Archive for February, 2006
Key Takeaways: The sisters of “Little Women†gone wild – that’s the essence of Mr. Coviello’s Fall 2006 collection. As a co-worker of the famous Anna Sui, Coviello’s knack for the vintage focuses on the aspects of the sophisticated bohemian rather than the naïve school girl.
Color Palette: A prismatic bolt of browns take center stage, while supporting shades include hints of warm blues, greens, pinks and maroons.
Silhouettes: A combination of fitted and relaxed is shown in the various pieces. For the most part, fitted tops lead down to relaxed, draping slacks. Asian influenced tailoring is used nicely, and knee-length skirts give a pleasant shape to the troublesome female hip zone. The numerous mutated slip dresses with flowy capped sleeves and sporadic ruffles aren’t brand-spankin’ new, but the delicate material used gives an applauded feminine shape.
Accessories Report: Leather shoulder purses suit the collection very well, while wispy scarves give elongated necks appreciative texture. As always, Coviello adds his own personal touch of chic corsages that are beautifully urban rather than trendy soccer mom.
What’s Wearable: Each piece of Coviello outerwear (blazers, boleros and coats) promises to be the concept of many copycats out there. The multi-colored quilted cardigan is most appealing. The contrast of hard tweeds with sweet cascading fabrics is feminine with a hard professional edge, and the puffy sleeves are done in a tasteful way that makes them look wearable. The prints he uses are also great standing alone – they are both understated and stylish.
What’s Not Wearable: Mixing different types of patterns is a good trend, but some of the pieces go a little bit overboard. It’s no question that Coviello can do wonders with vintage style. Even so, some of his vintage-inspired clothing looks a little bit too old for general fashionista audiences. There was one patterned dress in particular that was unflattering and it looked like a table cloth/second hand house dress.
February 8th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: Tights were a lot sheerer, dresses a lot shorter, and the entire collection a bit more grown up than usual Betsey Johnson. Some aspects of the 80’s were revived with sweetheart cuts, humongous shiny bows, and puffy short sleeves. Although this new Betsey Johnson girl still has a bit of edge and spunk, she’s outgrown cartwheels. (Of course, Betsey will always do cartwheels…but then again she gets away with doing more than anyone her age).
Color Palette: Mostly black with hints of gold, navy blue, off-white, grey, lime green, pink, royal blue, green, purple, red, teal, and yellow.
Silhouettes: There was a lot of short, leg-revealing dresses, but they were by no means tight. Many sweetheart (Hello 1985!) and v-neck cuts showed up, as well as some babydoll dresses.
Accessories Report: We saw a few handbags with colorful embellishments floating around. Shoes were mainly pointy ankle boots and open-toed sandals. Occasionally, we saw a thick studded belt and a thin silk neck tie.
What’s Wearable: Some dresses are appropriate to wear at a fancy soiree, but they must be paired with tights as they are so short. Various skirts suits and jackets are also wearable.
What’s Not Wearable: It’s better for everyone if the ‘80s stuff stays in the closet. One dress with cutouts in the stomach area oozed less class and more trash.
February 8th, 2006
Key Takeaways: With his own brand of aesthetic, the Malaysian designer brings forth a “furâ€-ocious collection of femme fatale garments that are perfect for work, cocktail parties and sexy espionage.
Color Palette: The foundation of solid blacks and grays is touched with icy blues and pinks.
Silhouettes: The blacks and grays are easily trace the lines of the female figure, but Toi’s remarkable tailoring skills give an extra dimension of feminine supremacy. The sleek matrix style contains variations of basic black by utilizing plaids in pant suits. Toi’s dresses and skirts are flattered with wispy empire waists that give maternal sensuality. All styles outline curves and give clean looks suitable for professionals and socialites alike.
Accessories Report: Although PETA might get their vegan cotton in a wad, fur is top-notch this season. Toi brings back the lost art of the mink stole with a monstrous addition to his pant suits. Wide belts add subtle panache to monochromatic suits. In addition, envelope clutches add a classy touch to much of his evening wear.
What’s Wearable: Toi gives justice to the polar extremes that involve women: the immaculate and the confident. The detailing work on many of his garments is magnificent. From his majestically sexy red carpet evening wear to his luxurious pant suits, each garment brings something to the table. Out of the two, the double breasted pant suits flatter to a "T" and go with the ongoing fall theme of the “powerful working woman.†Toi also manages to throw in a couple of menswear pieces that are just as fine as his women’s wear.
