On the runway, it was a week filled with future street style inspiration brought to us by streetwear pros like Marissa Webb, 3.1 Phillip Lim, and Michael Kors, and more demure office wear for the New Yorker on-the-go presented by Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, and Huge Boss. For the girl with a little more attitude, Rodarte and Alexander Wang did not fail to come through in the clutch, and for the gal with a little spring in her step, Jeremy Scott came prepared with a closet full of playful and colourful options. While New York Fashion Week is generally the most conservative of the bunch, it has its own persona that is perfectly aligned with that of the city girl with a penchant for fashion. The overall wearability of the clothing is exactly what makes it a crowd pleaser, offering a wide range of ideas for next Fall.
As per the custom, I've selected five shows to review because they presented some of my favourite looks this season. Are you ready?
CAROLINA HERRERA
Carolina Herrera epitomizes elegance and femininity, qualities exhibited by the soft flowing fabrics in her collections and 3-D floral appliques that adorned her much sought-after dresses this year. For her Fall 2016 collection, Herrera juxtaposed light sheer midi skirts with luxe furs to create a ladylike look with some added superstar glamour. The colours ranged from neutral nudes and pinks to dark grey and blue, proving that Spring and Fall can coincide. This may be appropriate considering the "see now, buy now" attitude currently permeating the minds of fashion folk today. Some flashes of mint green and purple sparked our colour trend radars, particularly for the approaching wedding season. Could these be the ones to watch out for? Though most of the looks were conservative in nature, large-and-in-charge eyewear made our pupils dilate a little more, while adding a little whimsy to this otherwise demure collection. It just goes to show that even the most ladylike among us have a hidden playful side that yearns to surface with just the right accessory.
FAVOURITE LOOK: 7
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| via vogue.com |
OSCAR DE LA RENTA
Speaking of ladylike and demure, let's talk about Oscar de la Renta. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I was really feeling the old school feminine collections with a lot of long skirts in loose cuts, furry accents, and high necklines worthy of a Victorian dame, this season. I must say, Peter Copping is proving to be an excellent choice as Oscar's successor based on his latest collections for the label. This particular Fall show featured models in flared skirts and dresses with cinched waists, but don't be mistaken, it was not reserved solely for the angelic amongst us. Bits of leather were added to the show, whether on a knee-length burgundy skirt or a dress in the same shade, giving the collection a bit more of a woman-in-charge attitude. This woman may start off as the CEO of her very own fashion company, but she's quick to change into an elegant gown for the cocktail party after hours. Much like the late designer, Copping ended the show with some jaw dropping gowns with organza skirts as well as some floral jacquard looks for the slightly more rebellious party-goer. I can only imagine a glass of champagne in hand to accessorize one of these dresses, whether of the cocktail variety or the floor-grazing type.
FAVOURITE LOOK: 1
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| via vogue.com |
COACH 1941
Let's take a moment to pick at a collection slightly less "ladylike" this season and much more of the masculine-inspired variety: Coach 1941. This year, for the first time, Coach captured my attention during fashion week. This may be due to the fact that it was recently revamped by designer, Stuart Vevers, hoping to raise its fashionista status. Whatever he's doing, he's done it right, taking the lead from designers like Tommy Hilfiger, who perhaps inspired himself from his high school days on the field or maybe even the recent Super Bowl. Allow me to explain. This collection was filled with bomber jackets in all shapes and sizes, whether with shearling collars, long or cropped, or even bedecked in sports paraphernalia, proving that this is probably your next Fall coat, so put it down on your wishlist stat. Though the hemlines were high (the abundance of mini skirts was impossible to miss), there was still a strong masculine feel to this collection, or perhaps a defiance of gender, one of the main themes of fashion week this season. The most surprising part of the show? Models in western inspired booties in metallic shades that somehow went perfectly well with the predominantly preppy garb. Whose to question the power of fashion right? In this day and age, anything goes.
FAVOURITE LOOK: 27
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| via vogue.com |
MICHAEL KORS
I haven't always identified myself as a Kors girl, or even one to carry his famous shoulder bags on the daily, but this Fall 2016 collection definitely caught my eye. While many of his collections have proven to be unflattering for a small body type like my own (involving many oversized pieces and extra layers to drown a petite frame), this one was much more user friendly. Though it remained jetsetter appropriate (with enough variety to suit every possible destination), this collection was much more streetwear focused. From classy cold weather ready coats (including luxurious furs and peacoats in camel and pale blue) to easy-to-wear flowy mini dress with small slits in bold animal prints or the ever-popular checked look, Kors created a collection that contains enough variety to spice up your wardrobe without losing sight of your identity (no promises though). Some striking pieces in the show included a disco-inspired white mini dress with feathers popping out in all directions and an all-black pant ensemble of the same feathered variety. While it was all slightly less jetset than usual, the essence of Michael was still very much present with an extra pinch of glamour that only served to jazz it up a little more.
FAVOURITE LOOK: 24
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| via vogue.com |
MARISSA WEBB
Full disclosure. I am absolutely obsessed with Marissa Webb. Though she may have pressed pause on Banana Republic, her namesake collection is stronger than ever and filled with looks anyone with even a modest interest in fashion would be dying to wear (at least parts of it). The collection started with an array of winter ready dark looks with sexy leather thigh-high boots (I'm already coveting) and some sophisticated office-ready plaid. What began as quite a dark collection featuring more structured looks eased its way into the loose floral printed dress for the girly girl who still yearns to look sophisticated without feeling as constricted. Though much of the collection remained in the neutral hues like tan, black, and pale gray, Webb took us all by surprise with a few mustard coloured dresses that were surprisingly appealing. Could this colour be making a revival? (Pantone 2k16?) Another thing the designer seems to be incredibly skilled at (other than sparking our interest in the oh-so-(un)flattering mustard yellow), is layering. If there's one thing this show was NOT missing, it was the abundance of scarves draped around the necks of the models. One particular quality they had is that they flowed all the way to the ground, rather than being wrapped securely around the neck (and these girls are 5"11 on average). When scarves weren't involved, there were heavy turtlenecks galore, reminding us all that this trend is here to stay. If there's anything to take away from this collection, it would have to be that when it comes to winter accessories, more is more.
FAVOURITE LOOK: 29
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| via vogue.com |
Hope you enjoyed reading these reviews! Stay tuned for London and let me know which shows were your favourite.
Ponder it,
Bella
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