Archive for February 10th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: It seems Michael Kors is also smitten with the color black so we suppose it’s staying put for a while. But thankfully Mr. Kors hasn’t overlooked important details like fur, thick belts, knit scarves, bows,and more. Both the men’s and women’s lines have an overall serious tone, but some Abercrombie & Fitch-like preppy stripes lighten the mood.
Color Palette: Black is back, but grey, white, beige, yellow, blue, maroon, and olive green make it in to the mix.
Silhouettes: Tight trousers, blazers, vests, cardigans, trench coats, nad turtlenecks for the men. For the women, airy dresses, slim turtlenecks, large coats, skinny cropped trousers, A-line skirts, knit dresses, and fur shrugs.
Accessories Report: The men sported yellow-tinted shades, skinny one-color ties, scarves, and black leather belts with a silver circular hardware. The ladies carried chain-link leather handbags, knit caps, long knit scarves, opaque tights, long boots, thick belts, and thigh-highs.
What’s Wearable: The ladies can definitely rock the evening dresses, skinny trousers, fur coats, and A-line skirts. The men will look smashing and slick in the slimming suits and blazers.
What’s Not Wearable: I don’t know how enthusiastic men will be to sport the feminine-looking leather belt with the circle hardware. And some of the plaid long skirts make the gals look like they just stepped out of finishing school.
February 10th, 2006
Key Takeaways: Sarafpour’s collection in one word: ladylike. Key trends included: (1) short sleeved styles, (2) tuxedo detailing, (3) oversized collars, (4) sweaterdresses, (5) plaid, (6) vests, (7) voluminous sleeves, and (8) fur.
Color Palette: True neutrals: shades of black, white, and grey.
Silhouettes: Sarafpour showed both all-over slim silhouettes along with full-over-slim and slim-over-full looks. Dresses ranged from shapeless to slim to ballet-tutu style full. Classifications included short sleeved styles, voluminous skirts, long sleeved dresses, sweaterdresses, vests, and ballet-style poufy dresses.
Accessories Report: Belts, an odd looking fur hat, and a giant safety pin on a skirt.
What’s Wearable: Our favorites include a long grey sleeved knit dress and a layered lace top with knee-length skirt.
What’s Not Wearable: We’re nixing the cow-styled fur coats.
February 10th, 2006
Key Takeaways: If there were inhabitants on the moon, Yohji Yamamoto’s fall collection would be a perfect fit. From the street b-boy to the woman-on-the-go, this is the perfect metro garb for those who like to look stylishly sporty, but don’t want to actually get physical.
Color Palette: A gravel surface of grays, blacks and browns are shot with a temporary dose of primary colors red and blue. Colors may be sparse, but with the manipulated panache he adds, the basic shades become full of character.
Silhouettes: For the men – baggy, yet fittingly masculine. For the women – clean shapes and appropriate necklines that have an emphasis on urban modesty, but still maintain a playful sexiness.
Accessories Report: Hats of all shapes and sizes: beanies (with and without pompoms), ivy caps, paper boy caps, fedoras – they’re all there. In addition, sporty knit scarves from the small to the gigantic drape well on both men and women. As always, bags (for both men and women) complement the clothes and warm, knit gloves (with and without fingertips) exude street-smart charm. There was also a recurring appearance of this clunky plastic bead jewelry that was surprisingly very chic—not cheap and toy-like.
What’s Wearable: Every single piece (layered or not) in this “urban moonwalker†collection is undeniably wearable. It’s obvious that Yamamoto designs boil over with urban flair. His pieces of outerwear like his trenches, blazers and even his shedding mohair woman’s poncho, seem very fashionable and functional. Their greatest attribute to his zip-ups is their two-way capabilities – very fashion-savvy, yet refined. To go with his Adidas blood, he gives a nice set of tracksuits, which are great for any person. For women, the trend of sweaterdresses continues. Even though the pieces are fairly basic, they exude an extravagant texture – very thoughtful and effortless.
What’s Not Wearable: The sequin appliqué is tolerable, but the scalloped feather look was didn’t hit the mark. Other than that, Yamamoto proves that you can never go wrong with simplicity.
February 10th, 2006
Key Takeaways: Once again, the powerful working woman makes an appearance on the runway – but this time, it is a little less fashion-forward and a lot more fashion-function. Chai utilizes his minimalist eye and steps it up one level to deliver a sleek, self-assured collection.
Color Palette: There is a wonderful balance of light colors (creams and beiges), neutral shades (blacks and browns) and the occasional deep color (reds.) Some of the colors stand out even more on some of their basic, yet stylish, prints.
