NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: SPRING 2010 PART II

enjoy more of my favorites from nyfw spring 2010, and feel free to leave comments! do you agree with my picks or commentary? look forward to part III, coming soon!
♥ me

ohne titel- alexa adams and flora gill are CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund finalists and their great showing displayed why. I could see all of the hard work, thought, sweat and tears put into this collection! Some of the pieces aren't exactly my style but having an Ohne Titel piece (or the wonderful shoes designed by Cesara Paciotti) could definitely put some spice into your wardrobe. and those thigh high strappy gladiator sandals on R'el Dade (second model from the left) are so cool!

chado ralph rucci- wow. this show was a total surprise. usually chado ralph rucci is a show that seems to cater towards those 60+. they have definitely injected a bit of youth into this brand. the craftmanship was amazing and it was nearly impossible for me to only pick four pieces that i loved because i loved so many pieces. and i absolutely loved the thick lower eyelashes they put on the models. my mom raved over the red dress and nude feathery hem dress.

alexander wang- weirdly enough, i actually liked this collection. 6 clicks before i was done looking at the pictures i ended my inward battle on whether i'd make a collage for this or not. i was drawn in my the sloppy side braids, the somehwat out of place but well crafted shoes and his very interesting and unexpected inspiration for his collection: football. it was sporty and sexy in a very unconventional way. all of these pieces aren't winners...but this collection draws me in even though i know for a fact i wouldn't wear 3/4 of these pieces. weird right?

victoria beckham- i'm so proud of victoria beckham! she is definitely a successful celebrity fashion designer, and her clothes are definitely full of quality. when i think of victoria beckham's clothes i equate them with the likes of michael kors and philip lim, etc. she's an actual designer and her success is well deserved. she's playing around with some new shapes but is still focused on dresses...but i'm not complaining because she makes a mean dress!

reem acra- this collection was feminine with a capital "f" with no shortage of color, pearls, jewels and florals. i'm in love with these looks!

rebecca taylor- this collection was so young, hip and current complete with ditsy floral prints, mini dresses, blazers and high heels.

rachel roy- rachel roy never disappoints me with her urban looks that have just a sprinkling of ethnic flair through color or print. my favorites are the limish yellowish dress and the black mini dress that looks like a sparkly top and pocketed mini dress.

lela rose- female elegance at one of its best! i'm fawning over the black and white brushstroke one shouldered dress that is third from the left.

karen walker- bucket hats, boat shoes and navy galore! preppy chic at its best.

herve leger by max azria- i love herve leger and i love what the azrias are doing with it. they are using more than just elastic bandage material to churn out fun little frocks for the young and leggy set. the second dress from the left NEEDS to be in my closet. i love the tie-dye denim sheet and the beautiful deep blue color of the dress as well as the long sleeves. the dress to the far right is one of the most elegant dresses in the collection despite its' short hemline.

erin fetherston- erin fetherston is also one to not dissapoint. i am enamored with her deer and cherry blossom inspired collection. it's soft and floaty as every fetherston collection is and yet every piece is so substantial and individual. erin is here to stay!

elise overland- these are the clothes you would wear if you worked at a corporate rock office.

derek lam- with a bold color palette of varying shades of gold, green, blues and indigos as well as white this show was great to click through. i also loved the strappy suede shoes.

carlos miele- looks: i always look forward to miele shows and i am never disappointed. he works with prints in a very tasteful way and his shows are never lacking sex appeal.

ports 1961- lightly inspired by japonisme. i loved the shoes in this collection!

zac posen- i didn't like his last collection but i loved this one with the awesome mouth pins, decorative shoes, and the pink carpeting was nice too.

barbara tfank- barbara was inspired by the classic work of the photographer richard avedon. i loved the dahlia and poppy printed pieces, and the elegant use of color.

bibhu mohapatra- the designer's sophomore collection had a subdued, clean and architectural color palette as well as structure. i personally loved the square chiffony appliques to dresses and tops. it made each of the clothes look original and i will definitely recognize these pieces as definitely bibhu mohapatra!