What’s Not Wearable: Fur is fun, but from a functionality standpoint, the potential excess shedding can cause problems with Toi’s black color palette.
Want more trend information? Check out Omiru’s Mid Fashion Week Trend Recap!
February 7th, 2006
Key Takeaways: Kit Willow’s Fall 2006 collection was very much in line with the overall trends we’ve been seeing: high waistlines, belted styles, layering dresses over turtlenecks, Huge collars, and voluminous shapes.
Color Palette: Neutrals: Black, White, Grey, and Brown, with splashes of green-yellow and pink.
Silhouettes: Very full on top or the bottom, or an overall slim silhouette. Also favored are highly constructed bustier style dresses.
Accessories Report: Belts with huge metal buckles.
What’s Wearable: Layering dresses over turtlenecks, high waisted styles, bustier-style dresses.
What’s Not Wearable: Beware of the jackets with the HUGE collars…they’ll make you look disproportionate.
Check out Omiru’s Mid Fashion Week Trend Recap for more fun with trends!
February 7th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: This Marc Jacobs gal is no sissy. She’s a vagabond, a gypsy, a free and sometimes dark spirit. She does not care what anyone thinks of her and she carries the essentials in her closet on her body. She’s not afraid to wear her boyfriend’s shirt, sweater, or trousers for that matter, and she’ll rock it outside of the house with no shame. But don’t get her wrong, she still likes to wear a dress—as long as it’s not your average Oscar gown.
Color Palette: No girly girl colors here: Mostly grey, with army green, brown, black, , dark red, and mustard yellow.
Silhouettes: Baggier than most of the collections we’ve seen this season. A lot of layers, bulky trench coats, saggy trousers, puffy strapless dresses, wide cropped coats, draped-back dresses, bubble skirts, men’s blazers.
Accessories Report: To go with the tough-chic attitude, leather gloves, bulky scarves, chunky handbags, exaggerated knit berets, arm warmers, leggings, over the shoulder leather bags, and a gigantic furry hat.
What’s Wearable: This collection needs a whole lotta toning down in order to wear. Even if you’re going to wear the baggy pieces, you need to pair them with less dramatic articles.
What’s Not Wearable: Some of the dramatically loose items, like a flannel boat neck shirt and an overly huge cropped trench coat, are not suitable for the streets. We also don’t recommend gigantic furry hats.
February 7th, 2006
Luella’s accessories are also rather cute. We liked a few of her bags and a unique-looking necklace:
Luella Canvas Sling - Apple Print | $29.99 at Target
Luella Hobo - Top Banana | $34.99 at Target
Luella Beaded Necklace - Orange Bolt | $14.99 at Target
Can’t get enough Luella? Check out our picks for her Target clothing collection and Omiru’s Runway Review of Luella’s Fall 2006 show.
February 7th, 2006
Last week, Target launched a stylishly priced (e.g. cheap!) line of women’s clothing and accessories designed by British designer Luella Bartley. Very cute stuff overall, and the pieces definitely have the markings of Luella’s British eclecticism. But get them while you can—the line is only in stores for 90 days!
Our favorite clothing picks?
Luella Waist Tab Jacket Deep Navy | $39.99 at Target
Nice tailoring here.
Luella SS Woven Ruffle Shirt | $19.99 at Target
The ruffle is just adorable!
Luella Grommet Tulip Skirt Squire Green | $24.99 at Target
Cute cut, adorable belt loops, and who can resist a tulip skirt?
Want more Luella? Check out Omiru’s runway review of her Fall 2006 collection.
February 7th, 2006
Key Takeaways: Key trends here were (1) Square sunglasses, (2) Tights, (3) High Waisted Styles, (4) Bow ties, worn undone, (5) Bags with chain hardware, (6) Bows at the waistline.
Color Palette: Neutrals (Black, Grey, Beige, White) with bright blues, reds, yellows, and touches of brown.
Silhouettes: Tops were fitted, though some included voluminous sleeve treatments. Bottoms were mixed–some were slim cut, others were baggy, and others Dresses were a mix of girly and ladylike. Jackets and sweaters were mainly worn cropped, following the trend of the last few seasons.
