New York Fashion week is described best by its reigning queen, Warhol favourite, serious entrepreneur and real life princess, Diane Von Furstenburg.
"New York brings pragmatism and directness to fashion, and the fact that anything is possible...The essence of New York style is that its direct and its practical".
New York is unquestionably a city where kooky and off the cuff clothes just don't work. The only exception being Alexander Wang's relentlessly complex, high tech hipster aesthetic which as amazing as it is, it is definitely not rule of thumb in the city that doesn't sleep!
See, where London is all about brave new talent and strong ideas, New York is where wearable, marketable clothes are created and celebrated. We are very quick, us Brits, to criticise our American counterparts for being "too safe" and less "edgy" but maybe they don't want to be edgy, maybe they just want wearable, luxurious clothes that work in all environments.
Marcus Wainwright, one of the designers behind the amazingly cool New York label Rag and Bone said of their customers
"Our girl wants to feel cool with out taking too many risks and feeling like a clown." I think this is definitely something we can learn from our friends over the ocean. Lets face it, we seen a few clowns in search of an appearance on a street style blog outside the shows at LFW last week.
I think this season NYFW designers proved that American style is all about everyday luxury and a wanting to look fabulous everyday.
All that being said here is my review if NYFW Autumn/Winter 2014/15.
3.1 PHILLIP LIM
PATCHWORK is most
definitely having a moment at this New York Fashion Week and 3.1 Phillip Lim is
definitely part of it. The designer was clearly looking to warmer plain’s for
inspiration oh that and his imaginary muse called Soleil. Colours were comic
strip bright (shots of purple to touches of turquoise) and lots of frills on
knits, the return of his signature bomber (remember the gorgeous SS13 bomber we
seen on Cheryl Cole recently!) Well this time around they are in lavender and
black, and worn with layered wrap skirts. This was a more tender approach in
contrast to Lim’s usual hard streetwise feeling clothes – though there were
still some great jackets to LUST OVER.
A dress from Adeam
ALEXANDER WANG
A hard, utilitarian
theme ran through Wangs collection for Winter 2014/15. There was a huge emphasis on pockets and
storage which cropped up on jackets and military stiff, wool slip dresses worn
over leather shirts and bun bags worn slung round the waist of tailored shorts
and trousers. However the fabulous raincoats, tres special shearling leather
jackets and a variety of boots where my favourites and they will definitely be
snapped up quickly by Wangs legion of loyal fans.
And Re Walker
Clothes as Art at the
And Re Walker presentation. I especially
loved the double backed trousers.
BAND OF OUTSIDERS
Quirky, Cool and all out
BOSS clothes from Band of Outsiders.
This collection is as cutting edge and fun as its predecessors but at
the same time tres, tres wearable. LOVED THIS!
BCBG MAX AZRIA
I love BCBG by Max
Azria, the clothes are just so clean and luxurious. I love the almost Mondrian
feel to the geometric prints and the fluidity of the tunic like dresses. The
touch of fur in the form of collars and muffs gave the collection a luxurious
touch. Then came a gorgeous array of outerwear including heavenly long line
bombers and a lavish, panelled, leather and fur collarless coat. BCBG is
definitely the older, cooler, well travelled sister to Herve Legers young,
sultry enfant terrible!
CALVIN KLEIN
COLLECTION
It was all about the
textured knits at Calvin Klein with the emphasis on grungy comfort.
Clover Canyon
Clover Canyon has
slowly over the last few seasons became one of my favourite collections. Always patterned and always colourful this
year there were plaid patterns and grungy silhouettes. Plaids
then turned to graphic prints on tunics layered over shin length skirts
and trousers either worn belted or a cropped sweater over the top. Oh and some joyful knee length mack’s in
vibrant prints. With this collection
there is certainly no need to be glum next winter.
COACH
The newly appointed Stuart
Vevers changed Coach’s outlook for autumn/winter 2014 and delivered a more
youthful take on fashion than the safe options we have seen before from the
label. There were customary American sportswear references combined with
miniskirts, toggled duffle coats, oversized houndstooth-print jackets and work wear elements, while on the accessories front, we had cosy cute booties and
long, loose-trailing scarves. An effortlessness, an elegance and a trendy
sensibility emanated from it all. Bold in colour and concise in output, it was
a well-edited first outing.
