Tag Archives: New York
TopShop Mania
Location: new TopShop store in Soho
Scene: Very crowded, line wrapping all the way around the block down to Grand St. No sign of Kate.
Equipment: iPhone, 2 cameras, Flip video
Overheard: “I thought everyone was broke!”
Minetta Tavern
Finally! Minetta Tavern is open. Yes, that one, the place that’s been around for 72 years.
Amid all the buzz about Keith McNally’s new venture, there was always one thing that wasn’t clear. Why had he chosen this crusty old place as the next incarnation of McNallyism? If you’ve lived in New York long enough, you know the Minetta Tavern because you’ve walked by it–often solely for the purpose of getting away, fast. Once the intersection of cool and the setting for Serpico, MacDougal Street and Minetta Lane is now only the home of Cafe Wha? (and the underrated Bellavitae) and has gotten as touristy as it once was cool.
Of course, there are exceptions. 124 Rabbit Club opened up across the street, and before that, underground jazz den Bar Next Door. So maybe the writing was on the wall.
But as soon as you walk into Minetta Tavern, the answer is apparent. There’s an old school bar, murals and caricatures on the wall, the decor harkens back to an earlier age of the Village, and gorgeous Ralph Fiennes is sitting across from you. Is Minetta Tavern McNally’s answer to the Waverly Inn? Certainly McNally had an unlikely rival in Graydon Carter, who never so much as dabbled in restaurants before, then came in to gather up the celebs in one fell swoop.
If Minetta Tavern is the next chapter, McNally has come up on top. He’s wisely gotten away from Italian and back to his bistro roots, installing Riad Nasr of Balthazaar in the kitchen. The Pat LaFrieda burger (called the “Black Label Burger” on the menu) that has inspired so much worship appears here, and, as steak meat ground into burger form, it’s exactly right for the times. If we like to have our steak and eat it to, this is it – and yes, it’s all it’s cracked up to be.
The Dodd cocktail – a tasty mix of bourbon and absinthe. Also – the wines. There’s a great $9 Malbec that goes perfectly with the Black Label burger.
Mesclun salad with goat cheese.
This was quite tasty – and owed something to Jodi Williams, I thought. Stuffed calamari with salt cod, like a brandade. Delicious sauce and olives, too.
Comfort food alert: the Pommes Aligot.
The Minetta Burger – pretty darn good for a regular old cheeseburger.
Choux Farcis – stuffed cabbage.
The supposed Holy Grail of burgers, the Pat LaFrieda patty, was excellent. Really more like a ground steak than a burger, but we’re not complaining. For God’s sake, don’t you dare put ketchup on it.
The back dining room, definitely a little more chill and quiet than the front.
The bustling front room. It’s really hard to get in – literally – because of the log jam at the door. But the front of the house staff is very quick.
Caricatures on the wall.
Beautiful old bar (totally packed). There are lots of interesting little details like the mural of boxers (?) on top.
Looks quiet outside but wait until you get inside.
Old meets new? Minetta Tavern and Cafe Wha, two Village standbys.
Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal Street, at Minetta Lane
New York, NY
212.475.3850
Posted in American, food, French, Greenwich Village, New York restaurants, restaurants
Tagged burgers, Graydon Carter, Keith McNally, New York
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Marc Jacobs FS09
Nowhere was the radical change in NY Fashion Week more apparent than at the Marc Jacobs show. Where last season Posh and JLo walked the red carpet hand in hand amid a crush of paparazzi, now there were just gates, strict warnings about invitations, a small group of editors and buyers going in, and one very disappointed paparazzo standing next to me. But the end result isn’t that different from a (not much) earlier time before celebrities discovered fashion week, when it was actually all about the clothes.
Melissa Ventosa-Martin of TMagazine, right, in a fabulous feather (?) coat.
Anna Wintour arrived 25 minutes ahead of time, though she is even harder to photograph now that she comes with two very large bodyguards blocking the way. A result of the fact that 60 Minutes may be doing a story on her? P.S. This may be the only time that you’ll ever see Anna Wintour and Ray’s Pizza in the same frame.
