The holiday of all stylish holidays is upon us: New York Fashion week. The well heeled, well tailored, and well groomed are swarming upon our city to watch as American designers unveil their collections for Fall 2007. With baited breath hoards of manolos, chloes, and christian louboutins clack into the Bryant Park tents and into one of the following venues: The Salon (the smallest of three), The Promenade (where among others, Project Runway hosts its finalists) and The Tent (where the big ballers show). In addition, there is the less formal Showroom, where smaller designers showcase their lines opting for a more intimate setting where guest are free to come and go as they please. (I would have loved this luxury at some of the shows I saw yesterday). Speaking of which . . .
In today's installment of fashion week coverage I will offer my humble critique of: John Bartlett, Alice Ritter, Marc Bauer, BCBG, Nicole Miller, and lastly the GenArt presentation and afterparty.
JOHN BARTLETT: A frontrunner in men's ready-to-wear, Bartlett is known for his preppy silhouettes, classic fabrics, and casual elegance. While the models were gorgeous(aside from one who looked constipated and was making a bee-line for the bathroom), and the people watching occupied me for the full 25 minutes we waited before the music was cued, I have to say I was non-plussed. There was nothing I really hadn't seen before: i mean honestly, how many cable-knit vests and v-kneck sweaters does a man need in his closet? The only thing I found interseting were his block-patterned blazers crafted from multiple treated leathers and knits. the last look was beautiful (or was it the perfectly chizeled features of the hunk who modeled it?) but aside from that, the collection looked like a cross between Abercrombie & Fitch and Ralph Lauren. Classic, fine... but BORING.
ALICE RITTER: What a mess. This designer opted to be "unique" and showed at the National Arts Gallery on Gramercy Park South. Truly a charming venue yes, but when you have lines upon lines of eager fashion guests, it's probably not a good idea to keep them ALL cooped up in a lobby that is suitable only for about 50 people, if that. Once settled in our seats, my claws retracted as I awaited what I knew was going to be a good collection (i got some sweet swag to boot, so i was happy) The models sauntered onto the short runway in unique braids, bright iridescent eye-shadow, and gray wool leg warmers. The clothes were tailored to perfection with pleating at the neck, the waist, the chest. I would charecterize the line as a melange of flameco and edwardian proportions with the elegance of tuxedo accents. She also did the most gorgeous coats I have seen in a while: volumonous, yet chic, and the draping was done to perfection. There was also a swing trench, bolero bomber jackets, and a mohair trench that I MUST have. I must admit the show was a little all over the place, and could have benefited from being paired down juuuust a bit, but after my let down from John Bartlett, I thought that Alice Ritter had hit a home run.
MARC BAUER: Oh the controversy! This year, Bauer's invitation noted that his show was to be sponsored by Peta. Seeing as how fur is huge right now, you can imagine the commotion that went on before the show: what to do with my coat? my hat? my scarf? An online-brit-blogger from Marie Claire actually approached me and my co-worker about just that: "how do you feel about going to the show? will you stash away your hat? If you wear it, is it defiant or just blaze?" Got in a picture, so maybe you'll see me online! Anyway, Marc's show was a letdown. For starters, he began the presentation by filling the Salon with fog via a fog machine placed off-stage. NOT A GOOD IDEA. I looked around as people coughed, fanned their faces, and generally made noises and gestures of disgust. But the show is not about the special effects... although the clothing didn't garner a very different reaction: No real inspiration whatsoever. He is an evening- wear designer which to his credit means that he has to satisfy myriad body types and tastes. But come on: velveteen floor length gowns? Even the model looked dumpy and ridiculous. His only saving grace were the 8 (or so) white gowns he did at the end. Sequins, appliques, and tulle, it was really beautiful although probably not so practical. And if I see one more empire waited floor length gown I will stand it protest. come on now! At least offer a twist, lets not add on to a trend that has gone on for long enough. Does it really take that much creativity to bedazzle a waist band and throw it onto some tulle gathered at the bust? His one high point: excellent ruching.
BCBG: Absolutely disgusting. Models wore these hand knit beanie-caps that looked like they had been snatched up from the reduced bin at a Salvation Army. There was an American Indian theme scattered throughout: adorned bibs on baby-doll dresses for one, but would Pochahontas be caught dead in a floor length black gown, slashed at the top with swarovski crystals? Me no think so. My prediction: It will take many many moons for BCBG to make up for this blunder of a collection.
NICOLE MILLER: Finally, something fresh and new! Miller's inspiration came from Colombia (the country, not the school. Sorry girls), and Peru. Models donned swinging skirts of varying lengths(please note that floor length skirts are making a comeback), and beautiful white blouses with front ties, or tiered arms. My favorite piece was what looked like (from the front) a knitted throw draped gently across the waist. When she walked past however I noticed that it wasn't a scarf, but a sweater. it was a great piece. Her gowns at the end were also extremely beautiful, and unlike some other designers who showed yesterday, she had unique twists on her designs that really made the dresses pop. Most notable was her last look, where two pieces of chiffon looped through a low slit on the back and then gracefully floated behind as it moved. Thank goodness that Nicole Miller was my last show of the day . . . it put me back in the mood to continue with fashion week and gave me the hope that maybe not all designers had suffered from a lobotomy that stripped them of all creativity and ingenuity.
GENART: I stayed for only a little (I had 15 minutes to get back uptown to catch Nicole Miller), but this was truly an experience. The presentation/party was held at the waterfront on 27th and 11th. The Warehouse-like space was scattered with vodka bars, lounges, and cocktail tables. At varying distances across the room were little stages where models stood like manequins showcasing the designs of the new and up-and-coming young designers. There was some interested styling, and overall the designs were intriguing. I never really cought which designer went with each stage, but one thing is true: we're in for some great new faces to grace the stages in upcoming fashion weeks! How nice it will be to have a breath of fresh air!
Ok thats all for now: not only because those are the only shows I saw, but also because i'm getting bored of blogging about them! Stay tuned for my next installment of fashion week fall 2007 coverage. Things to look forward to: Abaete, Carolina Herrera, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Peter Som, Chaiken, Badgley Miscka, Max Azria and many many others.
In the meantime check out some images I've posted.
(Marc Bauer and Alice Ritter images were unavailable at time of publication)
"fashion week is really hard for me"