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
The collection opened with
the designers iconic wrap dress which was fitting as the label is celebrating
40 years since the legendary dresses initial design with its ‘Journey of a
Dress’ Exhibition in LA. For Autumn
Winter 2014/15 it was a black and gold love knot print and worn by Karen
Elson. The show was titled Bohemian
Wrapsody and the emphasis here was all on the wrap. There were wrap
blouses and wrap cardigans, some long and lean, others cropped and embellished
in diamantes and sparkle. They were partnered with bias-cut maxi velvet skirts
and long jersey trousers, the sort that make your legs look like they go on for
days with the right shoes! Some fabulous
pieces from the first lady of New York Fashion.
DKNY
Donnas 2nd
younger fashion house brought us ‘A New York Mashup’. It was a collection full of urban staples
that any young urban hipsters worth their street cred wouldn’t be seen without.
There was a status “it” sweatshirt emblazoned with a
giant “D”, sleeves streaming in sequin shards, all black New York Yankee caps
and a flirty, neon lace minidress which was a surprise sighting in the mix, but
Donna said, this was a mash-up.
Refreshingly rebellious clothes.
DONNA KARAN
Sumptuous sexualised
evening elegance from Donna Karen. My favourite look was a black tuxedo jacket
posing as a mini dress with thigh-high suede boots and fur topped officer hats,
just dangerously gorgeous. There were also some racy diaphanous cobweb knits
over sheer pleated skirts and a series
of beautiful bias cut burnout velvet gowns that we will definitely see again
over the upcoming awards season.
Elizabeth and James Parka
HELMUT LANG
A covetable collection from the brilliant husband and wife duo behind the cult label. A compilation based on texture ,full of wish list pieces of a cosy nature.
HERVE LEGER BY MAX
AZRIA
Pretty dresses for
strong ladies.
ICB
International
Concept Brand (ICB) is a brand designed for women who view themselves and
society from a global perspective. This collection was no different evoking the
inner confidence of Prabal Gurung’s
contemporary, young, cliental while offering sophisticated, fashionable, and
elegant style. Just gorgeous clothes I’m
dying to wear!
JCREW
More beautiful
styling from Jenna Lyons and the team at JCrew. Fabulous outerwear in the usual array of
colours and print. I especially loved the army bombers worn tied at the neck… I
see that shrobbing trend isn’t going anywhere!
J MENDEL
Beautiful jewel
coloured furs and two pieces. New York
Luxury outerwear at its best.
JILL STUART
Somewhat of a rock n
roll, non challant, enfant terrible collection that reminded me of a diluted
version of Heidi Slimane’s Rock n Roll grunge collection for Saint Laurent,
especially those sparkly tights.
KAREN WALKER
I love Karen’s
modern design aesthetic. These clothes
are very wearable and very cool. Oh and you just can’t beat her fabulous
glasses.
KATE SPADE
Kate Spade basically
did J Crew for the Upper East Side and it worked. Very Pretty Clothes indeed. I love that embellished dinner coat with the
feathers.
LISA PERRY
Voluminous work wear
in monochrome and vibrant primary colours with a hint of metallic thrown in to
boot.
M Missoni
Cool prints and
cosy, modern knits. The Missoni we know
an love but a little more youthful and a lot more edgy.
MARC JACOBS
All eyes were on
Marc for his first show for his namesake line since giving up the reigns of
Louis Vuitton and passing the creative responsibility for Marc by Marc to Kate
Hillier and Luella Bartley and once again he didn't disappoint. Leaving last season’s Victorian foray clearly
in last season, Marc took us to a sixty’s utopian future with clean lines and
luxurious materials. The palette of
colours was muted and cleansing with beiges, air superiority blue and browns.
Lines were clean with mid
length and long tunics worn over leggings, trousers were cropped and worn with
sheer V neck t-shirts and later a high dose of glitter was added to the mix and
soft, elegant dresses with delicate ruffle details. Outwear was in the form of bombers with added
fur, chenille and suede. Accessories
also had a sixty’s vibe with round toes,
small heeled boots and some divine shoulder chain bags in ostrich and
suede. All in all this was definitely
the start of a new era for Marc with his genius honed on one collection that
was proven in the detail.
