The Style Notes

It's no secret that resort has  become increasingly popular in the last couple of years. Chanel started showcasing the clothes on a runway two years ago, and last year was Dior's first runway show for a resort collection. Along the way others caught on and now there are
roughly ten designers who put on
resort shows, some quite elaborate. 
It's really no surprise that these
designers were ready for a change,
since resort clothes can even
surpass the sales of spring and can
also stay in stores the longest.

But, that still leaves the majority of the designers who
don't stage runway shows and present the clothes in the
calmness of their own showrooms instead. So why
haven't they jumped on the bandwagon? Many people,
designers and consumers alike, prefer the quieter approach.

Showroom presentations offer relief
to those designers who want to
escape the pressures of having to
produce showstopping clothes for
the runway. "I love designing
resort," Zac Posen says. "You don't
get caught up in the headaches of
editorial pressure. It's real clothing
and real fashion." Designer Anna
Sui agrees. "You have to design
differently for a show,"she says.
"You have to make itshowy. Resort is a relief because you don't have those other pressures. You just do what you love and it comes through."

A lot of women also prefer resort clothes that are not
shown on a runway because they aren't as recognizable.
Amanda Brooks, Tuleh's former creative director, is one of those people. "If a designer makes a gown for a show,
everyone sees it," she says. "In most cases, a resort gown
never goes down the runway and it's not advertised. I like that special feeling."

Nevertheless, resort runway shows have gained a lot of
popularity, not to mention a star-studded front row. Will
every designer end up staging shows, or will it remain more under-the-radar? Only time will tell the future of resort.