carolina herrera- this show definitely showed a different side of carolina herrera that i've seen. she used lots and lots of bright colors, distressed fabrics, woven shoes and beaded leather rope belts. she still worked with conservative shapes and churned out her red carpet stunners but it wasn't as clean and herrera-esque a presentation as i expected. at the beginning i was totally confused but by the end i had started liking it. i think the beautiful pinks and oranges won me over.

chris benz- color, stripes, and polka dots. typical chris benz. i wanted to not like this, but the presentation was so undeniably fun and free spirited and the some pieces just screamed out to be in a collage so here you go!

devi kroell- wow, i am thoroughly impressed by devi kroell's spring 2010 collection. when she released her first clothing collection i said to myself, "this collection will probably never be that great because she's so used to defining bags." i take that back! devi conquered the handbag world and she's on her way to conquering the clothing world with her smart use of color and print.

donna karan- i wasn't feeling her dkny spring 2010 collection but donna karan has hit it out of the ballpark again with the newest installation of her original line, donna karan. her interpretation of structured femininity inspired by the elements (to me, namely fire, air/wind, and moving water) was outstanding and she should be very proud of this collection. it has pieces for women of every age: from 20s on through their 70s in my opinion. she offered flowing dresses, burlap skirt suits, among other things. she did a really great job.

douglas hannant- this was a great collection of uber feminine red carpet dresses, most with floaty fabrics. the pastel color palette was refreshing as well, as it seems many designers do not seem to use pastels.

j. mendel- this show never disappoints me. i'm a girl that loves to dress up and loves to party (i'm not invited to enough parties though :P) and of course a girl like that loves special somethings to wear and j. mendel makes lots of special somethings.

julian louie- fresh, contemporary and wearable. beautiful peachy, bright and light color palette. i loved the avant garde artist like makeup that made the models' faces look like sketches.

marc jacobs- marc jacobs is tired of black studs and leather, and while i don't hate it, i'm tired of seeing it in every fashion show and on every young 20 something girl. i absolutely LOVED the bags in this collection, the design was absolutely genius (jacobs has such a talent at making great bags) and his new take on the suit was awesome, but there were also a lot of tragic looks. style.com's description of the show says it was inspired by victorianism among other things. when looking at the show i am reminded of acrobats and court jesters. this collage isn't the best representation of the outrageousness of the collection, so try to look through it for yourself at the style site.

sophie theallet- with subtle african references this collection was smooth and warm.

thakoon- thakoon panichgul knows how to make a woman look cool without trying too hard. he's a true genius with prints and color and every season he puts out is successful. i especially loved the shoes in this collection as well.

tracy reese- these clothes will definitely sell! tracy, another master of prints, used her knowledge to turn out a bright decidely springy collection.

zero+maria cornejo- i'll describe this shortly and sweetly: wearable avant garde! loved the shoes!

tibi- amy smilovic of tibi won me over with a blooming collection with a color palette of nude, blush pink, white, light blues, purples, greens and black.

temperley london- this was one of my absolute favorite shows because i loved the presentation and styling of the show. everything was just perfect.

philosophy- i loved this collection. light, sweet and just the right amount of kitsch with the lip and eye prints.

narciso rodriguez- i liked narciso's spring 2010 collection way better than his fall 2009 collection. the shoes were great: i'm loving the super strappy shoe trend on the runway and the color palette consisted of lots of blacks, greys and whites with the occasional splash of color such as bright orchid purple and a blinding coraly pink.

max azria- i liked the unexpected simplicity of the max azria collection. unlike the fall 2009 collection it was completely different from his line for herve leger.

malandrino- i loved this collection. i could wear the clothes on my future travels around the world, hahaha :) and i could really rock that purple jumpsuit! jumpsuits are so cool. i have yet to own one though, because i need to find just the right one.

