Proenza Schouler Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

With their spring collection McCollough and Hernandez seemed to be heading in a new direction. Their clothes seemed more lady-like or, as the designers referred to it themselves, ‘more polished or grown up in a way.’

In a beautiful and soft color palette of pale lavender, pastel yellow, salmon, pink and peach they sent out Chanel-like matted tweed jackets, hand-died and T-shirt dresses and tees and sheer, loose-fitting tank-dresses.

Like in their Resort collection the designers worked with the special Japanese Shibori tie-dye technique, which fit perfect in this collection.

Their embroideries, ruffled details, softer approach and lingerie-looks made the collection very feminine. A few colorful bags and some arty necklaces where the only accessories of the show, but that was just fine.

Anna Sui Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

The Anna Sui fashion show was all about Little House on the Prairie. The backdrop of the show was that of a wheat field with a small house on it. The clothes felt boho-chic and farm-ish, but you couldn’t describe them in one word.

This probably was due to the fact that Anna took her inspiration from so many different sources. In her show notes she named musician Joni Mitchell, artist Thomas Eakins, singer Neil Young, painter Andrew Wyeth, album Ladies of the Canyon and painter Winslow Homer as her inspiration sources.

She also added Holly Hobbie a fictive little girl from which the inspiration was obvious. Holly Hobbie wore the same kind of dresses as the models in the show and was often pictured with wheat in her hands, just like the models.

All clothes looked easy going and had a lot of aspects to focus on. Busy prints (paisley, floral, geometrical), lace, ruffles, embroideries and lots of different soft shades (indigo, lace, slate, ash, blue, nudes).

The long dresses, bell bottoms, round sunglasses, feather necklaces and headpieces made of wheat gave the show it’s seventies vibe. But Anna added just the right amount of funk to it, to make the collection feel modern and new.

Narciso Rodriguez Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

Narciso Rodriguez did minimalism way before the young American designers discovered it, the ones who showed their simple collections this week in New York. Rodriguez knows how to make a simple, pretty and easy dress – it made him famous.

The designer went back to his heydays in the nineties, looked at old pictures of celebs wearing his dresses and decided to leave out all the noise again and focus at strong tailoring and simple tea-dresses. Collarless coats were thrown over silk tank dresses, dresses were cut on the bias and colors were dark and blushy.

You see, minimalism can be very romantic and feminine too,

Michael Kors Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

For spring 2011 Michael Kors decided to design happy, colorful clothes. Backstage he was telling how he tried to incorporate all things in life that make him smile into his collection. He got inspired by his large terrace and the great beach life he lives.

The inspiration was visible through the colors in the show: beige, camel, green and pink. ‘In fact all colors I used, are colors you can find in the garden or on the beach’, Michael said.

The backdrop of the show was a green grass turf and even the models had a very natural look going on. Their hair was in a messy ponytail and they got red cheeks, which represented small sun burns.

The clothes were all very relaxed; long, over the knee skirts and jackets and loose fitting tops and dresses.  The designs looked effortless, without being boring. And according to Michael Kors that’s where fashion is going. ‘Clothes are going to be much more relaxed; longer lengths and more comfortable shoes’, he said. A minute later he added: ‘Clothes have to be cosy enough for at home, yet luxurious enough to wear in the city.’

Michael stressed the nature aspect of his collection by sending out some surprising looks which seemed to be made of turf. He showed some stunning bathing suits and combined a grey jersey sweater with a beige-shaded pair of glitter pants together in one contrastive look. The stuffy granny’s hats were not quite our taste, yet overall Michael showed enough great designs to choose from.

And the fact that he was proud of it, was proved by his whole victory lap at the end of the show. Bravo!

G-star Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

Held at the Pier 94 exhibition space in Manhattan the G-star fashion show, attended by celebs like Kelly Rowland, Kelly Osbourne, Natasha Beddingfield, Jay Manual en Miss Jay Alexander (ANTM), started off with some very clean looks. The first twelve looks where a mix of light denim and white. The clothes felt modern due to the color, the many zippers and pockets and the 3D shapes.

The extra functional details on most of the coats (zippers, hoodies, pockets) were inspired by the desert denim theme of the show. G-star made the high collars and head scarves worn with caps on top (meant to keep the desert sand out) look tough and streetwise.

Halfway the show some sand-colored items were introduced; cargo pants, jackets and a long, sleeves, flared coat. They looked stunning with the light blue colored denim items and were roughened up by lots of belts.

One thing’s for sure: the G-star girls are going to look very tough next spring. Their denim trousers were often even wider than the ones the male models wore. Not a skinny in sight. Especially the dark denim pants shown towards the end of the show looked gigantic. Yet combined with a sleeveless top those pants still felt feminine.

