Fashion Week- In Review

Hooray! Fashion Week was last week and what I wouldn't have flipping done to have been there!

I came thisclose to going up for a career expo, but naturally THAT didn't work out. How am I supposed to get at least two years of industry experience if no one will give me a job?

Okay no more job ranting, this is about fashion! Maybe I'll get a phatty job and be all up in Bryant Park next year...

Okay, NOW I'm done :)

Obviously, the shining moment for me was the Project Runway designers show. I know right…who knew I was a fan…

Anyway, in general we saw a lot of different looks for the coming season, and quite a bit of “everything old is new again”. We saw the rebirth of grunge thanks to Marc Jacobs and (fa real?!) Ralph Lauren. There were lots of leggings (yes it’s debatable that they even look good on models, not so much on normal folk…so when in doubt, leave the leggings in the late 80’s corner of your closet), lots of short poofy dresses w/ pockets, and lots of jewel tones, knitwear and tons of metallics harmonized in some fab garments.

Now I haven’t looked at EVERY designer, but I’d like to highlight the looks I’m fond of from what I did see.

Let's begin with the new school hip looks of Zac Posen. Relatively new to the big-name fashion world, Zac Posen has been driven by a lot of young and fabulous design, as well as some young and fabulous celebrities. Well, the young and fabulous Posen went a little in the sexy secretary direction. With dark colors and clean lines, his collection embodied a woman's beauty in a classic way. While a collection like this is a bit different for Posen, he still hit the nail on the proverbial fashion head with a stunning line.

For more young and fabulous, we have Matthew Williamson who used a lot of the aformentioned technique of knitwear mixed with metallic fabrics. Lots of color and lots of shimmer combined beautifully with lots of neutrals and structured pieces. And could the shoes be cuter?!

Next I wanna talk about Jill Stuart. The collection didn't get cohesive reviews either good or bad, but I really liked it. The garments were youthful and fresh with an overriding sense of British cool to them.

As said before, everything old is new again and this wasn't more apparant during fashion week then with the apparant rebirth of Seattle Grunge. How cool, right? The king of gurnge chic the first time around, Marc Jacobs, had a collection chock full of chic plaids, heavy knits and lots of layers. Mixing in metallic elements and the always fabulous accessories gave grunge a gorgeous makeover.

Next in the nu-grunge line is Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren?! I know, right? Ralph funks it up a bit in his latest collection w/ typical RL pieces done in knits, metallics and plaids that give the collection a wide range. I like that the pieces could be worn by virtually any age group and still look fabulous and suitable.

Ahhh, the fabulous Michael Kors. Much like Ralph Lauren, Kors is typically known as the go-to guy for style simplistic. And again, much like RL, Kors put a little funk in his collection this year, and I LOVE it!

Other designers kept it simple and gorgeous with classic styles ready and set for the new season. These go-to designers for red carpet looks utilized color, cut and the simplicity of black and white to display their designs. Among these designers was Carolina Herrera:

The always fabulous Monique Lhullier:

And, natch, Narciso Rodriguez:

Lastly, are the designers of Project Runway. As far as I know, this was the Fashion Week debut for all four designers. While none of them was quite as ambitious as Jay McCarroll last year, the collection as a whole were well-received and quite amazing. What struck me the most was each line was SO different. I feel like a proud mom or something...my designers rocked it out! So, in alphabetical order...

Chloe Dao seemed to take a page from a really fabulous (and well-dressed) 80's prom. The collection was one of the more ambitious of the four, but it didn't always translate well. There were a handful of dresses and pieces that turned out really stunning, but as a whole, the collection had a nostalgic 80's feeling. Granted, it was the best the 80's have ever looked, certain garments seemed a bit contrived for the upcoming trends.

Kara Janx has never been my favorite on this show and was never even in my top three. I felt as though she was riding coattails during the competition, but boy was I mistaken! Given a decent enough amount of time to put thorough consideration into design and garments Kara produced a fierce collection that I absolutely adored. She was the most fun of the designers with her garments and made a spunky line that impressed all naysayers, including myself.

The whickety-whack is gone and there was not a feather to be seen in Santino Rice's Fashion Week collection. Thank GOD! I've said from the beginning that Santino has amazing talent and vision but he got all weird on us with skating pheonix's and trekkie jumpsuits. His collection was fabulous and ethereal and I would have worn almost any of it. The gowns were stunning and the flowy dresses (while a bit trend-dated) were really beautiful going down the runway. I dig the goddess look, and really loved Santino's entire line.

Finally, we have Daniel Vosovic...at least I wish I had Daniel Vosovic, but that's besides the point. Daniel is by far the darling of this competition and this collection showcases his taste level as well as his attention to detail. A young and hip designer with a sexy secretary line...hello Daniel V! The nice thing about the simplicity of this line is the embellishment and little details that Daniel put into each piece. With clean lines and simple colors, Daniel lets the designs showcase themselves.

Overall, Fashion Week rocked hardcore and the Project Runway designers had a great showing. Hopefully, this time next season I'll be doing a more hands-on report. Until then...keep it fabulous!