halston- this is the first time i fell in love with a halston collection instantly. this time they found the right balance of simplicity and style, while in past years there has been too much simplicity which translated to boredom.

dennis basso- dennis basso is my kind of designer. all of the clothes were so exquisite it was almost impossible to choose four looks. this collection definies luxe ladylike sophistication.

christian cota- his looks register on the runway and off. he's a designer with great vision and i loved his use of unexpected fabrics such as sweatpant material as well as edgy accessories like body chains or metal belts on some looks with his ladylike clothes.

brian reyes- brian reyes didn't disappoint his red carpet clients and he sure didn't disappoint me. another great collection from mr. reyes! you know which piece is my favorite right? yes, you are soooo right: that lime green stunner!

badgley mischka- perfect, as usual. i like the interesting juxtaposition of a blazer and a ruffly long skirt in the loo to the far right.

nanette lepore- very summery and not overwrought. i'm loving the shoes as much as the clothes and impeccable styling in this show!

fashion notes:

ADAM- it was a nice laidback show filled with werable casual cool seperates.

VPL- leggings, shiny jumpsuits, thick strapped sandals. every year is the same...none of these pieces really look functional. i'm not a VPL fan.

vivienne tam- the whole show was butterfly themed. i loved the female model's makeup, heavily black rimmed eyes and soft nudy pink face and lip makeup. the new laptops that vivienne designed in conjunction with HP are so cute: white with a pretty butterfly image.there were some absolutely magnificent standout pieces such as the long digital butterfly magnified wing print multicolored dress with long sleeves and a pussybow as well as another digital print top and skirt combo and a beautiful little black dress with 3D glittery black butterfly embellishments. style.com said the collection was 70s cliche, and for the most part it was...but there were still some great pieces to be seen.

united bamboo- the first few looks REALLY impressed me, as did some later on in the show, but unfortunately there seemed to be some kind of discord with this collection. some of the pieces were so amazing and well made, and then other pieces looked like sacks. hopefully i'll be giving them a collage next season!

shipley & halmos- lots of loose shapes.

Richard Chai Love- Richard Chai decided to show his lower end line instead of his higher end line. Lots of casual seperates in expensive fabrics. I want the original line back on the runway!

lacoste- this show featured super fresh, super preppy and fun sportswear as well as supah supah SUPAHHHH cute male models <3 *swoon* i love how the show ended with all of the models parading in yellow. this show had such good looking models.

jeremy laing- this show featured very well made avant garde clothes. this guy has got talent! the collection might be hard to sell though.

boy by band of outsiders- all of the models looked absolutely gorgeous with their light hued tousled hair, pink lips, dewy skin and preppy beachwear complete with signature boy by band of outsiders blazers.

altuzarra- style.com raved over joseph altuzarra's basketweave, eyelet and swissdot apron pieces. i was left confused...who is going to wear this? most of these pieces looked like period costumes gone wrong.

y-3- very goodlooking people wearing soccer inspired clothes designed by yohji yamamoto.

tuleh- i usually liked tuleh shows and this one was ok, but bryan bradley was trying to get way too much across with his show. he took on the meaning of marriage as well as the history of fashion and tried to make the show a short story...it was a very fragmented and bumpy story.

dkny- the collection was very cute and wearable but not revolutionary. i liked the fall 2009 collection better.

diane von furstenberg- dvf had a great showing, but it felt too reminiscent of last season. it was a great collection though and i'm glad they made an even more glitzy version of their big gold chained hobo bag.

behnaz sarafpour- i loved all of the dresses but this collection was very, very fall like and didn't seem springlike at all. still a good collection though, my fave piece being a shiny black ribbony dress (look 21) modeled by hye park.

araks- cute clothes for a young girl who wants to grow up to be a quirky librarian. at least that's the impression i got when i looked at the clothes and styling.

davidelfin- david delfin loves models with tattoos and he sure likes blue and mint hues. his collection was very nice but featured a lot of what we already know is popular: tight, bodycon dresses, suits, etc.

