what to know: day one NY fashion week...
BCBG Max Azria Fall 2010 (10am)
The designers said about the recession: 'It's made us realists. It's not about our fantasy. It's about the customer.' And, it does feel entirely wearable and oh-so-chic. I would love to put on any of the outfits right now and go out for a romantic dinner. They look so feminine and beautiful to wear. Definitely what this customer wants.
What else? White tights, toned-down harem pants, sheer black/white sleeves layered under everything, geometric prints, plus sparkles and glitter that resembles some sort of night sky meteor explosion.
Richard Chai Love 2010 (11am)
Only the second time he has shown on the runway, he put forward a strong theme: nineties grunge with a bit of class. Luxurious furs and silks makes it appear ever more grown up than the trashy days circa Courtney Love. Each model wears a fierce look that exudes determination and strength... possibly channeled by the faded grey combat boots each is wearing. A visible contrast emerged between those in soft greys and those in darker military hues.
What else? Long ankle length straight skirts, layered greys, slouchy tweed trousers, berry red lips, cascading silk ruffles, military jackets mixed with luxurious fabrics.
Remember: Although his dominant print looks like classic liberty it is actually little origami cranes.
Toni Maticevski Fall 2010 (2pm)
Certainly not falling short of his 'red carpet' status Maticevski delivered a somewhat controversial show. There is a clear distinction within the collection: dreamy, floaty, dove like, iridescent versus dominatrixy, black, gold and cut out underwear. While style.com praised him for the former they accused some of the outfits that fell into the second category of needing to have the 'kinks' worked out of them. Quite the contrary... while they might not be for the feint hearted, I can picture Rihanna and Lady Gaga queuing up to get their names down on the list already.
What else? Poka dots, gold embellishments, pleated organza, underwear as outerwear, soft cashmere looking t-shirts paired with full evening skirts, butterfly looking extended waists and slips poking out from underneath dresses.
Here is a quicker look at the best of the rest starting with... Erin Wasson x RVCA: floor skimming dresses, thermal leggings, over sized slouchy tops, oatmeal coloured ankle warmers... what's not to like?
Jen Kao: fur, leather, lots of black and deep cherry red. Towards the end the models start to look like queens from another galaxy... but strangely in a wearable sort of way.
Lutz & Patmos: as if i needed another reason to continue the search for the perfect little brown (faux) fur jacket? (bellow left) I am loving their soft colours, slouchy shapes, light fabrics, and chunky hats and scarves. The idea of the nude colour palette carrying on from Spring 2010 into Autumn is highly delightful.
Organic by John Patrick: a bit of a different look than the other shows - more of a 1970s revival. Love the shape of the leather dress (also comes in a floral print), the grey ribbed tights, lace up heels, high waisted pink wool shorts... and once again - white tights.
Ports 1961: one of my favourite shows so far... there were so many different elements that it is hard to pin it down. Super deep berry shades contrasted with whimsical and luminescent blues. It started off with cool creamy balloon-esque coats and gradually got into warmer greys that made draping tweed coats, structured jackets and peg leg trousers look so desirable. At one point there were even deep rust coloured dresses that looked like liquified metal. Truly astounding.
(all photos from style.com)
This is only a run down of some of my favourites from day one in New York. There is still lots to look forward to. What are your favourites so far, and what are you most looking forward to?
p.s. If you have not seen the posts done on street style: pics by polka dot on the passing of Alexander McQueen i would encourage you to have a look. She has paid a beautiful tribute to him in an entirely appropriate way... to which I can only add amen.