Carine Roitfeld. She wore this coat several times during fashion weeks here and in Europe. It’s a myth that the fashionably dressed “never wear the same outfit twice.” In fact, it seems that when they’re really in love with a piece, they’ll wear it over and over. Certainly a more sensible (and economical) approach.
Cropped trousers like these will soon be everywhere for spring.
Brightly striped cardigan.
This mix of lurid colors looked quite jarring as this woman was going into the Marc Jacobs show; after it was over, however, it seemed prescient. Marc Jacobs showed a lot of loud ’80s colors that injected a note of optimism for fall – photo below from Style.com.
Love the slash of bright red lips against the neutral gray of her trench.
A quirky haircut and funky blazer.
The fur flies as this woman runs to get to the show in time. Ever since the complaints about his show starting hours late a couple years back, Jacobs has been almost sadistically punctual.
An excellent menswear look.
More menswear style, this time on Roberta Myers, editor in chief of Elle.
Joe Zee in a Barbour jacket.
Her rolled up shorts fall into that “boyfriend”-anything trend. Also watch for camouflage and any army-navy-store type clothing – very recession-friendly.
A fellow photographer who looked to be a model-turned-photographer – very pretty and chic.
Love, love the dilapidated chic of this outfit. The scuffed loafers and Burberry trench look like relics of wealthier times.
It’s true – bowl cuts are appearing on women. It doesn’t seem like such a bad thing to try right now, but if you wait 30 seconds, it may get annoying.
Chanel bags are another totem of dilapidated chic. Since they’re classic, you could have bought it years ago, or even got it from Mummy. Either way, it looks right.
A great mix of high-low with the fur jacket and jeans, plus the sparkly headband.
Glenda Bailey of Harper’s Bazaar steppin’ out in some hot shoes.
Kate Lanphear of Elle joking around with some guy friends. She was captured in a similar outfit by TopShop, which featured her in their newsletter – a fashion coup!
More colored fur.
Nina Garcia in all black.
Cecilia Dean in a striking black-and-white coat.
Meredith Melling Burke carrying a still-fab Chloe handbag.
Lynn Yaeger’s mash-up vintagey style seems particularly a propos this year.
A detail shot of her amazing embellished Gucci bag – rabbits! – and knit scarf – cartoon characters!
Grace Coddington carrying a Stephen Sprouse Louis Vuitton bag.
The leopard print is great, but this model has amazing hair! Wavy-haired girls, this is your moment.
A model after the show, proudly sporting the ’80s hair and makeup from the runway.
Another model in outrageous ’80s hair and makeup. Where to go to show it off? Too bad Area is no longer.
Apiary
Often it’s the new restaurant right around the corner that you get to last. That’ll be where you just stop in after a movie or a night out with friends, right? Wrong. The highly stylized and buzzed-about Apiary, right around the corner from me, was always fully committed when it opened in mid 2008. But obviously we’re in a different landscape now, and places that were once booked to the hilt are now wooing diners with recession specials. For Apiary, it couldn’t happen at a better time–it’s become more accessible just as chef Scott Bryan returned from Virginia to take the helm.
It was a sad day when Bryan left Veritas, considered one of the best restaurants in town by certain industry insiders–and not just for the wine. So it’s thrilling that he brought his signature American style inflected with French technique to Apiary, where you can find a similar quality for a gentler price.
Some think the decor here is a little chilly–we thought it was pretty fab, especially the laser-cut light fixtures. All the furnishings are by Conran. When the restaurant is full of people, as it was that night, it really does buzz.
We started with the endive and pear salad, which, although it looks bland on the plate, had a bright, sharp flavor and excellent crunch. The innovative plating–three large endive leaves propped together to form a sort of V that contained the rest of the salad–added a nice architectural touch.
The confit of duck leg was rich and tender, but it was the combination of celery root puree and French green lentils underneath that got devoured right away.
Bryan has real French flair with vegetables, as evidenced by the grilled pork loin, where it was turnips–turnips!–that stole the show. The pork itself was juicy and perfectly cooked, the shaved brussel sprouts were a nice accompaniment, but the turnips were sublime. My dining mate Marie Fromage described a French technique for vegetables–something involving cooking them very slowly under parchment with a hole on top–was that how he made them?
