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Fashion Week spring 2010: Michael Kors

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Kors had a clear vision for his new collection: use strategically placed pieces of a colorless acrylic material to add lightness and sex appeal to a season of “urbane renewal.”

The Perspex pieces, which went down the sides of a black swimsuit and across the waist of a sky-blue shift for a full view of the models’ skin, gave Kors’ overall look for spring a bit of a ’60s vibe. While he showed the looks at New York Fashion Week on Wednesday mostly with silver pumps, the models just as easily could have worn white go-go boots.

A white leather shift dress with a zigzag of zippers down the front (worn by Kors muse Carmen Kass) kicked off the show. Another asymmetrical zipper dress, this one made of pistachio-green wool boucle, was unzipped at the bustline for a suggestive effect.

The bleach-splatter fitted dress, silver crinkle lame sheath and black “cage” dress with a slashed bodice and checkerboard of black patent leather as its back all looped back to Kors’ interest in graphics and architecture that he also cited in his notes.

But the collection also had a softer side, best illustrated by the painterly watercolor prints in lilac and seafoam used for silhouettes including walking shorts and an origami-folded skirt. However, the asymmetric sweaters — some of them missing an arm, others with a slashed waistband — paired with watercolor pieces were perplexing. It could leave customers, especially in this economy, wondering where the rest of their cashmere went.

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Fashion Week spring 2010: Max Azria

NEW YORK (AP) — There weren’t a lot of bells and whistles in the spring Max Azria collection that debuted Tuesday at New York Fashion Week. It was mostly pared-down, pretty dresses in simple and chic shades of black, gray, white and nude.

A hint of rebel edge came from metal-chain “cage” dresses worn over silk sweater dresses. They sound more severe than they really were; they really just added shimmer and a little sex appeal.

Slashes in sleeves, bodices and backs also flashed a little skin — and continued a trend seen on many other runways at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Bryant Park.

“Max Azria slashes away layers to reveal the understated beauty of clean lines and sleek sophistication,” designers (and husband and wife) Max and Lubov Azria said in their notes.

They also said that the overall look was “deliberately deconstructed” and “sensually sparse.”

Subtle beading sat on the straps and decollete of a delicate light gray cocktail dress, and the finale dress, black with randomly placed light-catching beads looked like a starry night. It made for a memorable exit for the Azrias who have now shown the last of their collections.

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Fashion Week spring 2010: Badgley Mischka

NEW YORK (AP) — Badgley Mischka, long associated with the socialite party-gown set, has made a clean break. Thank goodness.

The highly embellished, glitzy gowns that made them famous wouldn’t seem right for the times, even if we may or may not be out of the recession. So the design duo of Mark Badgley and James Mischka have found themselves a new niche, showing on Tuesday at New York Fashion Week some lovely, more sophisticated clothes — ranging from a black-and-white tweed sheath dress to a black shantung jumpsuit that had a gathered halter neckline as well as a gathered waist and palazzo-pant legs.

A strong day-to-night look was a lilac and gray-striped, satin and chiffon dress, and for a black-tie event, there was a white shantung tuxedo. A white capri-length jumpsuit wasn’t as tempting.

The designers tried, with mixed success, a new silhouette: gowns with sheer fabric or lace panels that ran from the knee to the floor.

A more successful trick on a different dress was using taffeta clovers to create a cascade of tiny little tabs that rippled as the model walked.

Still feel like you saw shine on the runway? That was all baubles from their own costume jewelry collection.

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Fashion Week spring 2010: Marc Jacobs

NEW YORK (AP) — Marc Jacobs, mission accomplished.

Jacobs is heralded as New York Fashion Week’s bellwether designer, and Monday night he reminded style-watchers why: He had the biggest celebrity in his front row — Madonna; he had highly photogenic Kewpie-doll models — unlike anything else this round of fashion previews; and he had very feminine clothes — which is probably where other designers will be two seasons from now.

His spring collection had lots of frou-frou ruffles and pearl embellishment, yet his muse still seemed to be a strong woman with an obvious edge. Think of his customer as the cool, creative type who can find the best thing in a vintage store, or buy a Jacobs’ blush-colored ruffled jersey dress that mimics it.

