Street Style: Shirting Around
An oversize white men’s shirt is as good a dress as any.
September 11, 2012
Model Kate King outside of Thakoon on day four of spring 2013 New York Fashion Week.
>>More street style photos here
Animal Prints, Grunge & Stripes Trend for S/S 2013
Jungle girls at Carlos Miele, chain gang chic at Marc Jacobs, and more.
September 11, 2012
From left: 3.1 Phillip Lim s/s 2013 look; Carlos Miele s/s 2013 look
3.1 Phillip Lim
As the first model appeared on Phillip Lim’s asymmetrical runway, we were transported to the 1990s, an alternative era of plaid, patchwork, and denim. Inspired by a Dadaist literary technique—where a story is disassembled and then pieced back together at random—Lim’s spring/summer collection was unpredictably good fun. Each piece offered a new interpretation of American sportswear, while echoing the grunge trend with shirts tied at the waist, crop tops, and graphic T-shirts. This cut-up tank (above, at left) with an “I Heart Nueva New York” graphic, paired with terry pants and a shirt tied around the waist, speaks to all sides of Lim’s spring POV.
Carlos Miele
The phrase “hallucinatory jungle” jumped out at us as we were reading the show notes for Carlos Miele’s spring/summer show. Then, as the show opened and closed with bright animal-print gowns, Miele’s description of the collection made perfect sense. These are most definitely notice-me gowns, and you get a clear sense Miele had fun with this collection, which is always a joyful thing to see from a designer.
From left: Marc Jacobs s/s 2013 look; Zac Posen s/s 2013 look
Marc Jacobs
With all of the stripes on Marc Jacobs’ spring/summer runway, the designer could have outfitted the entire population of the world’s most fashionable women’s prison. Dresses, suits, jumpsuits—all were done in bold, stark stripes of black, brown, or camel against a white palette. However, the dress that caught our eye had no stripes at all, but rather called out another trend: the black-and-white statement. Sleek and structured, with a flirty white ruffle at the elbow, this is the dress (above, at left) we'd reach for again and again. It’s equally chic, ladylike, and modern.
Zac Posen
Zac always does a mind-blowingly beautiful show, filled with stunning, painstakingly crafted red-carpet gowns. For spring/summer he took craft and showmanship to another level with spectacular gowns—plus, he had Naomi Campbell, Coco Rocha, and Hilary Rhoda walking his show. All of the gowns were great, but we loved this tulle ballerina top paired with tuxedo pants (above, at right). It makes a statement about romance, sex appeal, modernity, and the unexpected—it’s just exquisite.
Patterns and Poppy Colors at Lacoste
Sunny yellows, fire engine reds, and polo shirts on an evening dress catch our eye.
September 11, 2012
As the U.S. Open came to a close, Lacoste presented a playful, fashion-forward collection, with elegant tennis textiles from head-to-toe. Notable patterns included rackets, tennis balls, and the brand’s signature stacked polos across a clean, modern color palette of soft ivory, butter yellow, and pale blue. Vibrant pops of fire engine red and sunny yellow gave the collection spirit, while chic and sporty minis in navy leather and cobalt blue added balance. Displaying the perfect blend of preppy sophistication and graceful edge, Felipe Baptista hit a grand slam for spring 2013.
NYFW S/S 2013 Front Row: Day 4
Susan Sarandon, Anna Wintour, Kristen Wiig, and Ashley Green at New York Fashion Week.
September 11, 2012
Swept Away at Carolina Herrera
Breezy tulle overlays and graphic printed gowns were at once edgy and nostalgic at Herrera’s s/s show.
September 10, 2012
We've already seen a cavalcade of flow and movement in these spring/summer collections, but unsurprisingly, few can do it better than Carolina Herrera. The designer always brings such a deft, thoughtful hand to her work, and this play on "lightness and fluidity," as she called it in her show notes, really did allow what Herrera does best to shine. Fabrications reinforced Herrera’s words, with a pleated tulle overlay on a bias-cut silk georgette dress and a number of chiffons splashed with an abstract print, pleated to add movement. Cut and proportion, too, echoed Herrera’s theme of movement. There were bias-cut skirts that descended to the ankle for daytime (specifically a stunning orange lace dress) and waists that crept a bit higher on pants and shorts. Overall it was breezy, effortlessly elegant, and artful yet uncomplicated. It's a good bet that Herrera would have it no other way.
NYFW S/S 2013: 5 Looks We Love
Pink ostrich feathers at Ralph Rucci, society ball chic at Carmen Marc Valvo, and more.
September 10, 2012
Ralph Rucci's spring show was all about electric colors (vivid neon pinks, yellows, oranges) largely done in his unfussy, superbly tailored manner. We loved this pink dress, which sprouted ostrich feathers from every square-inch. It's really fun and offers so much movement. It’s the type of dress that makes magazine covers.