Fortunately, the chef himself came out later to check the night’s receipts at the bar. The turnips, we asked. How did you do it? Chicken stock, sherry vinegar, and butter he said.
That’s the kind of thing you’ve got to like about Bryan. Rather than being coy, he just out and says it–although without the technique, it would be hard to get the same end result. His cooking has the same refreshing directness. It’s approachable, but once you’re into it, there’s a subtle complexity that keeps you coming back.
And now there’s really no reason not to go back: Apiary has extended their $35 Restaurant Week prix fixe through Labor Day.
Posted in American, East Village, food, French, New York restaurants, restaurants
Tagged duck, New York
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Jill Stuart FS09
The Jill Stuart show took place at the main branch of the New York Public Library, where the attendees’ spring clothes looked particularly fanciful against the austere, classical backdrop – a fitting send-up for the times.
This brightly-colored dandified look has got legs.
Edwardian gray, an important trend for spring, as reported in Bill Cunningham’s “Gray Days.”
In case you were wondering, no, it was not difficult to distinguish the fashion people from the usual throngs of tourists at the NYPL.
An adorable schoolgirl collar.
This bag is amazing. Who’s the designer? Look for more graphic black-and-white or graffiti’d bags in 2009.
A structured, architectural coat makes a statement.
The tie-and-vest look, this time played down with a more casual jacket.
These funky, translucent-framed glasses play off an otherwise conservative look.
A good example of the ’80s jackets we’ll see in the fall: bright color, strong (but not over-the-top) shoulders, and a clean, sharp fit.
Vintage black-and-white coat paired with killer studded boots.
She always looks glamorous and a little goth.
A white cotton shift over black leggings–a nice transitional look as we head into spring.
Fabulous cinched coat, belt, and scarf.
Two women in all black talk to a photographer.
Bill Cunningham poses for a picture with a friend.
The combination of elements in this outfit is right on: Military coat mixed with feminine silk dress paired with tough studded heels. The deep blue is a nice change, too.
Different colored stockings–and this Stevie Nicks-style bangs hai
rcut is popping up everywhere.
Two friends by an icy fountain. Notice the shiny black PVC leggings on the left.
Posted in fashion
Tagged Bill Cunningham, fashion week, Lauren Ezersky, New York, street chic
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Fashion Week FS09: Adam
Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that can be either wonderfully charming or horribly tacky, so it seemed very apropos that it fell during Fashion Week. The ADAM/Adam Lippes show fit into the former category. Upbeat music set the background for a sassy collection with lust-worthy jackets and coats.ย
Here’s what they wore to the show.ย
This look wins for “best of the bow ties,” which have been particularly popular with men this season. The big, silky floppy style is more daring–especially for day–than a traditional bow tie. Beautifully paired with a dove gray velvet blazer.ย
Big drapey scarves and layers signal a different kind of luxury/coddling oneself, moving away from the It Bags that were the luxury item of previous seasons. Still, we can’t totally abandon our bags, as this woman shows below. They’re just downsized.
Fetishistic boots are still going strong–like these embellished with gold studs.ย
Just when you think you’ll kill the next person wearing a fedora, someone comes along with such a cute look. She wears it jauntily. And the YSL canvas tote will probably get a lot of use.
A man in red Valentine’s mode. This old-timey look of newsboy caps, blazers, vests, and pocket squares is the new Fashion Week uniform for men.
Kate Lanphear of Elle, always looking impeccably cool. Black Wayfarers are also de rigueur with the fashion set: The stark yet classic feel really resonates now.ย
This mash-up of patterns and colors creates a modern ragamuffin look that’s quite charming, especially paired with retro sunglasses.ย
Fashion Week SS09: Oscar de la Renta
A designer who dresses everyone from first ladies to megawatt stars, Oscar de la Renta draws a who’s-who list from fashion, New York society, and Hollywood to his shows on Park Avenue. The expensive suit that landed Cindy McCain in so much hot water with the press was Oscar de la Renta.
Anna Wintour in a beautiful white coat. Underneath she cinched her silk dress with a leather belt.
Funky glasses.
