, in every sense of the word. As role models for a new generation, both women demonstrated that powerful achievements and celebration of fashion can go hand in hand, but the latter looks ever so much better in the service of the former, as opposed to as an end in itself.

从金球奖上的拉夫·劳伦(Ralph Lauren)红色披肩礼服到奥斯卡奖上的“内毕罗蓝”普拉达(Prada)礼服，尼永奥一直在向饱和色与简单线条的醒目效果致意。新任克鲁尼夫人是一位人权律师，她通过在威尼斯的三天婚礼展现聪明美丽的涵义。作为新一代楷模，这两位女士展示出，巨大的成就和对时尚的颂扬可以并驾齐驱，不过后者在为前者服务时，比单独彰显自己要好很多。

By contrast, the ubiquitous presence of Rihanna at pretty much every single fashion event in various flesh-baring outfits started to be more yawn-inducing than exciting (proof positive that, as Graydon Carter said, “The greatest asset in the world is unavailability”). Of course, she did finish the year by being named the creative director of Puma women’s collections, which in theory could mean that 2015 will herald a more selective Rihanna-for-Puma parade, but it remains to be seen.

相比之下，蕾哈娜简直无处不在，身穿暴露身体不同部位的套装出现在几乎每一场时尚活动中，渐渐让人觉得乏味，而非兴奋(毋庸置疑，就像格雷顿·卡特 [Graydon Carter]说的，“世界上最伟大的资产是难以得到”)。当然，她的确在年终被任命为彪马(Puma)女装的创意总监，这在理论上意味着2015年我们将看到更多蕾哈娜为彪马设计的服装，不过尚待分晓。

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lawrence’s deal with Christian Dior, which requires her to wear the label at most red carpet events, took much of the joy out of watching her dress and suggested that, as a concept, the “brand ambassador” relationship, while it may work for the brand, can backfire for the ambassador. Ms. Lawrence clearly knows her own mind in her work. Wouldn’t it be nice to see her put it to work for her wardrobe?

与此同时，詹妮弗·劳伦斯(Jennifer Lawrence)与克里斯汀·迪奥的协议要求她身穿该品牌礼服出席大多数红毯活动，这夺去了观看她着装的大部分乐趣。“品牌大使”这种关系可能有利于品牌，但不利于大使。劳伦斯在工作中显然很有自己的想法。如果她能在着装上也展现自己的想法难道不好吗?
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2. TRENDS TO WEAR, AND TO WISH AWAY

2. 佩戴的趋势，趋于简化

As far as trends go this was, hands-down, the year wearable tech broke through. After months of potential, in quick succession Apple, Samsung and Intel all unveiled their wrist-bound smart-band devices — the latter inking deals with not just Opening Ceremony, but Fossil (for watches) and Luxottica (for eyeglasses), too. Ralph Lauren introduced a smart shirt and smart Ricky bag, and designers from Tory Burch to Vivienne Tam to Michael Kors got serious about the techie accessory. It was about time: Finally, we no longer had to walk around looking like refugees from a “Star Trek” convention when we wanted to measure our heart rates or charge our phones.

毋庸置疑，从流行趋势的角度讲，今年可穿戴技术取得突破。在蓄势待发几个月后，苹果、三星和英特尔接连发布自己的智能手环装置。其中英特尔公司不仅与开幕式(Opening Ceremony)公司合作开发智能手环，还与化石(Fossil)公司合作开发智能手表，与陆逊梯卡(Luxottica)合作开发智能眼镜。拉夫·劳伦推出了智能衬衫和智能里基(Ricky)包。托里·伯奇(Tory Burch)、谭燕玉和迈克尔·高仕(Michael Kors)等设计师也开始用心设计智能配饰。这只是时间问题：当我们想测心率或给手机充电时，无需再像《星际迷航》(Star Trek)大会上的难民那样四处奔走。

Admittedly, there’s still a way to go before someone truly cracks the tech-chic code, but at least it’s close to item No. 1 on the style agenda. For those who preferred their trends reductive rather than additive, however, there were the twin absurdities of normcore and athleisurewear, attempts to make fashion moments out of thin air. Just because you give something a fancy name does not mean it merits any attention, and these faux “movements” were a case in point. After all, normcore effectively translates as basic nonfashion clothes, and athleisurewear is workout stuff. There’s nothing wrong with letting jeans be jeans and leggings be leggings. Can we just leave it at that?

