The time has come, my little friends, to talk of many things / of shoes and skirts and haute couture, of runway queens and kings / and why underwear has become outerwear and why high upon necklines bows cling / Calloo, Callay, come run away / and talk about fashions of the Spring.              

        Curiouser and curisouser became the styles that arrived on the 2008 Spring catwalk, it appears that our designers are regressing back into their youth (or at least back into the whimsical pages of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll). Frilly ruffles are cascading down blouse fronts and covering hemlines, shoulders and skirt panels. Soft, feminine and romantic fabrics of patchwork and floral prints sway to the sashay of  models as they work the runway. Collections were revealed consisting of characterized hats and shoes with other whimsical accessories such as: rosettes, pinafores, stockings and headbands. Models all look ready to join Alice’s mad tea party, they float down the runway in dresses of fantasy shears and transparent fabrics (with all the trimmings) revealing that underwear is fast influencing outerwear; in Wonderland anything goes. It appears that the girly girl demeanor will be returning, tweaked and polished, as influence for the fashions of Spring 2008 and that we, as consumers, better be quick in finding invitations to mad tea parties with lost rabbits for that is the playful direction we are being pulled this season, and speaking of playing. . .

        Betsy Johnson was initially inspired by her own 1958 prom photo. Her explanation of her motives behind her designs is: life is just a prom. No matter what she’s wearing; she can’t get out of her prom state of mind.  Johnson’s designs feature prom dresses from every decade and incorporate such retro details as the empire waist, head wreaths, layered crinoline and the bow. Her creations require a sideways squeeze through doorways because of their voluminous size and come in vibrant colors comparable only to ones favorite candy varieties. I say that it is about time prom wear was taken from special occasion and thrust into the everyday. This season seems truly about having fun and how could anyone feel anything but giddy if they were invited to a prom filled with designs by BJ? 

      Some designers took a different angle on the girly girl designs of the season and made their collection more wearable. The bow was a hot commodity on the runway and it was presented with reformed characteristics of sophistication and intelligence (along with its typical references to youth and the feminine). Necklines were heightened for Spring and clasped together with the pussy bow, creating a conservative look nostalgic of the fall. This look was versatile enough for a day at the office or, if desired, afternoons chasing White Rabbits.        

           Why my obsession and praise of the whimsical girlishness that is the 2008 Spring collections? It all comes down to needing to feel like a true girl. I demand that my garments make me feel the same way that my men do. Like my boyfriends my garments must make me feel like a princess, and when I deem these garments worthy enough to touch my skin they must do so in all the right places. My garments must flatter me, wrap me in their folds and make me feel safe and beautiful, and distract my attention away from bad areas when I am having a “fat day.”  The Spring fashions of 2008 are all about bringing the girl out from inside the woman. They are a reminder of our sweet and innocent sides. They tell us it is okay to impose a flirt into our walk, a giggle onto our lips and to bat ones eyelashes in order to get ones way. They remind us that we truly are made of sugar, spice and all things nice. Have you ever pulled a dress from the rack and commented that you would love to buy it but have nowhere to wear it? Well, thanks to the new Spring fashions you don’t need a destination in order to look all dolled up, staying home and letting your imagination wonder is all the excuse you’ll need to look as impressive as Alice herself.