Here’s what black lipstick looks like off the runway–rather odd. If you took off the headscarf, this might be a good look. The gray dress on her friend is quite chic.
Conservative chic.
Black and white with a purple handbag.
Lee Radziwill in a white suit.
Sarah Rutson in slouchy harem pants and lots of necklaces.
Jamee Gregory proves that conservative does not have to equal boring. Love the Roger Vivier shoes.
Linda Wells looking very young and sophisticated in a LBD.
Winter florals in purple.
Meredith Melling Burke in a gorgeous black floral dress.
Virginia Smith, also of Vogue, accessorizing with an Obama pin on her handbag.
Rachel Zoe and sidekick. She actually looked really good in real life–perfectly put together. Now if only we didn’t know what was going on in that head of hers.
Fashion has changed with the climate–there were many more white cotton dresses in September. Call it winter white right now.
Nina Garcia obviously knows how to pick out a dress, but sometimes we think she needs a stylist. Looking at this photo, don’t you want to put her hair up? Unless you emphasize a long neck, puffy sleeves can create the football player effect.
There was a rumor about Jennifer Lopez that she uses Creme de la Mer as body moisturizer. Seen up close, her skin gives some credence that rumor–gorgeous!
Funky glasses.
Here’s what black lipstick looks like off the runway–rather odd. If you took off the headscarf, this might be a good look. The gray dress on her friend is quite chic.
Conservative chic.
Black and white with a purple handbag.
Lee Radziwill in a white suit.
Sarah Rutson in slouchy harem pants and lots of necklaces.
Jamee Gregory proves that conservative does not have to equal boring. Love the Roger Vivier shoes.
Linda Wells looking very young and sophisticated in a LBD.
Winter florals in purple.
Meredith Melling Burke in a gorgeous black floral dress.
Virginia Smith, also of Vogue, accessorizing with an Obama pin on her handbag.
Rachel Zoe and sidekick. She actually looked really good in real life–perfectly put together. Now if only we didn’t know what was going on in that head of hers.
Fashion has changed with the climate–there were many more white cotton dresses in September. Call it winter white right now.
Nina Garcia obviously knows how to pick out a dress, but sometimes we think she needs a stylist. Looking at this photo, don’t you want to put her hair up? Unless you emphasize a long neck, puffy sleeves can create the football player effect.
There was a rumor about Jennifer Lopez that she uses Creme de la Mer as body moisturizer. Seen up close, her skin gives some credence that rumor–gorgeous!
Fashion Week SS09: Marc by Marc Jacobs
There were lots of playful daytime looks among the ranks of people attending the Marc by Marc Jacobs show.
Black and white cape and a modified cloche hat.
Her colorful necklaces were echoed by similar looks on the runway.
She wears black wayfarer-type sunglasses and a shorts suit; he wears a collegiate blazer with crest of arms.
White cotton dress for fall and a cardigan with skull detail.
Velvet bow tie.
A beautifully sophisticated look–black satin for day.
Joe Zee in a suit, Kate Lanphear in gray high-waisted trousers.
Purple is popping up everywhere now, but stick to a deep, royal purple like this one or you’ll look like a purple people eater.
An elegant suit gets a little edge from sexy sandals.
Black and white.
Ken Downing of Neiman Marcus in a skinny tie. Let’s assume he had nothing to do with that Dallas Cowboys “wow gift” in the Christmas Book.
These super skinny jeans are in, but they must be paired with booties or heels, not the flats of years past.
Fuchsia houndstooth dress.
Male models leaving the show.
THE SHOW
Marc by Marc Jacobs is another show to watch for very practical purposes–to see what we’ll all be wearing next spring. Here Jacobs took the mismatchy looks of the designer collection and translated them into pale neutral stripes, plaids, and tribal prints for his contemporary line. The hook? There’s always a little mischief in a Marc by Marc Jacobs line. In this case it was the ultra short swingy dresses and fanny packs as accessories.
Men’s mismatching in gray.
Pale ecru colors offset with strands and strands of Caribbean-esque necklaces.
Pale ecru colors offset with strands and strands of Caribbean-esque necklaces.
Full, high-waisted, belted shorts were a theme of the collection.
