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.

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: FALL 2009 PART III

this is the third and final part of my new york fashion week entries. i think new york fashion week went well and lived up to expectations. now on to london!
♥ me

william rast- laid back cool that erin wasson would be proud of.

Proenza Schouler- i think proenza schouler is on my love list. they never dissapoint me. never, ever. just like mr. de la Renta they're always just my cup of tea. i love this downtown casual cool look and their inventive use of wool, satins, and velvet (the velvet burnout detail on the farthest dress to the right is exquisite). i can't wait to see some of their accesories up close.

Oscar de la Renta- i would so wear that look that sessilee lopez has on (to the far left). in fact i wore something very similar to that last sunday--and i rocked it too, of course. and how hot is that suit arlenis has on (in the middle of the collage)? wowee. in this collection mr. de la renta showed just how great he is with color and cut. he is our american couturier.

michael kors- michael's fall collections always get me. his spring collection i wasn't really digging but i'm loving his vision for fall 09. and i loved his touches of neon--he actually did it tastefully! fur was also used in the collection, the colors ranged from natural camel colors to silver to neon orange or highlighter yellow. and like every designer this season he featured one sleeved dresses. i so need something one sleeved in my closet. it was so hard to pick just five looks. this is such a stupendous collection. mr. kors really knows his stuff.

marchesa- i always look forward to marchesa's collections, season after season. as much as i love hard core stuff like spikes and leather i also love girly things like tulle and sequins and high heels and pretty hair and makeup. this marchesa collection was terrific, that's why i'm making a collage for it. but i definitely expected more. some of these pieces did, in fact, look like crap (just a few though!). but the good ones made up for it. it was so hard to pick just 5 looks, and i probably picked the wrong ones. there was an amazing red jumpsuit. i want to own it, and i NEED to see that black drop waist gown with silver sequins on each tier on the red carpet. please go to style.com and take a full look at marchesa.

l'wren scott- l'wren scott makes the best dresses ever. i love all of her shows and the way she styles the models. and i loved the shoes in this collection too.

Juan Carlos Obando- ohmygosh, was this collection breathtaking or what? i'm inspired beyond my wildest dreams. i love the swirling colors on the first two dresses. it looks like a whimsical watercolor painting in which the artist let color bleed loosely onto a white canvas. the gowns he created were simple, yet chic. i loved this collection!

Douglas Hannant- this show was so well executed. it was organized and flowed very well. i can see how much precision and time he allotted to making this collection. hannant said that audrey hepburn was his inspiration for his fall 2009 collection. he also said,"if it's going to be elegant it can't scream". and he's right--nothing elegant can scream--it declares. i'm loving the use of bright pink on the runway. it's everywhere!

Doo.Ri- i am LOVING the whole gothic look right now and Doo.Ri knocked it out of the ballpark. the only weird thing is all of her models had scowls on their faces like either they had A. smelled something disgusting B. been hit in the face a few seconds before walking out on the runway C. seen someone they hated and all the models were scary skinny. how many times do i have to say it? you can be skinny AND healthy, and a lot of these girls just looked skinny. but how chill are those crystal sutdded lace stockings?! they are so amazing, i don't know if i'm cool enough to rock them.

behnaz sarafpour- behnaz really knows how to work shades of grey. i especially love the ombre grey fur jacket. it's incredibly well made and can dress up any ensemble.

badgley mischka- you can always rely on badgley mischka to come up with special event worthy clothes.

3.1 Phillip Lim- i didn't know it was possible for me to fall for a collection in a nanosecond. but i fell in love from the minute i saw the thumbnail pic for the fall 2009 phillip lim collection. this season lim was inspired by 60s london youth. everything was based on biba, sergeant pepper and jimi hendrix looks and it was all perfect. i really enjoyed this collection, it's everything i want out of a show. creativity, unpredictableness, good use of color and of course a chic classic essence. it was classic without being boring. i really love that white coat in the look to the far left.

victoria beckham- mrs. beckham is really holding her own as a fashion designer, and everyone has to recognize it. for her second collection we got to see a very nicely made group of gowns. these are definitely red carpet worthy! my favorite gown is definitely the one to the far right that is one shouldered and has sewuins along the sleeve and the top of the dress. and i love the red pencil dress to pieces.

vera wang- this was way better than her lavender collection presentation. she's returned to the vera wang look i know and love.

Thakoon- this collection featured subdued sheaths, cute bow cut outs, every color in the rainbow...and then some, mirror embellishments, fur fur and more fur and a full range of what thakoon can do. it featured one gown that seemed really out of place and as a desperate offering for someone to wear it to the oscars but it was still a good design. i love jourdan dunn in that black concoction to the far right.

rodarte- i'm in love. every recent season of rodarte i haven't liked until weeks after the show when other fashion bloggers are raving about how amazing the collection was. i've never really gotten the rodarte aesthetic until the next season came around, and some of the stuff they make i still don't like. but i've been warming up to them...i guess because i'm being forced to (and because they have the most amazing shoe collaborations). as kirsten dunst said, rodarte's clothes are very emotional. they convey so much feeling. i'm really satisfied with this collection and would love to wear the looks i picked. i'm sure if i wore those boots they'd reach all the way up to my hips :)

ralph lauren- it was just perfect. there were so many good looks it was hard to choose. there were ruffles, velvet, silks, languid and lush looks, etc. the palette was very light, and i love that he's keeping the palette light for fall. that's really original.

rebecca taylor- very feminine and light. i loved the use of bright blue eyeshadow and the beautiful ruffles on some of the pieces.

naeem khan- he makes the best red carpet dresses. there are so many great designers out there. the plethora of amazing gowns and dresses available for us girls just make me smile, and i'm happy naeem is out there to add his touch on things.

malandrino- the inspiration for this collection is surrealism, i really liked all of the special and unique touches. especially the sequined wings on some of the pieces.

katy rodriguez- the silhouettes really spoke to me. girly and cute is always good in my book.

Brian Reyes- this fall 2009 presentation had a slow start and i wasn't liking it at all. and then suddenly i saw that beautiful blue dresses with the slashes at the front. i love it. so much so that i'd love to wear it everyday. i want one in black and that beautiful blue. in his summary it says that reyes designs for a strong women--most designers do. i think reyes designs for a strong woman that is set on going somewhere. she might not know where she wants to go, but she is never waiting for things to happen. his designs remind me of a watered down version of de la renta with a few well placed designs of originality.

FASHION WEEK NOTES

Calvin Klein- for 3/4 of the show all i saw was black and grey and then a disgusting yellow was introduced. i'm hoping this collection will look better on red carpets and in magazines, and it probably will.



Isaac Mizrahi- i was dissapointed by this collection because it had such a slow and weird start. all the models looked like they were dressed in clothes meant for old people who were 20 sized bigger than them. at the end mizrahi decided to show some nice looking clothes, but by then it was too late to win my favor.



Julian Louie- it was a pretty good debut effort but at times felt overworked to the point that some of the clothes looked like robot armor made out of felt.

phi- i had deja vu. short skirts, leather leggings, leather jackets, straight hair and blank stares but no pep.

ports 1961- bright colors and languid designs inspired by india.

tommy hilfiger- classic and preppy, as usual.

zac posen- a VERY extravagant and lush presentation. lots of silks, blingy accessories, and crystal embellished tights were featured as well. however i didn't like most of the clothes. they were really overdone and sometimes mumsy and at times there was just way too much fabric.