Tag Archives: street chic
Street Chic: David Byrne Concert in Prospect Park
What happens when David Byrne throws a free concert in Prospect Park to open the season of Celebrate Brooklyn, a summer of music, dance, spoken word, and film at the band shell? Approximately ten thousand people show up to see an amazing show. The concert, which was free because, as Byrne joked, “Given the cost of concert tickets these days, the poor hedge fund guys and investment bankers can no longer afford them. So made sense to do a free show, as the tour has been going incredibly well and we can afford it.”
Not only was there valet parking for bicycles, Byrne himself biked to the concert. (He lives in DUMBO.) Because of huge monitors and speakers set up in the surrounding fields, even fans squeezed out of the band shell could see the show.
The wait was suspenseful, but fortunately, we had people watching to entertain us in the meantime. Here are some of the best outfits on the scene – and some good clues to what to wear at outdoor shows this summer. Plus! A brief video of Byrne shimmying to vintage tunes “Crosseyed and Painless” and “Once in a Lifetime.”
Meatpacking District, 1pm on a Tuesday
Yesterday’s weather made for tricky dressing: the sunshine was brilliant, but it was quite cool in the shade. In the Meatpacking District, women wore white jeans, boots with skirts, leggings, and scarves to warm up summer clothing. Men ran the gamut in everything from shorts to tailored suits. Neutrals look nice, but bursts of color are popping up everywhere.
Best and Worst Dressed of the Met Costume Institute Ball
There was a lot to love – and so much to hate! – about the celebrity fashion at the 2009 Met Costume Institute Ball. First off, the theme of “The Model as Muse” guaranteed that there were going to be a lot of beautiful models there, because what beautiful person doesn’t want to go look at photographs of herself? Marc Jacobs, who bought up several tables for the event, supposedly counseled his posse to “wear short.” Maybe I am drinking the MJ Kool Aid, but the short styles, especially with the minidresses with trains, looked especially fetching. Mermaid styles? Please, please, celebs: stop shopping your closet for these.
All these photos are from WWD, which has an amazing slideshow of all the major hitters.
– OMG, Donatella, you didn’t tell me you were going to wear the blue Versace dress too?
– Quit your bitching, Cindy. At least I’m not popping out of my fabulous clashing blue Versace creation. You should be lucky we got these back from those drag queens in time for the ball.
Street Chic: Union Square Greenmarket
It may seem like forever ago that it was warm and sunny, but spring will be sprung again – and when it does, what will you wear? Dresses are still a strong trend, though this year the focus is on the waist. Put away the empire-waisted baby doll styles and go for shirt dresses in bright colors or delicate florals.
Distressed denim in all forms is going strong, and it seems like you can roll up the cuffs on almost anything and call it the “boyfriend” look.
After the jump: look at what New Yorkers were wearing on a hot Saturday at the Union Square Greenmarket.
The rule for bright colors this spring? There are no rules. Go as bright as you want and mix them all up. Love her pixie haircut, too.
TopShop Opening Day Photos
There were a lot of trendsters in line on the opening day for TopShop – in fact, there was more fashion outside than inside TopShop, due to the sheer volume of TopShop fans.
The biggest trend? Jean shorts in a variety of washes and cuts, often paired with tights and Doc Marten’s. New York designers may be channeling the ’80s right now, but this generation definitely seems to be having its own 1993 grunge moment.
A more tailored version of jean shorts.
First male TopShop fan in line. He was dressed a lot like the TopShop guys in their uniform of cropped pants.
Bright colors continue to be a big spring trend.
A variety of footwear. The heels are killer, but I would probably go with the other two choices for standing in line for two hours.
The official TopShop male uniform. Love the socks and the blazer with piping.
Sir Philip Green, left.
Kate Moss in a green dress, her own design, blocked from view by a cop who promised paparazzi he would move out of the way when the time came. Thanks, buddy.
Doc Marten’s, first sighting. Very appropriate for this occasion since they’re a British brand.
This look is sort of lazy-post-collegiate. Very artfully done.
The floral, feminine dress belted with a rough-looking leather belt is right on target. It echoed several of the Kate Moss Liberty prints inside.
Model Coco Young. Her blazer is perfection! The shoulders are just strong enough without being overwhelming.
More Doc Marten-esque boots, this time paired with a stretchy black miniskirt.
The ripped denim shorts paired with ripped tights and Doc Marten’s are classic early ’90s – but the feminine blouse and cool headphones place the whole outfit in this era.
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.
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.
More menswear style, this time on Roberta Myers, editor in chief of Elle.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hilary Alexander in a statement necklace.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.