Note the washed-out denim, which should be everywhere come spring. Lace-up flat booties add a pop of color.
He takes a utility-belt approach to the fanny pack, actually making it look cool. You can attach several colorful purses to this one wide studded b
elt.
A cute one-shoulder jumpsuit that flirts with the idea of androgyny. Note the layered belts and accessories that characterized this collection.
Beautiful metallic trench for day.
Men’s looks included a lot of rumpled trenches and roomy colorful pants like these.
View the whole collection on NYMag.com.
Posted in fashion
Tagged denim, fashion week, Joe Zee, Kate Lanphear, Ken Downing, Marc Jacobs, New York, street chic
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Fashion Week SS09: Marc Jacobs
Once populated mainly by artsy, rumpled Parsons students, the Marc Jacobs show is now a celebrity magnet where SUV’s pull up and dispense perfectly styled glamazons. The Parsons students are still there, but fewer and farther in between, and at least the celebs are giving them a run for their money, style-wise.
One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the pure electric thrill of a Marc Jacobs show. This is where fashion transcends the mundane and becomes something that continually surprises, inspires, and opens your eyes.
Jennifer Lopez and Victoria Beckham, up close and personal. Beckham’s main fashion statement at this show was her new haircut, which looked great in this playful pixie-ish state.
Padma Lakshmi. Not sure about the white silk jumper, but it is interesting to see more winter white right now.
Padma Lakshmi. Not sure about the white silk jumper, but it is interesting to see more winter white right now.
Lynn Yaeger donned a glamorous cape for the occasion and mixed it with some funky pink leggings and gold shoes.
Sofia Coppola, another style muse of Jacobs.
Black dress, red lipstick, and a flower in her hair. He turns an otherwise conservative outfit up a notch with a hot pink belt.
Tiny ruffles.
Hilary Alexander in a statement necklace.
Model on a cell phone.
THE SHOW
The collection, “The Americans,” was a send-up to all things American, with references from the Victorian era, 1920s, and 1940s mashed together, with a few obi sashes thrown in for good measure. Set to Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” (Leonard Bernstein’s performance?), the theme seems almost poignant in retrospect with everything that’s happened in the U.S. in the few weeks since the show.
One signature trick of Marc Jacobs is taking street trends and incorporating them into his collections. This idea of mixing patterns–florals, stripes, tweeds, and plaids–was first seen on the street earlier this year.
If you were to buy one thing from the collection, this ruffled skirt might be it. It has a Victorian bustle in back and was a recurring theme in the show.
If you were to buy one thing from the collection, this ruffled skirt might be it. It has a Victorian bustle in back and was a recurring theme in the show.
Jacobs jazzed up traditional stripes and tweed by injecting them with metallic thread.
He takes the obi sash theme a step further with this look and goes fully into Japanese territory with a beautiful butterfly print.
This dramatic striped dress got a great reaction from the crowd. But note that the majority of looks for this collection were not dresses but separates–mainly high-waisted, mid-calf skirts.
A beautiful, whimsical print that seems pure Marc Jacobs.
See Style.com for the entire show.
Posted in fashion
Tagged fashion week, Hilary Alexander, Jennifer Lopez, Lynn Yaeger, Marc Jacobs, New York, Padma Lakshmi, street chic, Victoria Beckham
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Fashion Week SS09: Ports 1961
And, after a Time-Warner-Cable-induced delay, we return.
It’s not truly Fashion Week unless you go to at least one pod people show–you know, the kind where the outfits are so out there that the models look like pod people. Ports 1961, the label by Canadian Tia Cibani, was one such show, with its motif of tree-inspired dresses, painterly colors, super-wide high boatneck collars, and hats worn like tribal masks, all drawn from the paintings of the Canadian artist Emily Carr (1871-1945). But during a fashion week where nearly everyone else was playing it safe, her unchecked creativity was a breath of fresh air.
The show attracted a similarly creative crowd.
Patrick McDonald in all black-and-white except for one yellow pocket square.
Love the surrealist detail on his hat–an eye in the middle of a spiderweb.
More black and white–the pants are Yoshi Yamamoto.
Beautifully abstract tie-dye transitions to fall.