Silhouettes: Plunging necklines compete fairly with modishly exaggerated collars. The high necks are wonderfully appealing, while the wraparound smocks adhere to give an angelic form. Trousers strut confidently on hips, while Chai’s coats are remarkably constructed to accentuate girl power.
Accessories Report: Elbow-length gloves add a bit of class to many of the garments, but ornamental pieces of fashion were quite bare in the collection.
What’s Wearable: Plain and simple – Chai’s outwear is chic and to the point. The coats in various lengths are modestly flirty, but they still exude classiness. More than that, the knit sweater jackets with offset buttons are something to keep your eye out for. All in all, Chai makes wonderful pieces (from everyday work wear to evening garb) that work on the runway and on everyday bodies.
What’s Not Wearable: Although he does make outfits that work, some of his dresses look like “Designing Women†negligees – one of them even bears resemblance to maternity wear. Also, the unfinished hems on some of the skirts didn’t work well with some of his more polished looks – and what’s with the overuse of the black stockings?
February 10th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: Feminine ease is the underlying theme for this Rebecca Taylor collection. None of the pieces make a fuss; they are simply effortless, and yet so chic. Sheer blouses and dresses are sexy in the most innocent sense. One can imagine a Rebecca Taylor protege lunching in one of these outfits.
Color Palette: Neutral tones such as beige, off-white, light pink, with a dusting of brown, blue, black.
Silhouettes: Button-down short sleeve sheer blouses; loose, sheer, long-sleeve dresses; high waisted tweed skirts; flowy trousers; cropped jackets; feminine short trench coats.
Accessories Report: A brown and camel-colored shoulder purse is feminine and earthy; thin belts with square hardware sit prettily at the waist; string belts with mini knit balls hanging at the end are a nice alternative to the structured belts we’ve been seeing everywhere; the shoes are an open-toed platform a bit reminescent of the 70’s.
What’s Wearable: The shoes are ideal for a sunny shopping day, while the sheer blouses (with a cami underneath), skirts, and dresses are perfect for lunching.
What’s Not Wearable: A lingerie-like sheer mini dress is perfect for the bedroom but not the outdoors. Likewise, a pair of silk daisy dukes is also best worn in your home.
February 10th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: For Carmen Marc Valvo, it does matter if it’s black or white. From the depths of the dark runway, models dressed in crisp white and sharp black demand attention. Classic shapes – power suits and strapless dresses – have been spiced up and given edge.
Color Palette: Black, white, with an occasional light blue, copper, and royal blue.
Silhouettes: Strapless dresses (short and long), cropped and long coats, pant suits, classic button down shirts, boatneck dresses.
Accessories Report: Long, knit scarves, aviator shades, and black opaque tights are paired with chic evening gowns.
What’s Wearable: The pieces in this collection are so simple and classic that each can be worn with great ease. A trend that might catch on soon is the pairing of a long, knit scarf with an evening gown. The contradiction of the everyday accessory (the scarf) and the night dress is not only attractive but practical.
February 10th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: This time it’s all about contrasts – knit beanies with elegant dresses, leopard print with polka dots, and further clashing patterns. Every so often there was a hint of minimalism in single-colored ensembles, but the underlying theme was funky mismatched designs.
Color Palette: Though there were many hues in this collection, none were as loud as their fellow patterns. There was an even distribution of black, white, and grey, with random patches of red, rustic orange, lavender, navy blue, and watercolor blue.
Silhouettes: Some long-sleeve button down collared shirts with a bow at the neck, an occasional military style jacket, loose skirts and shorts, cropped shirtdresses, oversized blouses, wrap dresses with loose blouses underneath, and baggy jumpers.
Accessories Report: This Anna Sui lady is flight bound; she has a loud-patterned suitcase to match her stylish getup. Also in tow, round sunglasses (though not as huge as MK’s), beanies, fisherman hats, small purses worn as fanny packs on the side of the hip, big and long medallion-like necklaces, tights with patterns on them, and round toe boots in loud colors and patterns.
What’s Wearable: One must really pick apart every single outfit on Sui’s runway in order to make them semi-wearable. Each piece might be able to be worn on the streets, but it must not come close to the other loud pieces paired on the models in this collection. One accessory that will be bitten off from this show is the long medallion necklace.
What’s Not Wearable: If thrown together, almost none of these pieces can be worn, especially a matronly dress with long sleeves, high neck, and a tie at the neck. Some of the boots with patterns are also better left on the runway.
February 10th, 2006
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