不可否认，还需要一段时间才会有人真正破解科技时尚的密码，但是，至少在时尚日历上，它是数一数二的产品。不过，对那些更喜欢简化而非复杂的人来说，有两股荒谬的孪生潮流——“正常核”服装(normcore)和运动休闲装(athleisurewear)，它们是无中生有的时尚潮流。仅仅因为你给某种东西起了个时髦的名字，并不意味着它值得注意——这些伪潮流就是例证。毕竟，“正常核”服装实际上就是不时尚的基本款服装，运动休闲装其实就是锻炼时穿的衣服。该穿牛仔裤就穿牛仔裤，该穿紧身裤就穿紧身裤，这没什么问题。我们不要胡乱演绎了好吗?
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3. DESIGNER COMINGS AND GOINGS

3. 设计师来来去去

Even in fashion terms, it has been a year of designer musical chairs to an extent the industry has rarely seen. Some designers left brands to go to other brands, some simply left, and one returned. In February, Nicole and Michael Colovos left Helmut Lang; in June, Olivier Theyskens left Theory; and in July, it was announced that Christophe Lemaire would have his last Hermès show. In September, Jean Paul Gaultier announced his retirement from ready-to-wear; in November, Ralph Rucci said he was leaving the label that bears his name, and Marco Zanini was out at Schiaparelli; and in December, Kering announced that Frida Giannini would depart Gucci after 10 years at the label come February 2015. (Deep breath — there’s more.)

哪怕从时装界的角度看，今年也是设计师抢椅子游戏最火爆的一年，火爆程度在时装界也很少见。有些设计师离开某些品牌去其他品牌，有些就是离开了，有一个回归了。2月，妮科尔和迈克尔·科洛沃斯(Nicole and Michael Colovos)离开海尔姆特·朗(Helmut Lang);6月，奥利维尔·泰斯金斯(Olivier Theyskens)离开希尔瑞(Theory);7月，克里斯托弗·勒梅尔(Christophe Lemaire)宣布将举办他的最后一场爱马仕(Hermès)发布会。9月，让·保罗·高缇耶(Jean Paul Gaultier)宣布从成衣部退休;11月，拉夫·鲁奇(Ralph Rucci)称将离开自己的同名品牌，马可·萨尼尼(Marco Zanini)离开夏帕瑞丽(Schiaparelli);12月，开云集团宣布弗里达·詹尼尼(Frida Giannini)将在古驰(Gucci)工作十年之后于2015年2月离开该品牌(喘口气，后面还有)。

In October, Peter Copping left Nina Ricci to become the creative director of Oscar de la Renta, and Guillaume Henry announced he was leaving Carven to take Mr. Copping’s place at Ricci. Mulberry finally found a new creative director in the form of Céline’s accessory maestro, Johnny Coca (though he won’t start until next year), while Hermès appointed Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski as the artistic director of women’s wear, and Brooks Brothers signed up Zac Posen to be its women’s wear designer.

10月，彼得·科平(Peter Copping)离开莲娜丽姿(Nina Ricci)，成为奥斯卡·德拉伦塔(Oscar de la Renta)的创意总监;纪尧姆·亨利(Guillaume Henry)宣布他将离开卡纷(Carven)，去莲娜丽姿接替科平的职位。迈宝瑞(Mulberry)最终找到赛琳的配饰大师约翰尼·科卡 (Johnny Coca)担任新创意总监(不过他要到明年才上任)，爱马仕(Hermès)任命纳德格·范内-齐布尔斯基(Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski)担任女装艺术总监，布鲁克斯兄弟(Brooks Brothers)签约雇佣扎克·珀森(Zac Posen)担任其女装设计师。

The most splashy creative appointment of 2014, however, has to be John Galliano’s return after three years in the wilderness at the helm of Maison Martin Margiela. Though Anna Wintour, a.k.a. the most powerful woman in fashion, publicly embraced Mr. Galliano onstage at the British Fashion Awards in December, the jury is still out on whether the retail world, and consumers, have forgiven him for the drunken alleged anti-Semitic rant in 2011 that led to his firing from his former post as the artistic director at Christian Dior. The response to his first show, which will take place in London in January, will give us a clue.