Mickey Boardman and his signature necklaces.
Love her wry look. Look out for candy-colored wayfarers like these in the spring. They also made an appearance on the runway of the Walter show.
The dramatic look of a white fox stole.
THE SHOW
If you can get past the theatrics of some of the looks, you’ll see that Cibani was one of the few designers during New York Fashion Week to anticipate what the Wizard of Oz herself, Miuccia Prada, would be unveiling a couple of weeks later in Milan. Ports 1961’s subtle metallic poplins are an exciting step forward in the same direction.
A favorite look of the collection. This delicate yellow hue appeared several times throughout. Necklace made of bone?
The play of colors here is amazing–Cibani uses sheers and reflective fabrics that are constantly shifting colors as the model moves.
A transparent striped tunic, silk palazzo pants, and statement necklace made of yarn.
Crazy hat-mask.
Gorgeous brown shimmery dress.
Look at the similarity to the Prada dress that appeared a few weeks later, though in typical Prada brassier form.
But back at Ports 1961, just when you thought Cibani might be getting too commercial, she whips out a pod people look. Yay!
View the entire show on NYMag.com.
Posted in fashion
Tagged fashion week, Mickey Boardman, New York, Patrick McDonald, street chic
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Fashion Week SS09: Tracy Reese
In transitional months like May and September, when you don’t know what to wear, a good bet is black and white. That seemed to be the thinking this weekend as dozens of show goers dressed in absolutes. One of the biggest developments was winter white, right now–though they’re usually packed away after Labor Day, white dresses were making an appearance in September.
A study in contrasts–the white says spring/summer while the black tights signal winter.
A bow blouse and flouncy skirt.
She is always a presence at Fashion Week and is never one to shy away from outrageous hats. Before the show, she had to describe to a friend on her cell phone what she was wearing (“hot pink, red, and green!”) because the friend couldn’t identify her in the crowd. Hilarious.
Winter white right now.
A gorgeous statement necklace.
Admiring Kate Lanphear’s blouse. From far away, it looked like winter florals, but it was actually an abstract polka dot pattern–in black and white. Also note that while she rocked the gladiator sandals last Fashion Week, Lanphear has put them away in favor of tough-looking open-toe booties. And of course platforms are par for the course.
This outfit, also captured by the Sartorialist, is not just insanely stylish but also quite comfortable-looking on Sarah Rutson, fashion director of Hong Kong’s Lane Crawford. Yes, even the bondage-insprired animal-print stilettos, which are second nature to a fashionista.
Tough chic.
Claiborne Swanson and Virginia Smith of Vogue. Swanson is wearing the boyfriend blazer that will be everywhere next spring; Smith wins for shoes, which also caught Bill Cunningham‘s eye.
Gorgeous green and white wide-legged pants.
Celebrating the outrageous.
A bow blouse and flouncy skirt.
She is always a presence at Fashion Week and is never one to shy away from outrageous hats. Before the show, she had to describe to a friend on her cell phone what she was wearing (“hot pink, red, and green!”) because the friend couldn’t identify her in the crowd. Hilarious.
Winter white right now.
A gorgeous statement necklace.
Admiring Kate Lanphear’s blouse. From far away, it looked like winter florals, but it was actually an abstract polka dot pattern–in black and white. Also note that while she rocked the gladiator sandals last Fashion Week, Lanphear has put them away in favor of tough-looking open-toe booties. And of course platforms are par for the course.
This outfit, also captured by the Sartorialist, is not just insanely stylish but also quite comfortable-looking on Sarah Rutson, fashion director of Hong Kong’s Lane Crawford. Yes, even the bondage-insprired animal-print stilettos, which are second nature to a fashionista.
Tough chic.
Claiborne Swanson and Virginia Smith of Vogue. Swanson is wearing the boyfriend blazer that will be everywhere next spring; Smith wins for shoes, which also caught Bill Cunningham‘s eye.
Gorgeous green and white wide-legged pants.
Celebrating the outrageous.
Love her black-and-white bow-neck blouse.
Robert Burke, fashion consultant extraordinaire, in his usual dapper blazer.
Katrina Szish in the most dramatic bow blouse of the day.