Marc by Marc Jacobs
This was the first
outing for Kate Hillier and Luella Bartley as the creative directors of Marc
Jacobs second, more youthful line and they certainly took the bull by the horns
so to speak. This highly anticipated
collection certainly did have revolution written all over it, both physically
and metaphorically the girls certainly weren’t afraid of making the label their
own and taking it back to its head turning youth. There was lots of must have
pieces that will probably reach cult status and not only for you young
twenty-somethings who will die for the sportier go-faster pieces but us over
20’s too, like Hillier and Bartley's themselves. Namely, a smart navy jumpsuit that
looked like a trouser suit, and a mannish grey tailored jacket with red and
blue facing on the collar and lapels, which can be belted with one of their huge
waist cinchers or not, it's a fierce piece for any important meeting. There
were also relatively simple grey waffle knits too - a signature piece for those
who know their Marc Jacobs references, and this brilliant British duo were
smart to revisit it this time around partnering it with stiffened and tiered, plissé
pleated skirts and layered up with sweeping bow shrugs. (I LOVE THESE BOW
SHRUGS – FASHION DIY ALERT) These two
certainly are a partnership to be reckoned with! Definitely watch this space.
MARISSA WEBB
Fabulous fashion
forward work wear from Marissa Webb.
Some really good styling ideas for future office to cocktails
attire.
Michael Kors
Simple everyday luxury from Michael
Kors.
Narciso Rodriguez
Simple, powerful clothes
inspired by Sixties German minimalism, Lynn Chadwick’s bronze sculptures and
the book cover of Jessie Dumont’s I Prefer Girls, about lesbianism
in the Sixties. Beautiful clothes with
an air of fluidity. I presume that this
is the type of work wear that will take us from office to evening in winter
2014/15. Like Marc Jacobs makeup was
simple but futuristically strong.
OPENING CEREMONY
Another example of modern,
cool, quality fashion from the brains behind the exciting re-emerging
Kenzo! I love opening ceremony and just
wished they sold more in the UK. There are definitely some cult pieces in this
collection.
Polo (Women)
Ralph Lauren showed
his new Polo line for women before his Ralph Lauren Women’s collection to show
he stark difference between the two. The
POLO collection is certainly younger and where Ralph Lauren Collection is
dedicated to elegance and tailoring this POLO collection was more dedicated to
fun, comfort and trend. There was huge leather rucksacks, great Navajo knits,
leather jeans, biker jackets and miniskirts all emitting a youthful, luxurious
optimism. Some great looks for
winter. I loved the high heeled hiking
boots.
PRABAL GURUNG
Prabal looked to his
native Nepal for inspiration for his latest collection which was beautifully evident
in the saffron-shaded pashminas and scarves piled high and up around necks and
shoulders (scarves becoming very much a garment in their own right here),
jingling and jangling bells on anklet-clad sandals, contour-hugging wrapped
dresses and twisted cut-out tailoring. A
beautiful collection and keep a look out for those evening gowns in the
upcoming award season. The make up again was very minimal.
A very desirable jacket from Preen - Line
Proenza Schouler
A confident and
slick collection from Jack and Lazaro at Proenza Schouler. Concentrating on structured outwear and hourglass shaped coats with voluminous
sleeves worn over printed trousers, shin length jersey skirts and buttoned up
shirts in opposing patterns. The
structured theme transferred to boxy dresses worn with the same print long
t-shirt underneath and long sleeve, voluminous , peplum tops worn with clashing
print trousers and some lovely, tres want-able brogues. We also welcomed back the use of colour in
Proenza Schuler’s collection, it was a more exciting, joyful collection then
those of late which have been more muted.
These guys are helping changing the shape of fashion for next winter so
jump on board.
RAG AND BONE
The duos mood board
for the collection had images of military wear and the Falklands War " clarified
Wainwright. "But also, a lot of Fifties silhouettes... It was a bit of a
mash-up." What we seen was a layered multi-clash of textures and volumes -
from shearling gilets to gigantic bushy, dreadlock knits and oversized functional
hoodies, partnered with combat trousers or otherwise sleek pencil skirts in
fuzzy lumberjack check or tailored Bermuda shorts worn over ribbed thermal
leggings. The Fifties touch came through strongest in the shape of shiny satin
bowling shirts and varsity jackets embroidered in the name of the model wearing
them. Me predicts these jackets and
shirts will be cult pieces this year.
Rodarte
The Mulleavy sisters
brought us kooky librarian geek-chic comprising of bookish Oliver Peoples spectacles
and knitted berets, zig-zag sweaters and paper bag-waisted trousers that all
gave a nod to the Seventies, Sonia Rykiel, a little of Missoni and Janine from
Ghost busters. Lurex turtlenecks and glittery raincoats with Mongolian fur
collars and cut-out shoulders came next. It’s those, and the Star
Wars gowns that will
no doubt reach cult status the world over. This was exactly the sort of
collection Rodarte fans will go wild for. Fun Nostalgic fashion at its best but
not as good as their last collection, in my opinion of course.
