FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
New York: The awards-show season is just around the corner, so celeb-watchers can expect to see plenty of Naeem Khan's confections gracing starlets on the red carpet. For Pre-Fall, Khan presented a range of elegant gowns sure to appeal to celebrities, as well as socialites. As usual, the embellishments were what made the pieces stand out. Among them
...
Read more >
TOUGH LUXE
New York: Gone were the diaphanous seventies dresses that have been associated with Zoe since before she started her own label. She styled her celebrity clients in them, wore them herself, and made versions for her eponymous ready-to-wear line. It was time for them to retire. The signature bellbottoms still remained, but skinny jeans and wide-leg trousers offered Zoe's
...
Read more >
MODA MAYA
New York: It may be the end of the world as we know it, but Mark Badgley and James Mischka feel fine. It has been widely reported that the Mayan calendar predicts that the world will end this Friday, and the design duo made timely references to the designs created by the ancient civilization. There were sunbursts, geometric shapes,
...
Read more >
LATE SUMMER ESCAPE
New York: Erin Fetherston told interviewers she was hoping to capture the magic of the last days of summer for her Pre-Fall collection. The designer had just taken a trip to the Venezuelan archipelago of Los Roques, whose vibrant buildings and lush flora provided inspiration for the looks. An explosion of colorful flowers, which likely represented what Fetherston
...
Read more >
Interestingly, the word “bisque” refers to both a rich, creamy soup and fired but unglazed pottery, both of which display a similar warm pinkish hue. For Pre-Fall, this appealingly versatile color emerges as a fresh neutral, used for everything from minimalist head-to-toe ensembles and dimension sweaters to simple 30s-ish prints, used for vintage-y dresses. – Sharon Graubard
Read more >
VIVA LAS VEGAS
New York: Opening Ceremony designers Carol Lim and Humberto Leon imagined a girl on a road trip to Las Vegas for their Pre-Fall collection. With an inspiration centered on a city so flashy, it was a shock that the first passage of looks was so stark and minimal. Simple tanks, wide-leg trousers, a straight skirt, and a tank
...
Read more >
HIGH CONTRAST
New York: Nicole Miller, a designer typically unafraid of bright tones, stripped all the color away for her Pre-Fall collection. Only metallics and shades of grey broke up the mostly-black-and-white offering. Eye-catching geometric intarsia designs and luxe leopard kept it from feeling somber or monotonous, while intricate beading added textural interest and artisanal appeal. There was the slightest hint
...
Read more >
INTO THE FUTURE
New York: Best known for her dreamy bridal gowns, Monique Lhuillier's ready-to-wear business has been slowly gaining momentum. She opened her first store in New York this year and also recently launched a shoe collection. Lhuillier experimented with futuristic mirror-image digital prints for Spring, and she revisited them for Pre-Fall. This time, gold tones provided richness and warmth.
...
Read more >
CINEMA VERITE
New York: Alice Temperley told interviewers that, while gathering inspiration for her Pre-Fall collection, she had pored over images of costumes from 30s films and photographs of their elegant starlets, taken by lensman Horst P. Horst. The glamour of the era, and of the swanlike women who inhabited it, infused the offering, which contained swingy A-line coats, prim mohair
...
Read more >
LUXE BE A LADY
New York: After a 70s-inspired Spring collection featuring monochromatic ensembles in eye-popping colors, Frida Giannini toned it down for Pre-Fall. She focused on classic, ladylike items with a hint of a 40s feel, made from the most luxurious materials. Furs of a variety of types were used for sumptuous outerwear pieces or for contrast collars, and a
...
Read more >
Luxurious fur — no longer just for outerwear — turns up across classifications for Pre-Fall 2013. Sleeveless shells, popover tops, skirts and even strapless dresses are constructed from this opulent material. Velvety sheared pelts look particularly right, and color-blocking and pieced techniques add youthful flair. Natural markings are key, particularly new black-and-white stippled effects. – Sharon Graubard
Read more >
MORE THAN MILITARY
New York: Sometimes the simplest things open the door to the most interesting ideas. For Pre-Fall, Tory Burch said that she had been inspired by a military jacket that had been her mother's. With a statement like that, one would typically expect a hard-edged collection filled with epaulets and flap pockets, but Burch's offering went far beyond stereotypical
...
Read more >
YOUTHFUL BASICS
New York: Thakoon Panichgul's lower-priced line, Addition, is just a year and a half old, but it has already become known for its laid-back attitude and its desirable pieces that don't break the bank. Panichgul's Pre-Fall offering for the label was cool and confident, featuring versatile pieces that will easily fit into his clients' everyday lives. One can imagine
...
Read more >
PURL GIRLS
New York: Angela Missoni began her Pre-Fall collection with a passage of silvery, angular looks that had a somewhat futuristic feel, but she quickly shifted gears to warmer tones and classic items, such as cropped straight-leg pants, sheaths, turtlenecks, cardigans, and double-breasted jackets. Nearly all of the pieces were made from the label's signature knits, save for a few
...
Read more >
ALL ABOUT OPULENCE
New York: Vera Wang knows how to make a piece for a special occasion. Her bridal gowns, of course, are spectacular. She usually incorporates similar embellishments in her ready-to-wear collection in a subtle way, but this season she went all out. The fabrics – metallic jacquards, fox fur, satin, taffeta – were ultra-luxe on their own, but Wang
...
Read more >