Curly hair was one of the biggest beauty trends this fashion week. Put away your straight irons!
It wouldn’t be Fashion Week without this guy. He selects the fabric for his suits himself and commissions them, and for the past year or so he’s had cute sidekicks. Today’s fabric of choice? Black and white.
Two editors from Vibe Magazine.
THE SHOW
Andre Leon Talley was seated front row at the Tracy Reese show, which started with a number of playing-it-safe muted solids before developing into her usual festive prints–phew. If even Tracy Reese had gone the conservative route, this would have been a sad Fashion Week indeed. This season Reese’s colorful patterns became more abstract, perhaps the product of new high-tech printing processes.
A winner of a trench coat in raw silk.
This Asian-inspired open-cut tulip skirt was a continuing motif in the collection.
This Asian-inspired open-cut tulip skirt was a continuing motif in the collection.
An abstract print.
The jury’s still out on harem pants for spring, but when you see looks like these, it gives you more confidence in the trend. This outfit is both chic and infinitely wearable.
An elegant open tulip cut cocktail dress in a mustardy chartreuse for spring.
See the whole collection on Style.com.
Posted in fashion
Tagged Andre Leon Talley, fashion week, Kate Lanphear, Katrina Szish, New York, Robert Burke, Sarah Rutson, street chic, Tracy Reese, Virginia Smith
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Fashion Week SS09: Rosa Cha
Or: Aprรจs Cha, le deluge.
It was a category five clothing quandary: What to wear for a hurricane during fashion week? The answer: The same thing you’d normally wear, of course. Nina Garcia gave some very practical advice through NY Mag: opt for platform shoes. “I’ve learned that it’s about the biggest platforms you have so that you can go over the water.”
Red lipstick.
Great boho pants. Paired with the necklace, they telegraph Brazilian chic.
Miss USA Crystle Stewart, who looked very cool in her own cross necklace before her handlers made her take it off to put on a boring sash. Boo!
Two young women in all black. The “Anglomania” tee is Vivienne Westwood.
Liked her defiant use of white shoes after Labor Day. This outfit is somewhat practical: umbrella and platform shoes as hurricane preparation plan.
THE SHOW
One of the biggest trends in swimwear has been the return of the one-piece suit, which should keep going strong next spring and summer. Rosa Cha showed a number of one-pieces, many of them in very sexy cuts that belied the idea of one-pieces as conservative.
This simple suit in a tomato red Chevron pattern got a great reaction from the crowd.
Here Rosa Cha designer Amir Slama turns the conservative element of a one-piece on its head, injecting it with peekaboo bondage elements.
This dress in a gorgeous green pattern is actually a pantsuit. Super wide palazzo pants floated down the runway. Let’s hope this design becomes the new standard for glam beach coverups.
In what would be a recurring theme with several designers this season, there were brown looks for spring, including this sheer cocktail dress.
Brown for spring: a natural progression from winter florals? The whole idea of seasonality is in question right now–especially because it was the first time in recent memory that a hurricane came to New York Fashion Week.
See the whole show on NYMag.com.
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Tagged fashion week, New York, Nina Garcia, street chic
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Fashion Week SS09: Walter
In the whirlwind of fashion week, it can be easy to forget why you’re going to show A versus show B. But there was a very practical reason to go to the Walter show: to see what we’d all be wearing next spring!
This accessible line is sold nearly everywhere now, but it’s still a favorite of the fashion set–the show was sponsored by Elle and Style 360. Like Erin Fetherston, Walter was selected as a LU Style Award Winner. (Not quite sure what that means, but LU makes those delicious biscuits with the chocolate schoolboy on top, and blessedly, they’re a sponsor of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Power bars be damned.)
Love her style–a combination of punk and femme.
Gorgeous silver leather jacket.
Ruffles and high-waisted jeans.
Three chic women.
THE SHOW
We dread seeing lots of bland clothes on the runway because of the economy. So it was a relief to see that Walter didn’t shy away from prints, because the general appetite for them is far from sated. Here there were plenty of florals and super-saturated colors.
A signature floral print for spring in high-waisted pants with exposed zippers.