Some of his looks went much farther than that — balloon genie pants and pleated bloomers come to mind — but hopefully those are more for magazine editorial spreads than the real world.

For store racks, he offered pointelle sweaters in gray and burgundy, and wearable jackets that had a hint of military influence. The idea is to wear a full skirt or skinny pants underneath.

“He is so incredibly influential with so many people,” said stylist Rachel Zoe as she walked into the Armory building that has hosted Jacobs’ show for years.

Some of Jacobs’ suits, with a stream of ruffles down the jacket that was continued on the skirt or trousers, could be the wave of the future. (No need to try the bras and corsets he styled on top of that officewear.)

Plus, there are his always-popular shoes, this time a clunky, chunky futuristic sandal that didn’t have a high heel. This was Jacobs bucking another emerging trend from the other runways as Fashion Week finishes up its fifth day.

Either the shoe or the very narrow pencil skirts that hit the mid-calf caused the models to walk in tiny, robotic rapid-fire steps.

Madonna, whose hair was in a Brigitte Bardot style, took her seat just before the first model stepped out. She wore a black leather jacket and a black lace miniskirt.

 

 

 

 

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Fashion Week spring 2010: Donna Karan

NEW YORK (AP) — Nothing has moved on the runway at New York Fashion Week quite the way Donna Karan’s spring collection did Monday.

She called it, “What’s in the air?” Then she answered her own question with silhouettes inspired by the elements — the sky, water, wind, sand, earth and fire.

“A mix of serenity and seduction, the elements of style have a whole new twist. One that’s as modern as the skyline, as forever alluring as a walk on the beach,” she said in her notes.

Indeed, the clothes oozed sultriness.

The silhouettes were slim, with Karan touting “body skirts” and “body dresses” that fit like second skins, but the light viscose jersey, linen and silk fabrics allowed them a vibe of easy elegance — and wearability. Colors included sky blue, a barely there blush and a lot of neutral skin tones.

Karan has once again found her stride the past few seasons, putting together a cohesive “look” instead of jumping around frenetically from trend to trend.

“Donna is consistent with what I like: clothes that women can wear,” said stylist Patricia Field, famous for her work on the “Sex and the City” TV shows and movies. “Women designers wear women’s clothes and they get it. Donna has a perfect balance between fantasy and reality.”

 

 

The fantasy at the fashion show in Karan’s downtown studio space was having enough places to wear the jersey wrap dresses, especially the blush-colored, off-shoulder number that was a little reminiscent of old-school Halston.

There were everyday clothes too, especially for a woman who gets dressed up for the office, but they weren’t mundane. A wrap-style skirt suit, for example, is something we should see more of. For play, a crisp white halter dress was practically an invitation for a vacation.

The eveningwear was the weakest part of the collection. There was nothing wrong with the draped gowns attached with delicate spaghetti straps, but you just didn’t get the same feeling that you were seeing something special.

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Fashion Week spring 2010: Zac Posen

NEW YORK (AP) — Zac Posen did things differently Monday at New York Fashion Week. He switched from a nighttime blowout show to a tranquil morning one, a big venue to a small one and — most importantly — he presented clothes you might see someone wearing.

Posen had increasingly focused on dramatic, over-the-top clothes. Remember the whole Midwestern storm theme a few seasons back? All great looks if you happen to be an edgy multiplatinum rocker.

His 2010 spring collection was a complete switching of gears, with adorable, see-through, candy-colored raincoats setting the tone of an upbeat, youthful collection.

Posen hit on the floral trend with a gladiola-print gown with an open back, and a series of finale gowns with sequin flower appliques. He also used the trick of using cutouts to create sexy silhouettes without showing too much skin.

Posen, too, had draped pants emphasizing the hips that likely will be a hard sell to consumers. Dresses, including several color-blocked ones, seem like a safer choice.

For daytime he mixed lily pad-print blouses with lattice-pattern skirts — the best one made of black leather. For evening, there was an all-over black pleated gown with fanlike arms.

