Fashion Week: BCBG, LAMB, Jason Wu, Project Runway, Cynthia Steffe
Eager to know what you’ll be wearing come fall? Here are some capsule reviews for the first two days of shows from New York Fashion Week. The reviews are from the Associated Press.
BCBG Max Azria for fall 2010. (AP PHOTO)
BCBG
The layered look is popular, so that’s exactly what BCBG Max Azria put on the runway.No great new ground was broken on the catwalk of blacks, grays and some winter whites — all in varying doses of intensity — with occasional blues and yellows.
The company’s scarf-style wrap dresses with sheer, long-sleeve, crew-neck tops underneath have real potential to be worn to cocktail parties, date nights and important business meetings. Another choice would be one of the many dresses with subtle studding in a nod to most women’s desire to be slightly unpredictable but not downright edgy.
There was a hint that Max and Lubov Azria, the husband-and-wife design team, left everything slightly askew for a nonchalant style but nothing outlandish. They said they were inspired by “a clean and modern approach to fashion.
LAMB
It was a backhanded compliment to Gwen Stefani that few people in the crowd noticed her on a stepladder in the back of the room. All eyes were on the models — with pouffy hair, smoky eyes and skyscraper heels — and the hip, urban clothes that Stefani’s label is known for.
The LAMB fall 2010 collection from Gwen Stefani is modeled Feb. 11, 2010, during Fashion Week in New York. (AP)
The new styles show that Stefani is evolving as a designer, not just retreading her own wardrobe.
The LAMB look has some hard edges, with skinny leather pants and grommeted military-style belts wrapped around slinky dresses as if they were holding ammunition.
Stefani herself proved a leather jacket-and-bloomer-short combination wearable on the right person — or at least the right celebrity — when she took her bow. But some of the futuristic styles, including some dresses with strong shoulders or a lot of hardware, seemed a little late to the trend.
JASON WU
Jason Wu for fall 2010. (AP PHOTO)
Jason Wu’s ladylike, inventive collection looked like a Jason Wu collection. That’s a huge step for the 27-year-old designer whose name is almost always linked to first lady Michelle Obama’s wardrobe.
There was plenty for Obama to choose from on the runway — a sleeveless brown sheath splattered with gold leaf would look fantastic — but Wu needed to develop beyond a single famous client if he was going to have a long-lasting career.
This season, Wu showed a delicate touch, especially with feathers and tulle, making several layers seem light and airy. The only looks that weighed down the collection were the cocktail dresses with such big skirts, one was left wondering if there were hoops underneath.
Wu said he drew inspiration from the late Irving Penn, both the photographer’s personal style as well as his work. There also was a nod to the layered look that has emerged in the early part of Fashion Week, but Wu’s spin was to wrap a whisper-weight feather dress in tulle.
PROJECT RUNWAY
The finale of “Project Runway” had 10 designers, so many that even its surprise guest judge had trouble keeping track.
“I remember pieces,” country singer Faith Hill said after the show, admitting that she hadn’t yet learned the contestants’ names.
Fashion from designer Amy Sarabi during Runway Season 7 finale show during Fashion Week in New York. (AP PHOTO)
To prevent the audience from leaking the identities of the show’s final three contestants, “Runway’s” remaining 10 designers all offered collections, turning a normally refined runway into a whirlwind of faces, names and genres. Even with the larger number of lines, many themes repeated in the designers’ pieces: military, industrial colors, sportswear, the 1940s and conversely, back-to-the-future looks.
Fan favorites like Mila Hermanovski and Anthony Williams presented cohesive, wearable lines. By far the most interesting, though least wearable, were Amy Sarabi’s pleats-and-prints separates.
“I’ve never seen a season of ‘Project Runway’ that has had such a distinctive point of view among a group of designers,” said show mentor Tim Gunn. “Any of the 10 could rise to the top, to be honest.”
CYNTHIA STEFFE
There was a bounce to the step of the schoolgirl-styled models on the Cynthia Steffe runway, which featured a mix of sweet-but-sassy miniskirts balancing a super-short hemline with a full shape and conservative fabrics. They were paired with crisp, white button-down shirts, slim-fitting turtlenecks and floral chiffon blouses.
Cynthia Steffe Fall 2010
Knit knee socks were pulled up like thigh-high stockings and worn with either high-heel Mary Janes or lace-up, wedge-heel sneakers.
The “uniforms” were completed with wood duffel coats with oversized hoods, chunky cardigans or, for those who like the rebel look, tight, cropped leather jackets.
Designer Shaun Kearney, inspired by London’s Sloane Street crowd, moved fairly seamlessly between playful, chic and sometimes dapper — especially with some old-school, cropped military jackets with a double-breasted front.
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