不过，2014年最引人注目的任命是约翰·加利亚诺(John Galliano)在离开时装界三年之后回来执掌马丁·马吉拉(Maison Martin Margiela)。尽管时尚界最有权势的女人安娜·温图尔(Anna Wintour)在12月英国时尚大奖的颁奖台上公开拥抱加利亚诺，但零售业和顾客们能否原谅他2011年醉酒后的反犹太言论尚未可知，那一言论导致他从克里斯汀·迪奥艺术总监的职位上遭到解雇。明年1月将举办他上任后的伦敦首秀，届时人们的反应，将让我们对此问题略知一二。

As for the most wrenching farewells, they were to L’Wren Scott, who committed suicide in March at age 49, and Oscar de la Renta, the New York Fashion Week pillar who died in October at 82. Both sent the fashion world into mourning, though Mr. de la Renta’s death had repercussions far beyond. Often pigeonholed as the chief couturier to the ladies who lunch, Mr. de la Renta actually had an aesthetic whose influence defined multiple political regimes, celebrities and generations, from Jacqueline Kennedy to Laura Bush, Marissa Mayer to Nicki Minaj. His memorial, held in November, was the equivalent of a state occasion, with speakers that included Hillary Rodham Clinton, Henry Kissinger and Michael Bloomberg. When it comes to both designers, we know will not see their like again.

而最令人心碎的告别是3月份49岁的劳伦·斯科特(L’Wren Scott)自杀，10月份82岁的纽约时装周巨擘奥斯卡·德拉伦塔去世。他们两位让时尚界陷入悲痛，不过德拉伦塔逝世的反响更为深远。德拉伦塔经常被称为午宴女士的首席设计师，但实际上他的审美影响了很多政要、名人和世家，从杰奎琳·肯尼迪(Jacqueline Kennedy)、劳拉·布什(Laura Bush)、玛丽莎·梅耶尔(Marissa Mayer)到妮琪·米娜(Nicki Minaj)。他11月份的追悼会无异于一场国事活动，发言人包括希拉里·罗德姆·克林顿(Hillary Rodham Clinton)、亨利·基辛格(Henry Kissinger)和迈克尔·布隆伯格(Michael Bloomberg)。我们知道再也不会有像他们这样的设计师了。
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4. BRANDS AS PATRONS, BRANDS AS PLAINTIFFS

4. 各大品牌忙着赞助;忙着起诉

With its one-two punch of a transformative new designer (Nicolas Ghesquière bowing at the March shows) and a landscape-changing new contemporary art museum (Fondation Louis Vuitton) debuting during the October shows, Louis Vuitton pretty much overshadowed every other brand at Paris Fashion Week, even counting spectacles like Dries Van Noten’s déjeuner sur le catwalk, Chanel’s supermarket sweep, Undercover’s “Swan Lake” in 51 looks and Comme des Garçons’ ode to blood and roses.

路易·威登今年的组合拳包括一位革新性的新设计师(尼古拉斯·盖斯奇埃尔[Nicolas Ghesquière]在3月份的时装秀上鞠躬)和一个改变景观的新当代艺术博物馆(路易威登基金会大楼)，后者在10月份的时装周期间开幕，盖过了其他所有品牌的风头，甚至包括德赖斯·范诺顿(Dries Van Noten)秀台上的早餐;香奈儿(Chanel)的超市走秀;高桥盾UC(Undercover)有51个造型的“天鹅湖”;以及川久保玲对血与玫瑰的颂歌。

Exciting as Mr. Ghesquière’s work was, however, it was the Fondation that may have the longest-lasting effect. Indeed, it is representative of a new movement in the luxury world, wherein brands increasingly assume the role of patron of the arts and preserver of heritage. As recession-hit central governments tighten their purse strings and direct money away from arts and toward infrastructure, luxury has stepped in to close the gap.

尽管盖斯奇埃尔的作品令人兴奋，但那个基金会也许具有最长久的影响力。的确，它代表了奢侈品界的一个新动向——各大品牌越来越多地充当起艺术资助者和遗产保护者的角色。很多政府受到经济衰退冲击，节省开支，把资金从艺术界抽出，投入基础设施建设，此时，奢侈品公司挺身而出，填补了部分缺口。

Aside from Vuitton, Prada also announced the creation of its modern art complex, the Rem Koolhaas-designed Fondazione Prada, which will become Milan’s first contemporary art museum when it opens next year. Versace pledged to help restore the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Salvatore Ferragamo donated funds to renovate galleries at the Uffizi in Florence — all following earlier commitments by Fendi (the Fountain of Trevi), Tod’s (the Coliseum) and Diesel (the Bridge of Sighs). It’s proof that the next big battle in the luxury wars may have less to do with product than the promise of doing good.