Black/white statements have quickly emerged as a spring/summer trend—and many designers are kicking off their shows with this theme. Sending out sophisticated plays on black, white, and gray, Carmen Marc Valvo is no exception. We loved his punches of color, primarily red and electric blue. This is a look that's just eternally chic: The sequin T, the organza ball gown skirt in beautiful tomato red, the paper-bag waist, and the pockets are all such elegant details. Who wouldn't want to throw a party and wear this?
Inspired by modern-day Kazakhstan, the barefoot models at Kimberly Ovitz’s s/s show wore loose, draped looks with bias cuts and lots of layers in subdued hues of white, silver, sand, and teal. Walking a runway made of clay, Ovitz’s girls had slicked back ponies and messy braids, sometimes tucked beneath scarf-like hoods, which, along with the earth tone palette and gauzy looks, gave the collection a nomadic feel. A slightly synched waist and wrap-style lends flattering femininity to this otherwise simple white dress.
Inspired by translucent-colored sea creatures, Helmut Lang’s s/s collection comprised boxy, tailored jackets, billowing shorts, and body-con dresses in combinations of laminated silk, leather, twill, and glossy canvas. Bold shades of coral, poppy, teal, and aqua dominated the collection, marking a decidedly new direction for Lang. In collaboration with artist Thomas Hopper, hand drawn designs were translated into sea-inspired medallion prints, appearing most successfully on a blue jacquard jacket and matching printed short (above). The fitted jacket provides a polished, feminine counterpart to the loose-fitting, boyish shorts for a look that is inimitably Helmut Lang.
A showing of jewel embroidered silks and exquisite tailoring was yet another testament to the talent of Joseph Altuzarra, who this year won the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear. Draping and metallic beading were the focal point of extravagantly detailed dresses and pantsuits. Innovative shirt-and-skirt pieces were actually one-piece and held together by an exposed zipper, while structured cape-like jackets donned hanging sleeves—giving the illusion of a jacket draped over the shoulders. This black cocktail dress with embroidered gold scalloping was paired with knee-high leather boots and strikes a balance between high fashion and wearability.
What Men Will Wear Next Spring
Designers showed stripes, whites, '90s grunge, and disco-prep styles for s/s 2013.
September 10, 2012
NYFW S/S 2013 Front Row: Day 2-3
Andy Cohen laughing with Brad Goreski, Justin Theroux sans Jennifer Aniston, and more.
September 10, 2012
DVF Spins Fairy Tales and Technology
For s/s 2013, Diane von Furstenberg took a page from her own book.
September 10, 2012
"Palazzo" was the title of Diane von Furstenberg's spring/summer collection, and while the quote in her show notes was meant to conjure dreamy imagery, it also could be directly applied to the designer’s own magical life: "Some fairy tales end with the girl marrying the prince ... some start there," von Furstenberg wrote.
And thus, the girl who left a prince and ultimately became an icon sent out a high-glam collection woven through the thread of the moment when she did precisely that, the ’70s. The backstory was a chic, jet-setting girl who starts out in Rome and then both sheds and gathers great pieces—a flowing silk dress here, a jumpsuit in kiwi there—as though her wanderlust and search for adventure and independence were reflected by her clothes. Especially joyful in the story’s color palette were brilliant sea blues and oranges, the latter of which is now emerging as s/s 2013’s hot color.
Since arriving in New York nearly four decades ago, DVF has never looked back, only forward. This collection embodies the designer’s eye-on-the-horizon mindset nicely, with a nod to technology as well. Von Furstenberg and creative director Yvan Mispelaere, together with a few of the models, were sporting the new Google Glass technology on the runway. And romance was not forgotten: above our heads dangled hundreds of DVF’s signature lips in a mirrored finish, as though the woman herself was blowing glamorous kisses.
Lulu Frost Dazzles at The Carlyle
Jewelry designer Lisa Salzer presented a collection inspired by style icons of three bygone eras.
September 10, 2012
In New York’s classic Carlyle Hotel, vintage jewelry designer Lisa Salzer presented the spring/summer 2013 collection for her line, Lulu Frost, along with friend and literary muse Lesley M.M. Blume. Rife with repurposed vintage and precious estate jewelry, the inspiration for the collection was spurred by Blume’s book, Let’s Bring Back, a cultural encyclopedia of fashions, traditions, people, objects, and pastimes (think cocktail hour and pillbox hats) deserving of a comeback. Salzer designed the new line in the style of three icons lauded in Blume’s book: The Marchesa Casati, Nancy Cunard, and Elsa Schiaparelli.
For the presentation, models were bedecked in pieces from the collection and styled by Jennifer Collins (stylist and blogger of pinkclouds.com) to reflect each of the collection’s three muses and the epoch they defined. Guests included Elettra Wiedemann, Veronica Beard, Magda Berliner, Sloane Crosby, and Sophie Sarah Flicker, of The Citizens Band. Flicker will appear in the hit show Girls when it returns for a second season. In a fateful twist, Girls was filming in the hotel’s Bemelmens Bar on the same day of the presentation.
