D&G Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2010

The D&G-girl won’t get a cold that easily next winter. She can dress head to toe in sexy, comfy, warm Nordic knits with a pair of big furry snow-boots at her feet.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana continued the ski-theme of their menswear-collection for next fall, but without the thick, blown up ski-wear. Their womens-collection was all about the big sweater – worn like a short dress with a belt-, shorts, vests and overalls in Nordic patterns (red, black and white). The pattern even turned up as a print on their jeans. The knits were not bulky, but more streamlined – and sometimes very tight – and mixed wonderful with the airy dresses, long skirts and blouses.

Of course this was a true commercial collection, but with lots of stuff to love. Ski-fashionistas will go for the glitzy ski-goggles, while a citygirl will love the warm vests, big bags and snow-boots. We’ll leave the furry bloomers and strapless, knitted tops for the advertisements.

Blugirl Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2010

The Blugirl Fashion Show started off fresh and kind of angelic as the first few models appeared dressed in ivory (cream) shades from head to toe. Yet through the angelic image the Italian spirit of the brand was very clear as well. Models in animal printed dresses with matching gloves and headbands reminded us of that. Plus: the heavy use of embellishments like studs, crystals and sequins looked perfect for any Italian (Blu)girl.

Since knitwear was the starting point for the collection the clothes had a lot of texture. In one look you could have a heavy woolen coat with a floral patterned skirt combined with a legging in another graphic design.

We thought some of the chunky knits resembled fur, but according to the show notes they were even meant to replace fur. This ‘fake fur’ could be seen on many of the sleeves of the woolen coats.

After the animal prints the cream shades were mixed with dresses in gold lamé and clothes full of silver sequins. Then the collection turned a little darker. First gray, later on black.

We saw black knitwear combined with some sequined outfits. It also formed a nice combination with some black see-through lace. Some of the gray/black dresses, jackets and leggings were dip dyed.

All models wore multiple necklaces and two elastic bands, one at the beginning of their ponytail and one halfway. Some girls wore a sequined headband.

After all the black, the cream shade popped up one more time for the final, ‘bridal’ look. The last model wore a cream lace dress and a matching fur coat. On her head she had a tiara, in her hands she held a bouquet. It seemed like the perfect ending of a cohesive, textured, feminine and very Italian Blugirl collection.

Calvin Klein Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

For the Calvin Klein fashion show young and old models were united. Doutzen Kroes was in the audience and watched topmodels from the 80’s/90’s, Kirsten McMenamy (1966) and Stella Tennant (1970), strolling down the runway. They walked in the show right next to beginning models such as Karlie Kloss (1992) and Dutch model Gwen Loos (1993).

All girls had the androgynous look (which made McMenamy and Tennant so famous) going on: their hair was combed backwards and their clothes were kind of stiff.

It was clear Francisco Costa let his clothes speak for themselves. He didn’t send anything on the runway that could distract you from that. So, no accessories, no bags, no special make-up, no crazy poses, just Calvin Klein fashion like we know it.

The designer came up with a few non-waisted woollen coats. Their shoulders were rounded and the sleeves were wide. Those coats were shown in black, brown and white. And apart from a blue and a lilac colored dress all designs came in those neutral shades.

Costa’s streamlined shift dresses and coats all ended just above the knee. Besides, his clothes were all pretty loose fitting so the collection did lack some sex appeal. The designer did use some shiny black and white (almost silver) silk for his pants, blouses and dresses. He also added a few sparkles on the last designs of his collection but it didn’t make a lot of difference.

Two good things about the clothes are (1) in a room full of people they won’t attract all the attention towards you and (2) you are never showing too much skin when you’re wearing them. Yet you’d have to have a strong, expressive personality to make some of the looks work.

Ralph Lauren Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

After his ode to the American workers during the Depression, Ralph Lauren decided to take a more romantic road to fashion. The collection looked almost vintage Ralph Lauren, with its dark Edwardian touch, lots of velvet, black, burgundy and flowerprints.This is a style we know so well and which made him famous.

Ralph Lauren’s skill is to make the predictable look fresh. But he also to adds a discreet sexual vibe to male/female combinations. Jodhpurs curved to the waist and velvet vests were bodyhugging. The outerwear was plentiful, strong and mannish.

Long chiffon skirts and dresses reminded of Lauren’s favorite prairie-dresses, they were often mixed with long coats.

Philip Lim Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

Every fashioncity has its darlings. Philips Lim is one of the darlings of New York. Not because he is so brilliant and original, but because he knows how to sell clothes. The Chinese American Phillip Lim has a major in business at California State University and that shows.

American fashion generally puts pragmatism ahead of pyrotechnics; Lim more than most. That can make his shows seem like a series of ticked boxes rather than an experience. Mohair? Got it. Céline-esque camel drenched minimalism? Check.   Those winter 2010 trends kept on coming. Jersey, fur trims, trouser suits, low-shine sequins, sheepskin-lined biker jackets, animal prints. Sometimes it makes you a bit grumpy because it is almost predictable.

After launching his label six years ago, Lim now sells in more than 400 stores around the world and it’s not hard to see why. In real life the clothes work just fine. Lim has a knack for combining cute with chic.

Proenza Schouler Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

After a few sexy and dangerous looking collections  Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez gave their women more clothes to wear this fall. They layered her with staple pieces like swinging coats, cashmere sweaters and bubble-skirted dresses.