ROSIE ASSOULIN
New shapes and new ideas from
Rosie Assoulin. A new designer that will change the way we wear clothes. Rosie really is one to watch.
SACAI LUCK – PRE
Very very cool
clothes. A dress was pieced together from
flannel tartan and sparkly leopard-spot jacquard; the effect was grunge
princess. There were special little touches like adding a sporty drawstring
waistband to menswear trousers and a lace-trimmed silk slip underneath a pinstriped
pencil skirt with a deep slit. A
button-down shirt and long, slender wool skirt was in fact a trompe l'oeil
dress. Among the lineup's many cool sweaters, a brightly colored, patterned
poncho and a patchworked fisherman's knit very much stood out.
Resourcefulness was the theme for the outerwear with the sleeves of a leather biker jacket, for example, zipped off so it could double as a vest. Clever thinking also informed the labels new shoe collaboration. The lambswool-lined Vans are sure to be a hit.
Resourcefulness was the theme for the outerwear with the sleeves of a leather biker jacket, for example, zipped off so it could double as a vest. Clever thinking also informed the labels new shoe collaboration. The lambswool-lined Vans are sure to be a hit.
T By Alexander Wang
A lesson in layering
from T by Alexander Wang and also more tunics over leggings. I’m starting to smell a trend coming on!
THAKOON ADDITIONS
Gorgeous
separates. Adore the grey sculptured Gillette.
THAKOON
Bright, vivid colours to
brighten up the winter mood from Thakoon.
I loved the cute sweater wraps and caplets. Oh and the fabulous,
floral-printed puffa jackets and collaged, asymmetrical-hemmed skirts and
dresses, to die.
THE ROW
The first few looks from the
Olsen goddesses for AW 2014/15 can only be described as Teddy Bear Chic and the ultimate comfy winter wardrobe. (if you
weren’t scared of frightening away ones boyfriend that is) The collection then moved into more classic,
winter pieces with sharp tailoring mixed with voluminous shapes such as the
gorgeous wide, lapelled pea coats and knee length, funnel neck coats in black
and cream. The trend for scarves and
blankets worn as outerwear returned again, this time in the form of gorgeous
charcoal, cashmere blanket capes and grey cashmere scarves worn draped flat
under jackets of the same luxurious material.
Modern, lavish, Winter Wishlist Clothes!
Coats were definitely the focus of this collection from the twins and I
believe we will most definitely see some of these coat shapes on the high
street this year.
TIBI
A steer towards
minimalism this Winter at Tibi. Classic
winter pieces, Luxurious wool coats in various shapes, tailored, cropped
trousers, jeans and luxurious joggers worn with cashmere jumpers, crisp shirts
and tunics. Laid back fashion at its best and truly wearable clothes such as
the pretty chiffon dresses worn over long sleeve T’s and matching printed
chiffon trousers and shirts. This year’s Tibi’s boots are thigh length,
strapped and gorgeous. Cricket is a big
fan of Tibi too and I hope they pick up some more of the collection this year.
TIMO WEILAND
Fabulous work wear
and grungy practicality from Timo.
TOMMY HILFIGER
The American great outdoors
was Tommy’s theme for this coming autumn winter. (sorry I know that sounds
silly when we are still in the middle of the last one!) Plaid provided the foundation
here, from tartan wool cashmere sweater dresses to mohair pieces and silk
shirting, it even appeared as accents on peacoats. The mountaineering idea was
cleverly played out in less obvious ways too, like bungee cord button holes and
elasticised drawstrings cinching in the waist on performance jackets.
I also personally loved the
ski wear inspired pieces, especially the dresses, perfect for a bit of après
ski!
Like Tommy Hilfiger's last
few collections, this was another one aimed at the younger lady. Those fun
tiered miniskirts partnered with shrunken teddy fur bomber jackets is a modern
edgy look that will appeal to twenty-something's the world over.
TORY BURCH
Modern day Joan of
Arc’s where the theme from Tory Burch. That's if Joan of Arc wore knee high's.
VICTORIA BECKHAM
This collection from
Victoria showed perfectly how she is growing into a fully fledged designer with
a broad repertoire of well tailored, slightly masculine, modern, wearable
clothes, not just her signature starlet dresses. This collection was very Celine and sat very
much in the Philo school of design but it was more of a homage to clean cut
design rather than plagiarism! This was actually one of my favourites shows from
the week and I particularly loved the long sleek lined jackets with box pleats
in the back and the chunky, gold chains fastening everything from coats, skirts
and halter neck tunics. Divine.
Look out for the full LFW review later this week.
