Knee Length Skirts
Knee length or a little above or below the knee creates the most flattering leg line.

Pictured: Carolina Herrera, Milly, Peter Som.

Dresses with Pockets
Form meets function.   Plus, you can go out without a purse.

Pictured: Peter Som, Cynthia Steffe, and BCBG.

The Oversized Collar
Provides a dramatic frame for your most important feature: your face.

Pictured: Zac Posen, Peter Som, Max Azria.

The Belt
If you have a defined waistline, belts draw attention to
your thinnest point.  And if you don’t, belts help create the illusion
of a waist.

 Pictured: Milly, Peter Som, Reem Acra.

The Color Purple
Quietly bold, there’s a shade of purple to fit every complexion.

Pictured: Reem Acra, Tuleh, Vera Wang.

All photos courtesy of Dan Lecca for Mercedes Benz.

Maxi Dresses
Unless you’re six feet tall, maxi dresses look as if they swallowed you alive.

Pictured: Diane von Furstenberg, Cynthia Steffe, Zac Posen.

Mini Dresses
Great to wear…if you’re blessed with flawless (and long) legs.

Pictured: Zac Posen, Nanette Lepore, Temperley London.

The Bubble Skirt
A visually interesting but awkward-to-wear silhouette.  Fun for stylists, less fun for you. 

Pictured: Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, and Temperley London.

Sheer Fabric
Done tastefully, sheer fabric can be gorgeous.  But it’s
tough to pull off during the day–and the transparent nature of the
fabric often shows a little more than you’re intending.

Pictured: Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Zac Posen.

Feathers
Absolutely fabulous on accessories, tough to wear on clothes.

Pictured: Oscar de la Renta, BCBG, and Zac Posen.

All photos courtesy of Dan Lecca for Mercedes Benz.

Key Takeaways:  Inspired by the countryside–the Shakers and the wheat fields of the Great Plains, Zac Posen created a Spring 2008 collection that was at once restrained and unashamedly sexy.  And probably frowned upon by the Shakers.  In his runway tour of the midwest, Posen picked up on a number of key Spring 2008 trends: emphasis on the waist, colorblocking, the use of sheers, feathers, asymmetry, (tiered) ruffles, the pouf skirt, the long blazer, voluminous sleeves, and the oversized collar.

Color Palette:  Wheat tan, yellow, red and shades of blue added color to Posen’s black and white.

Silhouettes:  Day looks included an emphasis on the waist, high necked blouses, vests, skinny pants, blouses with voluminous sleeves, structured coats, boxy jackets, long blazers, oversized collars, cuffed pants, and short shorts.  Despite Posen’s chosen theme, his eveningwear exuded dramatic sexiness, with structured bustiers, tiers of ruffles, and unashamed asymmetry. One slinky black dress was belted at the knee and featured a pool of fabric and feathers likely 5 feet in diameter.  And his closing set of dresses, featuring clouds of drapey, marbled fabric, was anything but Shaker-esque.

What’s Wearable: The structured coats and boxy jackets were very wearable, along with the tops with oversized collars.

What’s Not Wearable:  We’d recommend passing on the poufy minidress with the metallic wheat appendage.  A bit too literal of an interpretation of the Great Plains, if you ask us.  Careful also with the short shorts and skinny pants for obvious figure flattery reasons.

Previous Zac Posen Fashion Week Coverage from Omiru:
Fall 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Zac Posen
Spring 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Zac Posen
Fall 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Zac Posen
Spring 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Zac Posen

By Colleen Geary, fashion stylist and image consultant

Previous Reem Acra Fashion Week Coverage from Omiru:
Spring 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Reem Acra

Key Takeaways:  A body-conscious collection of dresses and separates in solid colors.  The neutral-colored collection was loosely fitted, with volume being cinched in at the waistline.

What’s Not Wearable:  Skirts that end at mid-calf are tough to wear without looking short. 

Previous Calvin Klein Fashion Week Coverage from Omiru:
Fall 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Calvin Klein
Spring 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Calvin Klein
Fall 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Calvin Klein
Spring 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Calvin Klein

Key Takeaways:  While Marc Jacobs’ namesake collection was all about theatrics, his Marc by Marc Jacobs collection provided much more wearable looks.  Of note was the often-subtle asymmetry seen in the collection–perhaps one shirt panel done in a different fabric, or having a rounded corner hem on one jacket side and a square corner hem on the other.  Key trends included: the high waistline, colorblocking, dots, bows, short shorts, emphasis on the waistline, and nautical influences (e.g. sailor pants, horizontal stripes, navy blue).

What’s Wearable:  Silhouettes, minus the short shorts and skinny pants, were generally wearable–though the subtle asymmetry of the garments is harder to pull off.  Our favorite wearable look for women was a silk tie-neck polka-dotted blouse paired with a high-waisted navy skirt fashioned to emulate sailor pants.  On the men, we loved the 70s inspired safari coat.

What’s Not Wearable:  If you’re uncomfortable with the untraditional, skip this collection.

Previous Marc Jacobs Fashion Week Coverage from Omiru:
Fall 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc Jacobs
Spring 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Spring 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc Jacobs
Fall 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Fall 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc Jacobs
Spring 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Spring 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc Jacobs

Key Takeaways:  Is ugly the new pretty?  Marc Jacobs seems to think so.  Jacobs’ Spring 2008 collection, staged in reverse, featured ironically constructed half-finished garments composed into fully finished looks appropriate for all of the different high school cliques: the goth kids, the drama kids, the cheerleaders, the nerds, and even the prom queen.  Despite the theatrics of the collection, Jacobs wove some key Spring 2008 trends into his collection: colorblocking, sequins, an emphasis on the waist, high-waisted bottoms, and the colors purple, pink, and orange.

What’s Not Wearable:  Let’s just say that Marc Jacobs didn’t design this collection for wearability.  But for good measure, we’ll say: ditch the witch hats.

Previous Marc Jacobs Fashion Week Coverage from Omiru:
Fall 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc Jacobs
Spring 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Spring 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc Jacobs
Fall 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Fall 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc Jacobs
Spring 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Spring 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Marc Jacobs

Key Takeaways:  Oscar de la Renta presented a refined collection of ladylike clothes for the ladies who lunch.

Color Palette:  Creams and whites, with red, sky blue, and shades of green as primary accent colors.

What’s Not Wearable:  Pattern-on-pattern action for both the skirt and the jacket is a bit much, unless you’re blessed with a model’s figure.

Previous Oscar de la Renta Fashion Week Coverage from Omiru:
Fall 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Oscar de la Renta
Spring 2007 Fashion Week Runway Review: Oscar de la Renta
Fall 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Oscar de la Renta
Spring 2006 Fashion Week Runway Review: Oscar de la Renta