Of course the collection had some special details like the rubber printed cotton twill pants with black and white inkblots  These were cool, but the skirts that followed were better:  pleated or folded, in navy and green. Very girlish.

The designers also picked up on the season’s fur theme, but there were coats in alpaca too and dresses in black and white angora. The chic little  dresses that closed the show hit a high note.

Narciso Rodriguez Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

Narciso Rodriguez let his signature codes — sleek, a-symmetric cuts and architectural details — rule his fall winter collection. The collection was full of good, studied clothes, grounded in controlled silhouettes, which packed commercial appeal and were a bit on the safe side.

Sleek but sturdy outerwear, much of it reversible, was the message for the day. A parka,  a thick, shearling jacket with a wrap funnel collar  felt protective. Rodriguez’s razor-like cut-outs, slashed across the shoulder, or a sliver down the chest, came into play on glossy silk dresses for the evening.

Anna Sui Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

The first word that came to our minds when watching Anna Sui’s fashion show? Folklore.

With a stained-glass rendering of a Woodstock landscape in the background the models presented the most colorful outfits, the busiest prints and the most unexpected combinations of fashion items.

Every piece of clothing the hippie-chic girls had put on, was screaming for attention. Even Anna Sui’s tights were out of the ordinary. Yet the American designer mixed and matched all clothes and accessories in such a way that it looked all right. In fact, we’d almost belief wearing an embroidered suede dress with a jacquard blouse, printed tights and a big necklace was the only right way to wear it.

The prints had floral, graphic and animal details. And the colors we saw, varied from grey to army green, pink, red, brown, beige and purple. The final looks of the collection all came in white. The dresses in shades of brown, red and beige were our favorites, since they looked so perfect for autumn.

Apart from the colors and prints Anna’s collection was also a great gathering of textures. Suede, silk, crochet, lace and transparent dresses effortlessly alternated each other on the runway. In between those dresses woollen skirts, fur stoles, chunky cardigans and a quilted coat grabbed our attention.

Apart from the tights from her own leg wear line, the accessories in this collection were not made by Anna Sui herself. Jamie Coviello made the knit hats, Adrienne Landau took care of the fur stoles and the necklaces and brooches came from a century old Pottery in Detroit, Sui’s home town.

With this show Anna Sui gave numerous examples of how to mix and match her most colorful pieces. But will others be just as good at the styling job? We’re curious what combinations people will come up with and we doubt they will look as good as Anna’s.

Oscar de la Renta Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

The first things that caught our attention at the Oscar de la Renta fashion show were Jessica Biel sitting front row and the hair and make-up of the models. All girls had a classic look going on: beautiful eyes and lips and flawless curls. Even the spiky hair of model Freja Beha Erichsen now looked amazing.

The clothes were pretty impressive as well. The striking colors alone would make you look twice on the street. A woollen coat in red had a purple fur collar. A silk dress came in shiny orange, followed by a cobalt blue one. We also saw outfits in emerald green, turquoise and pink.

A couple of designs had a busy indescribable print, others were embellished with sequins in different shapes and sizes.

All models were very well-dressed. The dresses all stopped at knee-length and had very decent collars and necklines. The collection was spiced up a bit by some transparent tops and a pair of trousers (one of the three trousers in the whole collection) with several cut-outs.

Oscar’s evening dresses seemed to belong to four different collections. Some were column shaped, other were voluptuous. A few had floral prints, others had small polka dots. Some had sequins, others were transparent. A few came in black and white, others were turquoise or fuchsia colored.

The final dress was our favourite one: long, silver colored and shiny. It had a gorgeous collar and was completed with the perfect belt, brooch and clutch.

Overall Oscar de la Renta showed an elegant, feminine collection, yet he should have made it a little bit more cohesive.

Michael Kors Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

Michael Kors’ fashion show started about twenty minutes late, which in the world of fashion is almost too early. For celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe it actually was. She came in late and had to watch the show from the standing room. And although she and mister Kors seemed such good friends on the Rachel Zoe Project the designer didn’t think she was worth waiting for. We wonder if she still was still mumbling her famous ‘I die’ sentence from the standing room…

Luckily other important guests like Donald Trump and Michael Douglas found their front row seats in time to watch the full show.

For next winter Michael Kors didn’t show any of his typical, sleeveless, Michelle Obama-appropriate dresses. Yet the first lady might have approved some of the caramel skirts he designed.

Most clothes, such as cashmere sweaters, woollen pants, thick collars and some -larger than life – fur coats, looked very winter proof. Yet those cosy winter clothes did contrast a bit with items like a see-through turtle neck and some sweaters with an extremely low V-neck. But hey, we’ll just wear an extra basic underneath these items and they’ll be just as wearable as the rest of this fall/winter collection.

The male models resembled the ideal boyfriends in their matching shades of grey, camel and beige. Their V-necks were just as low and their collars were just as big as those of the girls. Yet for his menswear Michael Kors was a little more subtle with the fur.

Our favourite items of the show were some sweaters with the large woollen collars and a few loose fitting pants. We also loved how the leather belts and boots perfectly finished off every look. The long evening gowns were very pretty as well. Although we’re not sure if the shiny gold one will look good on a lot of people.

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