FASHION BY THE RULES: NY Fashion Week, The Good, the Bad, The Ugly
September 23, 2010
VICTORIA BECKHAM returns for Spring 2011 with a looser, but shapely and still sexy silhouette. There is no mistaking the feminine body conscious shapes that have become her trademark. She has shown us that she is quite capable of producing very alluring and salable collections while sticking to her original design philosophy.
MONIQUE LHUILLIER is well known for red carpet confections and bridal gowns, this season she revs it up for those camera ready moments. From cocktails to drop dead evening extravagance, Ms. Lhuillier has kept the bar high for any occasion after 5 PM.
RALPH LAUREN consistently delivers incredible collections season after season and is forever mining the archives and refining his designs until they are perfection. The urbane couture cowgirl for Spring is no exception. In pristine whites, beiges browns and silver think of prairie skirts, suedes, cottons, concha belts, whip stitching, cavalry shirts, ruffles, lace, Navajo patterns and then just throw in some bugle beads and silver lame and you have all the ingredients of the collection. There is no stone unturned and not one element missed. He cannot be praised enough for salable, chic, endlessly appealing collections.
OSCAR de la RENTA remains the favorite for socials, starlets and the perennial best dressed ladies of the world. The pinks, the neutrals, the crispness of black and white and a few nods to Chanel will keep Mr. de la Renta enthroned for a while longer. He certainly has accentuated the waist and maybe even brought a bit of retro to the collection but nothing gets in the way of his exquisite gowns and those Latin influenced ruffle numbers.
NARCISO RODRIGUEZ might need to examine this collection and ask why. His usual structural and architectural looks were replaced by a bunch of disappointingly soft and slouchy looks. Yes, it is Spring and no one wants to be harnessed in to some tight ass constructed garment but there has to be some common ground between what he presented and what was his usual fare.
REED KARKOFF is insistent on being a designer entity unto himself despite his success with Coach. In his namesake collection, which is in its second season, the DNA has not yet been fully developed and that’s where the issues begin. One can assume that the collection will remain on its minimalist path but when Mr. Krakoff veers off that path, then we see trouble. Again we see the folds and the origami work of so many collections but here we see it become clumsy. Even his use of red jolts us as with his black: they become odious under his hand.
STEPHEN BURROWS has presented Spring 2011 in a very relaxed, if not amateurish setting and seems to have lost his way. This is the man who was king of sexy matte jersey and the King of Henri Bendel when Geraldine Stutz ruled the roost. He would be far wiser and certainly better received if he would only dig into the archives, as so many have done and continue to do, and give it a fresh twist. So much more is expected from a designer of this caliber.
Don’t forget to check in with www.style.com for full photo coverage of all the collections and you can always find me on Facebook as well as http://jeffybruce.blogspot.com/ and now at http://www.examiner.com/user/2062506/2038116/articles so please subscribe.
- VICTORIA BECKHAM
- MONIQUE LHUILLIER
- RALPH LAUREN
- OSCAR de la RENTA
- NARCISO RODRIGUEZ
- STEPHEN BURROWS
- REED KRAKOFF
Headlines This Week 1/15
January 15, 2010
- It’s the changing of the models at Armani this week. First Megan Fox made her sexy debut, replacing Victoria Beckham. Now, the design house is offering a sneak peek at their new men’s campaigns, featuring David Beckham’s hot, new replacement in the Emporio Armani Underwear. People.com
- This seemed destined somehow. One of Britain’s best, Stella McCartney, has made almost as much hay out of her collaborations with Adidas, GapKids, and others as she has off her own label. NYMag.com
- Curves Ahead: V Magazine – I think it probably could have been a better editorial, but the models are gorgeous. Mahalo Fashion
- Natalie Portman was an early convert to Rodarte’s transcendent dream world filled with artful prints, thoughtful silhouettes, and futuristic visions. Elle.com
- While fashion designers might seem like the keenest clairvoyants of the fashion sphere, we actually hand the honor to textile designers. Before the sketches are even drawn at fashion design houses, mills are producing the fabrics in colors and patterns that will outfit people a whole year in advance. Pipeline.refinery29.com
Headlines This Week 9/11
September 11, 2009
- Apparently Vogue wouldn’t consider Posh for the cover for four months, so she jumped over to Elle for an immediate coverspot for the October issue. Hey Vogue… Ouch? Popgloss.com
- While Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw has shown no signs of letting go of her designer duds — she has already been spotted in two pairs of Christian Louboutin pumps! — Ugly Betty’s Wilhelmina Slater, played by Vanessa Williams, looks to be cutting back on spending due to the recession. People.com
- Everybody wants to get their hands on Stella McCartney’s lacy goodies; she even wore her own lace creation at the Met Gala. Rumer Willis then donned McCartney’s intricate lace blazer at the Sorority Row LA premiere. Rachel McAdams stepped onto the Venice Film Festival red carpet wearing the lace dress version from resort. FabSugar.com
- Well respected designer Robert Danes is looking for new interns, and we think you indies deserve the first crack at the job! FashionIndie.com
- Target has transformed its iconic Times Square Bullseye billboards into an artistic homage to New York City with larger-than-life commissioned works from four emerging artists. FashionTribes.com