But for all this sellable stuff, Posen is still a showman at heart and couldn’t resist a few marabou feather jackets, in purple and green, no less.

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Fashion Week spring 2010: Carolina Herrera

NEW YORK (AP) — Carolina Herrera, a luxury brand for sure, gave a lot of bang for the buck in her spring collection Monday as New York’s Fashion Week hit its midpoint.

She showed transporting clothes — to a Latin dance beat — that had exotic rope and raffia details.

There were many textured fabrics, offered in a natural color palette that ranged from redwood brown to light stone. The occasional use of amber, rose and caramel were made to match the “waning light cast at the end of a summer’s day,” Herrera said in her notes.

Her overall inspiration was baskets, she explained. That translated well into a strapless gown with a woven bodice and a quartz-colored dress that looks like a checkerboard of organza. Fully beaded rope-weave print shorts, paired with a subtle floral top, had the effect of snakeskin. She used the same beading on a cotton dress with a big bow in the back.

An ivory raffia-organza beaded jacket and ivory raffia shorts could be the new daytime suit for the uptown chic.

Shoppers, even Herrera customers, are “hungry for things that look hand-crafted,” stylist Robert Verdi said as he made his way out of the show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

“People want to feel cultured, traveled and exotic, even if they’re not going anywhere. You can get there through fashion,” he said.

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Fashion Week spring 2010: Ralph Rucci

NEW YORK (AP) — What’s different about a Chado Ralph Rucci black cocktail dress from the countless other lovely black cocktail dresses presented at New York Fashion Week? It’s all in the craftsmanship.

Rucci, the only American to be invited to show Haute Couture in Paris under his own name, is a stickler for details, resulting in fine clothes that need to be seen, felt — and probably even better, worn — to be fully appreciated.

In his notes left for the editors, retailers and stylists at his fashion show Saturday night, Rucci explained that he had a “basic desire” to more fully evolve styles he had played with in the past. He wanted to make them even better, he said.

“This season the idea of evolution makes a literal impact on the collection in the form of embroidery techniques that can be construed as stairways, or ladders, rising up from the hems of garments and literally becoming more refined as they climb,” he said.

This was interpreted in a print that depicted an Asian tea house on an embroidered raincoat and, more loosely, on fabric-loop ladders on chic gray- and ecru-colored daytime dresses and skirt suits.

For evening, Rucci’s interest in the human body was brought to a handful of artsy prints — prints that would be hard to imagine at a socialite gala. A museum opening party, perhaps?

The black-tie pieces that showed Rucci’s fascination with Japanese culture fared better. (“Chado” was added to his company name in 1994 after a tea ceremony.) A black-and-gold kabuki gown with an obi waist and checkerboard shawl and a strapless vanilla-silk gown with elaborate gold-wing arms were the kinds of pieces that make a positive, long-lasting impression.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fashon Week spring 2010: Lacoste and Cynthia Rowley

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Fashion Week spring 2010: Nicole Miller

NEW YORK (AP) — Nicole Miller seemed to take inspiration from the ocean for her spring collection that was previewed Friday at New York Fashion Week, but it wasn’t about the tranquil side of the water.

There were mashups and slashes — and some noteworthy asymmetrical dresses that had blocks of prints she called “riptide” and “ocean current” placed opposite chunks of black.

Body-conscious scuba-stretch styles, including a bra-top dress and biker shorts were for the woman with “the tougher edge” that she described in her notes for the editors, stylists and retailers at the Bryant Park tents.

Some of the most eye-catching looks, literally, were dresses with opalescent strips in shades of abalone that caught the lights above the runway just right.

Miller offered several styles of shorts: The biker style with ruching down the sides were likely the most wearable, especially when paired with motorcycle jackets. But pants with a one-sided drape, right at the hip, are unlikely to appeal to any woman who doesn’t want to draw attention there.

The hips actually seem to be emerging as a point of interest at this round of fashion shows. Maybe they’re the replacement for the strong shoulders so popular in the fall collections?

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