Fashion Show: Badgley Mischka
20 years into their collaboration, Mark Badgley and James Mischka are still turning heads with their commitment to pure glam. While the current collection kept the voltage high, the gowns on parade skewed a bit lighter and rather less sparkly than in the past - albeit still with a serious emphasis on 1980s excess. The parade of impeccably-groomed models embodied flawless glitz and sported looks that made no bones about the jet-setting lifestyles of the clothing's intended audiences. It's good to see these red carpet fixtures (the gowns, not the guys) keeping the flame alive. Click on the image at left to see the gallery.
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Fashion Show: Donna Karan
Donna Karan has made her name on a relaxed, sophisticated aesthetic that blends comfort with artistry. This signature collection was no exception, bringing us a parade of flowy, body-conscious pieces that scream rich bohemian in an an appealingly muted palette, with a few soft menswear-inspired pieces as a gentle nod to the current vogue in 8os power dressing. It's classic DK, but at the end of the day, that's probably what her customer wants! Click on the image at left to see the gallery.
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Fashion Show: Zac Posen
Is Zac Posen still considered a "wunderkind" at 27? I guess he is, given that after only six years in the spotlight he's one of the most celeb-beloved and established designers on the scene. Normally he's known for his tailoring, but this collection went in a different direction entirely. There was some definite weirdness - padding (which actually made the models look voluptuous), plastic, metal decoration - but some of the evening wear and the bombshell-ish animal prints were just completely glam. See if you don't flip over that sea green gown! Click on the pic at left to see the entire gallery.
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Fashion Show: Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein, as we all know, is renowned for his classic minimalism. Francisco Costa's spring line was distinctively CK, but not necessarily his most wearable: it was aggressively architectural, and while some of the origami-like pieces, in their muted white, nude and cobalt palette, were very pretty, others just looked like stiff silk faille boxes plunked on top of incidental bodies: read, not exactly flattering. What say you, friends? Click on the picture at left to see the gallery.
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Rag Trade
- Is Gossip Girl pretty boy Chace Crawford set to replace McDreamy as the face of Versace? [Perez Hilton]
- Fashion slang seems to have no regard for a word's actual meaning: "Designer Ashleigh Verrier said her favorite fashion word was "diaphanous" — an adjective characterizing fineness of texture. 'As in, 'That dress is so diaphanous!'' she said. 'I like 'Glamit'," said fashion designer Marc Bouwer, who uses the term for a fashion line. 'It is so gorgeous and glamorous. You don't want to use cliched words.'Designer Thuy Diep said 'prune"'was popular within her fashion crew to express disapproval." [Reuters]
- Vogue-interning hockey playing fashionisto Sean Avery on who should play him in the rumored movie about him: "'Shiiiiiiiiiiiiit, man. I dunno I dunno I dunno I dunno I dunno. Fuck. I dunno!...I don't know anything. That's what casting guys are for! Shit. No questions!'" Sounds like that'll be some sparkling dialogue! [Radar]
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The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
As everyone knows, the best action at Fashion Week doesn't happen on the runway. So we bring you a GBU from yesterday's tents! It's hard to say exactly what the dress code is for fashion shows, since some people wear cocktail dresses at 9 am. What's not hard to say is that some fashionistas look like total ass, which, it's true, might be a dress code memo I didn't get. And it's gotta be hard to figure out who you're going to wear when you're hitting several high-profile shows in a day, so you have to feel for them. Tinsley Mortimer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Aubrey O'Day, Joy Bryant, and some seriously awesome dandies — after the jump!
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Fashion Show: Rebecca Taylor
I was gonna live-blog this for ya, but that's kind of hard to do when you're in "standing seating" and sort of overwhelmed by how young the models are! I read the designer's description of "The Rebecca Taylor girl for Spring 2009" as "a bohemian world traveler...she mixes her inherited couture pieces from her French actress mother with great finds gathered from exotic locations around the globe." If one of those locations was "1985" I guess I can see that! Because there were several flat-out 80s animal prints along with the more expected romantic boho flowing shapes and dainty florals. Rebecca Taylor is a super-girly designer, and the flowy, flirty pieces were my favorites. What say you, kids? Post-jump!
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Fashion Show: Milly
Last year, the
New York Times ran a
spectacularly obnoxious Styles piece about being "downgraded" by economic necessity from big-name designers to "minor talents." One fashionista writes, “Last summer I had to buy a dress for an engagement party, and I actually bought a Milly — a Milly. Four years ago, I would have sawed off my left pinky toe before considering such a purchase.” Ever since, I've felt protective of Michelle Smith's line, and its pretty, 60s-inspired clothes. Yeah, maybe she's not setting the world on fire with Spring 09; maybe early-60s tailoring is done to a turn and boho chic's been pretty much beaten into the ground by Tory Burch, but the clothes on the Milly runway, if not exactly barrier-breaking, are frequently pretty, good for lots of bodies, and things I'd be happy to wear - if I could "upgrade" to them, that is. What say you?
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Fashion Show: Marchesa
If you're feeling like a dose of fantasy, then Georgina "Mrs. Harvey Weinstein" Chapman is your woman. Her latest collection for Marchesa alternates between sleekly romantic Grecian and a lacy, voluminous, Flamenco-scented little girl's dream come true. (Well, a sophisticated little girl who likes black.) You can totally see why any billionaire bride would choose a Marchesa — they're literally showstopping. Click the picture at left to view the gallery.
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Fashion Show: Michael Kors
In his Spring 09 show, Top American Designer Michael Kors channeled Miami retiree. No, seriously: the models are wearing sun visors. And while a great many of the crisp looks on display were unabashedly, wildly frumpy, there were moments of great charm. Almost to a look, though, you can just see these on a well-turned-out, cosmpolitan Grandma who comes up to New York to see museum exhibits and takes her grandkids to Europe when they turn ten.
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