lutz & patmos- loose, light woven material. the model (pilar solchaga) that modeled all of the clothes looked great in it.

vera wang- i love vera wang and the aesthetic she has for her line...but for some reason i didn't fall head over heels for this collection. it was just a continuation of her previous two collections and it seemed to be more subdued and formulaic.

rodarte- i hated everything except the last closing dresses (look 30-35) that were all black.

mulberry- brindingly blight colors and colored prints. i loved the accessories such as the signature mulberry bag in a very bright purplish pink leopard print bag and a matching skinny bow waistbelt modeled by nyfw favorite rachel rutt. fringed ankle boots, laced up ankle boots, glossy ankle boots and more cute bags in an array of colors from nude blush pink to glossy pepto bismol pink were featured as well., and some models walked pugs on the runway with them. look 26 was a beautiful dress.

matthew ames- i wouldn't want to wear any of this. if most of the collection didn't even look good on the models, why would it look good on me?

marc by marc jacobs- as usual i loved the accessories (especially the perfect bags) as well as the male models, but this time i wasn't really digging the clothes.

g-star- the show was so long and i wouldn't wear any of those clothes.

betsey johnson- this show looked like it would be a lot of fun to be at, but it also looked like it was crazy and all over the place...and not in a good way.

i love this dress

...just wanted you all to know that.
♥ me

i love the beautiful shimmery nude/champagne color of this dress and the one shouldered cut, and the sexy short length. it's so on trend, but at the same time it has a touch of class to it. it shows skin, but it's not showing cleavage...it's just perfect! i could see this as looking really interesting if it was odified into a gown as well. i think the color of this piece could be flattering to a lot of skintones, and the beading detail is exquisite.

this is the second time i've featured an herve leger piece on my blog. i guess i'm an herve leger girl at heart...(but one of the classier ones of course).

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: FALL 2009 PART II

i hope you enjoy this entry as much as you enjoyed the last entry, thank you SO much for the comments. it really means a lot to me. it really motivates me to keep updating. just like all of you i am amazingly busy and just imagine how crappy i'd feel if i got zero comments after spending a lot of time and effort on an entry. blogging isn't all about the comments for me, i really enjoy blogging and being part of the fashion blogger world--but comments are like some extra fuel for when you're not sure you can make it through a certain blogging project. thanks for your support! :)
♥ me

Carlos Miele- every season it's pretty much a given that i'll fall in love with miele's collections, and it was no different this time around. mr. miele said the collection was based heavily on the idea of architecture, and this is evident in the graphic look of the clothes. this collection was so amazing. miele made the perfect choice of colors, cuts, and models. i love newcomer gracie carvalho (second model from left)--she is so cute! i can't really pick a favorite piece but i am very enamored with the print cutaway gown arlenis sosa is wearing in the middle of the collage.

Altuzarra- altuzarra featured well made, tight fitting clothes. i really want to own the dresses--i don't know how i'd bode in those super skinny suits though.

Herve Leger- recently herve leger by max azria has become an amazingly popular line. with it's signature bandage mini dresses that cling to every curve and show off lots of leg, it's a given that pretty young things are attracted to it. for fall 2009 the herve leger collection had a more serious and earthy vibe. bandage dresses featured stretchy thick knits with a few overlapping bandage straps and warm brown, green and gold toned colors. also featured were huge shoulders and embellishment, that reminded me a bit of balmain.

DKNY- blair waldorf would love most of the looks in the fall 2009 edition of DKNY. i really enjoyed everything too. everything was wearable and desirable, cute and classic. i also really liked the fashion show set. it was red, white and black and had half tone and opaque black artistry. i absolutely love the pairing of prints that was showcased at DKNY. would would think that zebra and leopard print mixed together and paired with tweedy plaid would look great? well it does! and i love the young pairing of a well structured sleeveless dress with a cute kelly green and grey striped turtleneck. and the headbands/hats featured were so ladylike.

diane von furstenburg- i love both the brand and the woman. this fall 2009 collection was so amazingly exuberant and edged with that signature DVF wash of class, grace, intelligence and devil may care attitude. the bags and hats were outrageously fun, covered with pompons and strings of yarn. i love arleni's gorgeous smile, and she is rocking that outfit! she is the second model from the left.