Accessories Report: Square sunglasses. Bow ties, worn undone. Bags with chain handles. Long necklaces.
What’s Wearable: The high waisted skirts and pants, cropped jackets, tuxedo detailing, shearling jackets, short sleeved looks, ruffles, and bow detailing (though a throwback to Spring 06).
What’s Not Wearable: Leave the plastic-coated fabrics and the Little Bo Peep dresses on the runway.
Want more Fashion Week trend information? Read Omiru’s Mid-Fashion Week Trend Recap!
February 7th, 2006
Key Takeaways: For better or for worse, the Lacoste show was reminiscent of a preppy hipster whacked out on street style. Key trends included (1) Sweaterdresses, (2) Tights, (3) The elbow-length glove, (4) Sporty Stripes (what’d you expect from Lacoste?), (5) Shearling for both women and men, (6) Miniskirts, and (7) Mod-style colorblocking.
Color Palette: Turquoise, Purple, Pinks, Browns, Oranges, Reds, and a Harvest Gold, on a black, white, and beige palette. Fabrics were mostly solid, though some stripes and plaids were thrown in for good measure.
Silhouettes: Silhouettes were generally lean, though there were some more voluminous pieces shown layered on top of slim foundations. Women wore sweaterdresses, tights, polos and short skirts, hooded belted trenchcoats,safari jackets, and blouson shorts. The men wore slightly poofy winter jackets, sporty track jackets, Members Only-type jackets, slim v-neck sweaters, and slim cut pants.
Accessories Report: For women: Tiered puffy boots (bizarre), bucket hats (some with two-piece brims), and the everpresent long glove. Men sported caps, fedoras, pseudo-bucket hats, and Giant Nerd Glasses. Both men and women wore lanyard-style keychains around their necks. Ahh…it brings us back to our college days.
What’s Wearable: It’s Lacoste, so there were a multitude of wearable styles. While the individual pieces weren’t groundbreaking, we appreciated the work of the stylist who layered the clothes on the models. We found the sweater-on-top-of-polo look to be particularly preppy-cute.
What’s Not Wearable: Well, we’ve never been fans of Uggs, so those tiered puffy boots were a no-go for us. Watch out for the intense colorblocking as well, lest you appear to be colorblind.
Want more fun with Fashion Week? Check out Omiru’s mid-week trend recap.
February 7th, 2006
We’re only halfway through fashion week, but we
thought we’d start recapping some of the big trends we’ve been seeing
over and over again:
A
few other trends we’re seeing popping up are shearling, tie-neck and
tie-waist garments, and sweaterdresses. Bows, cardigans, bermudas,
trenchcoats, cropped styles, and waist emphasis all continue from
Spring 2006.
High Waisted Styles: Empire waist styles and high-waisted pants are Huge right now.
Y and Kei, Diane Von Furstenberg, Alice Roi, Doo Ri, United Bamboo
Voluminous Sleeves: Sometimes it’s just a puff at the shoulder, but we’ve also seen some leg of mutton sleeves out there.
Twinkle, Diane Von Furstenberg, Alice Roi, Doo Ri, Three As Four
Bubble Skirts: Cute skirts with gathered fabric
at the bottom. They look nice on models, but not as good on short
people like me.
Badgley Mischka, Doo Ri, Twinkle, United Bamboo
Vests: I guess that Wall of Vests I saw last weekend at H&M was Right On Trend, not only for Spring but also for Fall.
Tomer, Rachel Comey, Twinkle, Diane Von Furstenberg, United Bamboo
Ruffles: Again with the Spring 2006 trends…
Doo Ri, Three As Four
Hooded Trenchcoats: The Newest Take on the classic Trench.
Lacoste, Three As Four
And for accessories…
Long (up to elbow-length!) gloves: You too can look like you’re going to the opera when you’re actually just going to the mall!
Lacoste, Nicole Miller, Diane Von Furstenberg, Badgley Mischka, Alice Roi, Doo Ri
Leggings and Tights: Good for layering, but watch what you put over them. Oh and let’s not do the 1980s again. Please?
Rachel Comey, Twinkle, Yigal Azrouel
"Handmade" knitted scarves: As Dino would say, "just like grandma used to make."
Tomer, John Bartlett, Twinkle.
February 7th, 2006
Next Posts
Previous Posts