High-waisted skirt and shorts that build on the short poufy skirts popular right now.
This long flowy dress looks beautiful in motion and deserves a trip to St. Barth’s.
An eye-catching orange print maxi dress.
You can find full coverage of the show on WWD.com.
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Tagged fashion week, New York, street chic
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Fashion Week SS09: Charlotte Ronson
The crowd at the show always says something about the designer. At Charlotte Ronson’s show on Saturday, industry heavy-hitters mixed with stylish gamine types. And no wonder: Ronson, who currently has a great diffusion line at Urban Outfitters, is one designer who possesses both street cred and commercial success.
A fashion week power duo – her look is casual chic, mixing a classic white shirt with layered statement necklaces.
Love the Chanel bag with the long strap worn cross-chest mixed with a plaid shirt, shorts and gladiator heels. This outfit strikes just the right balance between dressed down and dressed up for a Saturday morning fashion show.
Black Ray Ban Wayfarers look just right again for this fall–especially paired with a LBD.
Another short, poufy bubble skirt. The shiny silk in a black floral print is spot-on.
Head-to-toe Charlotte Ronson. The jacket–a gray denim take on a motorcycle cut–is particularly covetable.
More schoolboy charm. Note how he balances it out with hair and sunglasses that clearly say “city” not “country” to give the outfit some edge.
THE SHOW
There are two schools of thought about how to design during tough financial times. One is to play it safe, going for a “classic” look to create something the consumer could potentially wear for several seasons. The second is to exaggerate trends to make last season’s clothes look outdated–a defining strategy during the last few years in fashion–so that people will keep spending. How many eras have we visited in the last two years? Victorian, ’50s, ’70s, ’60s boho, futuristic styles, Art Nouveau? It’s enough to make your head spin–or give up buying handbags, which is exactly what the industry doesn’t want.
Charlotte Ronson started off this season’s show by playing it safe with lots of gray and dusty pink–a logical transition from this fall’s all black looks. The music rocked, naturally (thanks to Sam?), and Lindsay Lohan was seated front and center.
Ronson’s gray denim clothes were nicely tailored and more than presentable, but they wouldn’t pop–on film or in real life. It would be a shame if we all reverted to true recession wear (think early-mid nineties) and dressed in a uniformly gray way.
Not so the later looks in the show–a blue and white striped cotton cardigan was dip-dyed in blue. Now this is a recession-proof look we can live with: fashion that improves on the current season’s trends (cardigans, nautical, dip-dye) and takes them to a new level of creativity.
You can see more Getty images from the Charlotte Ronson SS09 show here.
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Tagged denim, fashion week, New York, street chic
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Fashion Week SS09: Erin Fetherston
Mercedes Benz Fashion Week kicked off Friday in the Bryant Park Tents. One of the most anticipated shows was Erin Fetherston’s. This indie fave designer of the fashion set was tapped by Target last year for a diffusion line that launched in November ’07.
A model poses–gorgeous hair and gold cuff bracelet.
One of the biggest trends this fashion week is shaping up to be the poufy short skirt. It brings ballerina charm to 20-something girls with nice legs–but it’s a lot more forgiving than a bandage dress.
One of the biggest trends this fashion week is shaping up to be the poufy short skirt. It brings ballerina charm to 20-something girls with nice legs–but it’s a lot more forgiving than a bandage dress.
She too wears the poufy skirt cut, this time in dress format. Love his tongue-in-cheek prep-school look with the newsboy cap, bucks, and blazer complete with a coat of arms.
A great transitional look–taking a floral (poufy skirt) dress, cinching it with a black belt and pairing with a little black blazer.
Two guys in bow ties, one with high-octane silver shoes.
Lynn Yaeger, always in style. The bag with an illustration on front is Lanvin.
Many cute boyish elements–the fedora, the shorts, the pseudo wife-beater, add up to one chic, feminine outfit when paired with T-strap heels.
A model and her handler. As she passed by, she said, “I have about 20 pounds of gold chains on my neck!”
A dress made almost entirely of zippers, by one of New York Fashion Week’s sponsors, YKK Zippers.
A girl with a pinstripe bustier over a white button down–Mad Men 2015?