Carolina Herrera- i have six words for you: carolina herrera is a freaking genius. go view the whole show online at style.com. the swooshing skirts, the nipped in dresses, the dark but warm woody/mossy color palette (with some bright cerulean blue and fuchsia thrown in), everything comes together to create one of the best collections a girl could ever wish to have in her closet. just put on one look and immediately you become elegant, stylish: an icon--if but for a moment, or only a day. this collection was lush, exquisite, and fit for royalty. herrera time and time again proves that she knows how to dress women!

Erin Fetherston- from the first look, i knew this was going to be interesting. the heels are absolutely killer, i wouldn't even try to walk in them, but they are awesome. the show started out with dark gothic lolita looks, with models teetering on hooker shoes and legs wrapped in striped black and white leggings, or black stripe leggings, or black netted/dotted leggings. then the show took a decidely different turn and headed back to the erin fetherston look we are all more familiar with. pastels galore, heavenly blues pinks and creams, and the ultra short hems on the frocks made the model's pins look even longer. this collection was fit for a doll!

Donna Karan- DK sure knows how to work jersey and silk! this collection included really good items for a woman's closet. it communicated a non fussy and straight forward classy feel.

chris benz- chris loves color and he definitely knows how to use it! i also really love his model's expressions and poses. :)

Charlotte Ronson- for the tough sexy girl these looks would be perfect. i really want the knee high boots from this collection. they lace all the way up AND have studs! sweet! this wasn't my fave collection but it was good enough. i'm loving all the one shouldered dresses i'm seeing on these fall 2009 runways.

Jill Stuart- this collection was inspired by iconic women of music. it had a heavy rock chick aesthetic (as most collections seem to have lately) and i loved it. one of my pieces has to be the sheer lace dress (second from left, worn by cutie pie gracie carvalho) and the piece to the far right, that is sheer with a sequined pattern worn by super pretty model meghan collison.

Marc Jacobs- Mr. Jacobs did the '80s some good. only marc...only marc...only HE could do this collection with the full blown crazy 80s hair and makeup (blue eyeshadow, crazy gelled hair and all) and make me love it.

Miss Sixty- another '80s inspired collection. i'm really loving this look, and so is the rest of the fashion blogging world. it's fun, it's young, and it's confident! one thing i didn't like though...is that miss sixty had way too many scarily skinny models on the runway. there is such a thing as a healthy skinny. i don't want to look on the runway and see so many bones and spines and vertebrae and gaunt faces. it's gross.

Preen- i'm really loving preen. it's a quiet line and you don't hear too much fuss about it, but every collection seems to be so well done and collected and it has a crystal clear aesthetic. how awesome is that rainbow dress at the end? they had about four dresses that had a color theme similar to that. i really love the fourth look from the left. it's soft, simple, and kept interesting with the metallic detailing on the waist.<3

Prabal Gurung- Gurung described his debut collection as "clothes for a thinking man's sex symbol" and he described it perfectly. i'd most like to see the first look on the left on the red carpet. this is a great debut effort, keep your eyes open for him!



FASHION WEEK NOTES

Jeremy Laing- the clothes weren't really my style, but i think laing executed the collection well, and i got a pretty good vibe from the show. i don't remember having seen his work before but from what i'm seeing he does have some talent.

Betsey Johnson- Ms. Johnson put on a very bright and very betsey showing of 17 fall 2009 looks. however the show didn't really wow me or show me anything profound. however i would like to own some shoes and some leopard print sheer tights from this line. and the sequined leggings.

Jonathan Saunders- some looks were cute, most were atrocious. as regular readers may know...i liked the jonathan saunders spring 2009 collection much better.

