the middle of Fall 2011 NYC Fashion Week. From just the first three days of events, these are some highlights I personally liked from designers such as Cynthia Rowley, Alexander Wang, The Row, Marc Jacobs, Rodarte and Betsy Johnson.
Cynthia Rowley is always a collection I make a point of checking out every season. This time around she featured what appear to be velveteen or velour coats and gowns paired with everything from Lycra to full sequins. But the one thing that stood out the most in this collection was the designers unique take on the industry's Alexander McQueen inspired obsession with geometric shapes and digitally generated prints. The almost 3D appearance of these skirts is 
eye popping to say the least.
Who better than Alexander Wang to do a show loaded with futuristic lighting, black shiny fabrics and stunning wide heeled shoes. I normally shy away from designers who make clothes only in neutrals because I don't understand the vendetta against colour, but Wang is usually an exception to this rule. His soft, matte base fabric paired with Lycra lapels all in black screams texture contrast and really works throughout the line. Throw in a few shredded silk gowns and you've got yourself a winner. And he manages to pull all of 
this off with models wearing their hair in loose buns on the backs of their heads. Simple.
The Row is a young fashion house started for a very exclusive clientele managed and designed by none other than fabulous Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Normally I am not an advocate of the whole actor turned designer thing... but I feel like Mary-Kate and Ashley are a huge exception to this rule. I'm mostly impressed with the fact that they didn't just decide they wanted to make clothes and use their fame to create a label - they actually paid their dues like the rest of us and attended NYU for Fashion Design. Love it. Anyways with this collection, like the rest of the season, it seems to be all about colour and pattern. The bright yellows paired with soft grays were a great contrast with the full leopard print coats and bright blue fur. What really killed me though was the hats. How these women managed to make a giant ball of fur on ones head look elegant, unique and utterly stylish, I'll never know.
Keep checking these shows out and I'll have more info on the collections of Marc Jacobs, Rodarte and Betsey Johnson in the next post.
Peace for now!!
