Posts filed under 'Runway Reviews'
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
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
Key Takeaways: With a strikingly provocative collection that looks like it tells a story about a "gothinatrix†society girl living in 2099, the avant-garde Brazilian designer pushes the envelope with pieces that exude menacing femininity.
Color Palette: Pale pinks, greens and peaches are deflected off of glossy blacks and grays.
Silhouettes: Despite the stylishly girly morbid feel of the pieces, there is flattering focus on femininity. Cinched waists give a wasp-like appearance to the female form. In contrast, Herchcovitch shows whimsical pod-like dresses and skirts with interesting cuts that do not seem to praise the body.
Accessories Report: Thick belts with buckles adorned with skulls contribute to the Goth appearance of the collection, while head wraps provide a futuristic feel of ethnicity. The usage of buttons on the pants and jackets (whether functional or not) is a nice touch.
What’s Wearable: The combining of the feminine floral with the textural modernity of the darks is a very bold gesture, but it works. Overall the color palette is very Spring-like but the warmness from makes them suitable for fall (the greens confidently stand out.) The sci-fi couture coats, although a bit conceptual, are unbelievably exquisite. The skirts and dresses with different cuts are tailored beautifully and the sailor-style are something to keep your eye out for this season.
What’s Not Wearable: The buddy band head wrap looks as if it were purchased from a B-list celebrity of off an infomercial. Although it pulls some of the outfits together, it gives the pieces a stoic look that makes them look uncomfortable and constrictive. In addition, the floral long coat was like a kaleidoscopic seizure, making it really hard on the eyes.
February 7th, 2006
Key Takeaways: Bryan Bradley and Josh Patner fuse modern style with nuances from the 40’s and 50’s to give this collection of pin-up secretaries the energy of the a powerful female CEO.
Color Palette: Heavy use of blacks, grays, whites and browns, with uninvited guest appearances from red, yellow and a leopard print.
Silhouettes: In keeping in the spirit of retro professional glamour, every single coat, dress, pair of slim cut slacks and pencil skirt hug the female form, displaying an extravagant hourglass figure. The blouses range from the sheer to the flirty conservative with dolman sleeves, Japanese inspired cuts and feminine puff – all of them fit nicely and complement the other portions of the garment. For some pieces, the choice of broadly printed silk flows with ease, kissing the female in all the right places. Each piece is consistent and has clean lines that are basic, yet each piece is yearning to be worn.
Accessories Report: Boxy duffel bags and floral print luggage gave the collection the feel of a “woman on the go.†Big bows emerging from the garments and makeshift fabric flowers pinned to blouses make the pieces look like one cohesive garment, rather than pieced together. Capes and shrugs are also included in the collection, proving the popular pieces of fashion add-ons are not totally out of style yet.
What’s Wearable: Believe it or not, the fur is very appealing (sorry PETA.) The way they are modified and worn is fabulous. Same goes for the waist coats with huge buttons – wonderfully constructed and very versatile, perfect for women of any size. Their minimalist style takes a small break with their eveningwear – not too complicated and not too plain – they are just right (and luxuriously chic.)
What’s Not Wearable: Besides being a more stylish version of Banana Republic, (don’t be surprised if they steal some of these styles) the monochrome tones are interrupted by a DB Tabard style coat Jackie-O dress in red. The dress itself looks more like a service uniform, but the fact that it is tangential to the color statement of the rest of the collection makes it such that it doesn’t fit in. Same goes for the loudly patterned yellow jacket. Having color included in a neutral collection is a good idea, but it would have been better to have it subtly introduced rather than splashed onto the scene.
Correction: We were informed by Mr. Bryan Bradley himself that Josh Patner is no longer with Tuleh. Furthermore, the "Jackie-O dress" is actually a DB Tabard style coat. Thanks for the corrections, Mr. Bradley…we really do appreciate!
February 6th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: This collection has feminine romantic sewn all over it. Slim belts are adorned with a girly bow (very Spring 2006), and even the black pieces ooze delicateness. Although some dresses reveal the décolleté, most are long-sleeved and high-necked, reinforcing the image of a modest yet stylish gal. Looks like Victorian-style pieces are sticking around through Fall.
Color Palette: Lilac, navy blue, black, gold, off-white, and silver.
Silhouettes: Nothing is loose enough to be messy, but the garments are tight enough to be provocative. High-waist trousers are taut; sheer chiffon blouses have puffy shoulders; fancy and sparkly dresses remain demure.
Accessories Report: Nothing too extravagant. We saw a high waisted belt with round and square hardware and a thin belt with bow hardware (talk about mixing hard and soft!). The minimal use of accessories is the perfect way to let the clothes do the flirting.
What’s Wearable: There’s nothing too avant-garde in this collection, so with a bit of tweaking, every piece can be worn. We do have a word of warning for you: Only sport these garments if you’re going for the Innocent Girl look.
February 6th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: It’s all about the patterns for Diane Von Furstenberg. She takes preppy plaids and polka dots to a cool new level. Herringbone, chain-link, and lip outline patterns all make their way onto high waist skirts, wrap dresses (her signature), shirtdresses, and more.
Color Palette: Black, white, red, green, khaki, grey, and fuchsia.
Silhouettes: Lots and lots of wrap dresses (but of course), shirtdresses, baggy man trousers, vest suits, high waisted tight skirts, and loose-fitting dresses.
Accessories Report: Slouchy gloves in green, black, and fuchsia; thick headbands in many patterns and colors (sitting toward back of head); chunky chain-link bracelets and a charm bracelet (even though we thought those were So done).
What’s Wearable: Every piece is wearable but shouldn’t be paired with clashing patterns. The brown and black polka dot blazer is adorable, but it looks mismatched with the black and red plaid button-down shirt. Eek.
February 6th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: No one can mess with this season’s DKNY followers, because even if they’re not tough, their clothes sure are. Black, a longtime staple for the rough and tough, is a common theme here, as is a solemn face. Whether in skirts or pants, men or women, you better think twice before approaching these models because they look more than sharp.
Color Palette: BLACK, with an occasional maroon, hot yellow, teal, white, gray, brown, and green.
Silhouettes: Contrary to what we’re used to, this time baggy is reserved for the women and it’s rockstar tight for the men. Don’t worry, Donna Karan hasn’t pulled a fast one on us and put the women in men’s clothing. The men rocked their traditional trousers a tad tighter and slipped a vest underneath their coats, while the ladies layered and let loose.
Accessories Report: Hats and black opaque tights for the women, skinny ties for the men, and skinny black scarfs-as-necklaces for both sexes.
What’s Wearable: Almost everything is wearable if one doesn’t mind having unstylish people have an occasional laugh at their expense. But the layering will probably have to be toned down a bit for the real streets.
What’s Not Wearable: The only piece that would conjure up some major laughs is a high-waist flannel skirt that folds at the bottom, especially when it’s paired with the matching hat.
February 6th, 2006
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