Lela Rose- the collection was decent, but most of these looks could easily be reproduced for sale at any store.

Luca Luca- the show was inspired by the vintage screen sirens of glamorous eras past, and it was nice...but it's all been done before (and better too).

Reem Acra- i was dissapointed because i've seen so much better from this line, but the last four dresses were absolutely superb and i hope to see at least one on a red carpet.

Temperley London- temperley london fall 2009 was like a bad version of the recent bohemian gucci collections. there were some good pieces in there but they were far and few between. i think the styling was a bit off too. but, you know...when the pieces are worn in isolation on red carpets or to social events or wherever they'll probably look better.

Tuleh- there were a few great gowns at the end of the show but the rest of it was pretty boring.

derek lam- showed a range of nudes, a little wine red, mustards, black and metallics. it was a good collection but it had a really slow and uncertain start. i wish the whole collection had more of the drapey and beaded frocks that emerged at the end. i'm sure we'll see this collection being worn a lot. we're in a recession, so we go back to basic colors like blacks and nudes.

halston- this season's collection was much better than last season's (spring 2009) collection. it had more creativity and thought to it and there was a nice range of looks. the house still needs to improve though.

marc by marc jacobs- i loved the cute furry flat boots. i'd love to own them. also featured were cute wool empire waist coats and lots of plaid flannel made into cute ruffly blouses.also featured were incredibly bright print tights (bright purple with orange squares on the knees, multicolored stripey ones, etc.). the show was cute and young, but very similar to what he's shown before.

matthew williamson- lots of bright colored fur in orange, red or blue and crazy psychadelic/geometric prints. some things looked a bit pucci to me.

max azria- new at max azria was a very dark palette and a usage of lace. the collection was good, but not good enough to make me want to make a collage for it! i would wear some pieces from the line though. i loved the white dress with black lace detail and a fluttery hem, as well as a mini with strips of leather and lace sleeves. and there was good use of embellishment as well.

narciso rodriguez- i really wanted to like this show, since i liked his spring 2009 presentation but i really didn't like this collection. only a select few pieces. he saved some of his best looks for last, and paired them with stark white tights/leggings which was a horrendous choice. he also featured weird abstract cow spot print and hats that covered the eyes and had eye slits cut out. thinking about those looks make me physically sick.

anna sui- i liked it and din't like it at the same time. it was a mix of bohemian, folksy, medieval and all kinds of stuff. showcased were beautiful printed or sparkly tights, printed everything and amazing shoes. jourdann dunn looked great in her looks but there was something i didn't like about the collection. i think the pieces would look better when worn individually and not as a whole look from the collection.

j. mendel- you can always rely on gilles mendel for classic shapes like cocktail dresses or cute skirt suits or pant suits with shrunken blazers, and of course red carpet gowns. however most of the collection was boring. more classic shapes and more fur--this is what i've been seeing from mendel every season. but, he knows how to make nice clothes and he does it well. it's just that i crave excitement in life and this collection didn't excite me except for the last dress du juan wore. it was sooooooooooo beautiful. one of the most creative dresses i've ever seen in my life. i'll be posting a picture of it.

Nanette Lepore- everything was uber cute and uber tasteful...but after seeing marchesa and michael kors directly before this...there was no way i was going to put this down as a collage! it was good...but not fabtastically great.

Richard Chai- it wasn't horrifyingly bad...but...it didn't appeal to me at all (save for one look), i think it's the dull color palette that did it. althought he used multicolored prints they are all dim versions of the hues. if he had brightened it up a bit it would have been more a hit with me. the tailoring was nice though. he knows how to make good slouchy trousers.

Tory Burch- i LOVED the accessories and most of the collection but it seemed that the collection was an oxymoron. it was preppy and clean while trying to be grungy and hip at the same time. sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn't.

Vivienne Tam- beautiful craftmanship as usual but the collection felt cold for some reason? i did view it when slightly sleepy...maybe that played a factor? but these clothes are well made, they just don't have that special twinkle that really grabs my attention.