Fall Fashion’s New Eccentricity

YOU’VE NEVER HEARD of “Grey Gardens”?
The question was posed to me in 1997 by the imperious-beyond-his-years assistant to a fashion editor at the glossy magazine where I landed my first job. His boss was working on a photo shoot and my task was to call in reams of “Grey Gardens”-esque jewelry, fur stoles, shoes and handbags from fashion labels.
Once I admitted ignorance, I was speedily educated on the sartorially fascinating mother-daughter duo Big and Little Edie Beale, as seen in the 1976 documentary by Albert and David Maysles. As I nodded intently, absorbing tales of these gone-to-seed socialites and their famed penchant for turning sweaters into queenly head wraps pinned with brooches and sporting swimwear as daywear, little did I know that this lesson was part of the fashion industry’s core curriculum. The ladies of “Grey Gardens” were referenced again and again in the years to come—not quite as often as their conventionally glamorous cousins Jacqueline Onassis and Lee Radziwill, but almost.
After all, fashion loves an eccentric, from Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s to Iris Apfel nowadays. Though the industry may flirt with minimalism or last year’s Normcore trend (the wearing of deliberately undistinguished, often neutral, clothing), it never fails to boomerang to color, texture and pattern all mixed up with a dose of pure, convincing madness.
That may be one of the reasons the buzzy fall debut collection by newly installed Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele—where the petulantly twee spirit of Wes Andersonheroine Margot Tenenbaum hung thick in the air—has proved to be the runaway hit of the season. E-commerce site MyTheresa has already sold out of the label’s very Margot-esque brown mink coat (around $20,200) and the slightly surreal fur-lined leather loafers (around $890). The site’s buying directorJustin O’Shea described watching the show last February as “a revolution of the biggest brand in the world.”
Gucci’s attention-getting direction has pushed a lush form of quirky individualism to the fore. Between Marc Jacobs’s over-the-top Victorianism, Dries Van Noten’s mix of humble khaki and rich brocades and Miu Miu’s poppy retro bouillabaisse, luxe idiosyncrasy has emerged as this season’s créme de la trend.
The first line of defense may be professional assistance in the form of a savvy sales associate or personal shopper. “I think more than ever, you need a person you can trust to help you wear these things,” said Laura Vinroot Poole, owner of the boutique Capitol in Charlotte, N.C. “You can easily look like a nut.” One client, for instance, was under the impression that a floor-length beaded Dries Van Noten skirt was in fact a cape.
Ms. Vinroot Poole believes the effort is worth it. “It’s a really great escape from the tan, nude, tight Kardashian-ization of the world,” she said. “It’s a bit more intellectual and less overtly sexy.”
What’s also helpful is to make sure you maintain a baseline of polish. Naysayers may think they can cheaply replicate a Gucci look with a visit to the thrift store. Clever ones can pull it off, but proceed with caution. The ability to successfully finish off a floral silk dress with a grandiose brooch relies on a dress that fits beautifully and doesn’t suffer from stains, saggy seams or lingering scents.
Bally design director Pablo Coppola executed the new eccentricity quite expertly in his fall collection, specifically citing Mr. Anderson’s film “The Royal Tenenbaums” as inspiration. Working with ladylike silhouettes in luxe fabrics like Loro Piana cashmere, alligator and nappa leather “gives the look a certain validity,” said Mr. Coppola. His twist was gobs of bright and rich color; it takes guts and acumen to layer a forest-green angora coat over a fitted violet alligator jacket and crisp gray wool trousers, and to finish the look off with canary-yellow shoes.
The collection marked a shift from Mr. Coppola’s debut at the label last fall, which was about as Normcore as it got: gray sweaters, navy peacoats. He called it a “cleaning of the slate.” But that sort of basic-ness doesn’t really offer a designer—or a fashion lover—room to evolve and grow. “When something looks a little bit odd or weird, or someone in the studio who is very chic doesn’t like it, I think, ‘Hmm, maybe it’s interesting then,’ ” he said.
New York-based stylist Erin Walsh further stressed the importance of fit. Ms. Walsh, who works with notorious fashion risk-taker Sarah Jessica Parker, commended her client’s fearlessness but also noted that Ms. Parker benefits from an acute awareness of the silhouettes that flatter her figure. The reason she can pull off a sculptural Philip Treacyhat is that she sticks to fit-and-flare cocktail dresses and empire-waist gowns. “The better you know your body and what fits, the easier it is,” said Ms. Walsh. “You can give yourself the freedom to play the crazy art teacher if your foundation is set in place.”
But it’s also important to realize that eccentricity doesn’t reside in any specific garment but rather in the wearer’s overall approach. “Eccentricity is a state of mind. The person wearing the clothes makes them eccentric,” said stylist and swimwear designer Lisa Marie Fernandez. “If you have a blowout and a pair of pumps on with one of those [Gucci] dresses, you’re not going to look eccentric at all.”
A perfect example is utterly not-quirky Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who every season wears dresses by Prada in her own precise and glossy manner, even though the collection itself is known for a certain off-kilter elegance.
Though it’s possible to extract basic principles from this fall’s collections, true eccentricity is not something you can prescribe. Ms. Fernandez pointed to pop star Rihanna, whose supremely confident fashion choices are always unexpected. “She’s unconventional and wears whatever she wants to,” said Ms. Fernandez. “That’s what I’m drawn to.”