除了路易·威登，普拉达也宣布修建自己的现代艺术综合大楼——雷姆·库哈斯(Rem Koolhaas)设计的普拉达基金会大楼，它明年开幕后将成为米兰的第一个当代艺术博物馆。范思哲(Versace)承诺帮助修复埃马努埃莱二世拱廊;萨瓦托·菲拉格慕(Salvatore Ferragamo)捐资修复佛罗伦萨的乌菲兹美术馆——这些都是追随芬迪(Fendi，修复许愿池)、Tod’s(修复罗马竞技场)和迪赛(Diesel，修复叹息桥)等先驱。这表明，未来的奢侈品大战可能与产品的关系更小，与行善承诺的关系更大。

Certainly it is a more productive use of time and money than the less salubrious trend toward settling problems in court, which suddenly seemed en vogue, with names like LVMH, Kering and Hermès, and which had the result of airing all sorts of dirty laundry in public. Happily, by year-end most of the squabbles had been resolved or sent home by the magistrates in charge, the relevant parties tasked with settling their differences out of court. Sometimes, a suit is just not a good look.

当然，与在法庭上解决问题相比，做善事是对时间和金钱更有效的使用。诉诸法庭这种不太体面的事情似乎突然之间开始流行，路威酩轩、开云和爱马仕等公司纷纷加入，结果爆出了各种丑事。令人高兴的是，年末大部分争端已经解决或者被地方法官打发回家，当事人开始在法庭之外解决分歧。有时，打官司的场面真不好看。
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5. MEN’S WEAR EXPLODES; Y.A.-WEAR IMPLODES

5. 男装势头大涨;青少年时装崩溃

Long the neglected little brother of women’s wear, men’s wear has become the hottest, fastest-growing segment of the industry, with the London Collections: Men so successful that New York Fashion Week is considering its own version. Hood by Air was among the most-discussed brands of the year, receiving a special award as part of the LVMH Young Designer’s Prize, and Estée Lauder created its first stand-alone men’s skin-care group.

长期以来，男装是女装被忽视的弟弟，但是现在它成了时装业最热门、增长最快的分支。伦敦男装周非常成功，所以纽约也在考虑举办自己的男装周。 Hood by Air是今年最被热议的品牌之一，获得了路威酩轩年轻设计师奖的一个特别奖。雅诗兰黛创立了自己的第一个独立男士护肤部门。

Little wonder men reached new fashion icon status, with Pharrell Williams coming in at No. 5 over all — and the first man — on Google’s most searched red carpet list of 2014 thanks to his continued allegiance to the oversize Vivienne Westwood hat look, and his short-suited statement at the Oscars. For the more traditionally minded, Neil Patrick Harris followed up his award-winning Broadway stint as a cross-dresser in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” with a contract as the face (and body) of London Fog, and a job as the host of the 2015 Academy Awards. Expect sauve-oir faire on the red carpet.

难怪男性时尚偶像地位也提高了，法瑞尔·威廉姆斯(Pharrell Williams)是2014年谷歌上搜索排名第五的红毯人物，也是第一位上榜的男士，这是因为他钟爱薇薇安·韦斯特伍德(Vivienne Westwood)超大号帽子，在奥斯卡颁奖礼上身穿短裤西服套装。比较传统的人请看看尼尔·帕特里克·哈里斯(Neil Patrick Harris)，他凭借在百老汇音乐剧《摇滚芭比》(Hedwig and the Angry Inch)中饰演的变装者获得大奖，之后签约成为伦敦雾(London Fog)的代言人，并将担任2015年奥斯卡颁奖礼的主持人。

Not that there were no missteps in the section (with more attention comes more opportunity for error), chief among them President Obama’s choice of a tan suit during a White House news conference in August. Until Kim Kardashian took off all her clothes for Paper magazine and oiled up, the outcry came close to breaking the Internet. Proof positive, if there was any doubt, that these days, what men wear matters.

不过，这一领域并非没有败笔(人们越关注，就越可能犯错)，其中最引人注目的是8月份奥巴马总统在白宫的一次新闻发布会上身穿浅色西服，在网上引起强烈批评，直到金姆·卡戴珊(Kim Kardashian)为《Paper》杂志脱光衣服、浑身涂油转移了人们的视线。毫无疑问，如今(过去可能也是这样)，男士着装也是大事。