We can’t wait to see the faces of G-star, Liv Tyler and chess champion Magnus Carlsen (who were in the audience), in some of these brand new designs.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

Today Marc Jacobs’ models had the same frizzy hairdo as in his other show yesterday. Yet apart from the hair there was a whole different vibe going on. The spring/summer collection had everything in it the Marc by Marc Jacobs brand is famous for: flirty, playful, bright, young, wearable clothes and accessories.

Marc Jacobs chose orange and bright (almost neon) yellow as his main colors. He used those in his jumpsuits, summer dresses and skirts. Even the thick bangles and streetwise bags came in those eye-catching shades. Not to mention the models’ orange-colored lips.

The silhouette was feminine and playful at the same time. In most designs the waist was accentuated, the skirts and dresses came by in a flared version and the pants ended above the models’ ankles.

Remarkable were some ultra-short, yet high-waisted shorts and classic bathing suits. Less impressive were several shirt dresses and some navy-inspired red & white striped Tees. Also we must say the helmet hats most models wore on their heads looked kinda awkward.

For men Marc Jacobs came up with long (trench)coats, sweaters and shirts. The legs and sleeves of most pants and jackets seemed too short (7/8), but judging from the female looks this will be the style for next spring.

The male models wore their looks very careless; loose tie, standing shirt collar, tucked up sleeves and sneakers. Very cool & funky indeed!

All looks were perfectly balanced and had the right feeling, color and fit for the slightly younger audience Marc Jacobs aims at with this line. Their might have been an overkill on the stripes, but overall we liked what we saw.

Rodarte Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

The audience went bananas after the finale of the Rodarte ss2011-show. Again the sisters Mulleavy delivered a piece of artwork and handcrafted creations. Although this collection was inspired by nature too (wood, paper, reptile-skin, stone) it felt totally different than before, less magical. Maybe it were the stiff fabrics,or the  items that looked as if they were made of shifting plates ore maybe the dresses made of blue and white patterns that sometimes looked like china, delfware or wallpaper. Gone are the good witches, it’s hello to the goddesses.

It certainly was a step forward, since their signature handcrafted macrame-dresses were copied a lot lately. And the clear lines and layers definitely added a modern, contemporary touch to their style. Somehow the use of the colors – brown, copper, gold, gray, white and blue – and the wood-patterns made me think retro-American architecture and interiors. But the best part was the wearability, these are actually clothes women can wear. Well, some women.

Jason Wu Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

Jason Wu presented a strong collection focused at tailoring. He opened the show with a sleeveless top-with-bow and a pair of high-waisted pants. Smartly cut lean trousers appeared in several different colors and were paired with ladylike blouses or neat striped knits. Jackets, too, were elongated.  His evening-wear was colorful and had lots of sex-appeal. His lady like woman likes to play it loud in the evening!

Donna Karan Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

You can leave it to Donna Karan to make a theme like ‘Raw Romance’ into a beautiful, strong collection in just one color (sand) and a contrasting mix of crumpled jackets and sensual dresses and skirts.

This time, Karan left masculine influences behind and just focused at femininity. Even de crinkles looked sensual, and they sometimes reminded of old Issey Miyake-collections. The silhouette was long and lean. Filmy dresses and skirts cut on the bias added a delicate sensuality, fabrics were airy and seductive without being to obvious.

And in all its simplicity it was more personal and emotional than all the other minimalistic collections we saw in New York so far.

Marc Jacobs Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

Marc Jacobs’ fashion shows have changed a lot in the last few years. They used to start 3 hours late and Monday night it appeared Marc and his crew was too early. Half an hour before the show his team Tweeted ‘Marc’s ready now. Were waiting for editors.’ Eventually the show started exactly one time, which led to Courtney Love watching only the tail end of the show.

With Vivaldi’s ‘Summer’ coming from the speakers Marc’s first models entered the catwalk. After only one look we could tell what Marc’s inspiration was. His seventies-theme was visible in every little detail.

There were easy breezy dresses, blouses and jumpsuits all, of course, in the right seventies shades (burgundy, amber, coral pink, Byzantine, bright maroon). The busy prints from that era were present too, as well as the flared pants, which we saw on a jumpsuit and a metallic pair of pants. The shorts were tiny and the slits were high. Lots of fabrics were sheer ones and the pants were high waisted.

The make-up was perfect for the show. The models had bleached eyebrows, shiny eyelids (from lots of Vaseline) and matte, stained lips. Their hair was all frizzy and often decorated by an enormous flower.

Those flowers (which were actually lily’s) popped up everywhere in the show. Around the models’ necks and waists and on the collars of their clothes. Large hats, round sunglasses en small bags and clutches completed the looks.

Marc Jacobs brought back the seventies! And he did so in a very cool and modern way. So just like the curvy collection he designed for Louis Vuitton last season this one is bound the set the trend for a whole new fashion season. (And we’re so excited!)

Ps. It was rumoured that the show area is also the backdrop of the spring/summer campaign. Marc Jacobs might have show the campaign in tandem with the show.

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