Gucci Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2015

It was Alessandro Michele’s debut at Gucci this week. And his fall collection felt like a sharp break from Giannini’s Gucci and also Tom Ford’s version. The new man at the helm has a decidedly more romantic outlook. His Gucci girl is an ingenue with an eccentric side, one who looks as though she’s picked out her clothes at estate sales and vintage stores, and mixed them with handfuls of heirloom rings, chunky rimmed glasses, the occasional pompom hat, and fur-lined horse-bit loafers. The collection included colorful coats with fur cuffs and military leanings; fluttery, shapeless botanic print dresses; and unlined, skin-baring separates.

Marc Jacobs Catwalk, Fashion Show New York FW2015

Last season Marc Jacobs’ collection was all about military as an influence, his fall 2015 collection is military precision with no military reference. Everything was planned, crafted and polished to arch perfection, starting with the beauty — severe top knots and makeup; pristine manicures and pedicures despite gloves and covered shoes.

Within this exacting platform, Jacobs determined to parade the essence of the Marc Jacobs brand. To that end, he reviewed his past collections, selecting favorite recurring themes or specific elements to rework here: trompe l’oeil, dots, feminine looks in masculine fabrics, masculine looks in feminine fabrics, embellished coats, decorative sweats, patchwork furs, sweaters with argyle and heathers created with dazzling embroideries, references to art (Paul McCarthy; Space Invader), Saint Laurent, cartoon characters.

When many of these motifs first appeared in the Jacobs lexicon they were simpler: a dress with faux-pleats made of fabrics was just that. Here, everything was jeweled, embroidered, grommeted, sequined. Brocades topped crinolines and lined furs. A tweedy twinset was in fact sequins; an argyle, faux-python embroidery. Shearling was shorn into checks, mink sewn into chevron stripes and worn on the reverse side. Mannish coats flaunted sparkling jet cascades.

Proenza Schouler Catwalk fashion Show New York FW2015

The work of the abstract expressionists of the midcentury New York School inspired Proenza Schoulers fall collection. The designers looked specifically at the work of Helen Frankenthaler.

The collection pulsed with a raw power that started if not quietly, then simply, in the unfinished edges of thick tweeds and escalated into an intense tribal reverie. The first look set the tone of bravado — a tweed jacket and pants, everything about it exaggerated: unfinished seams, extralong sleeves; wide, looped-over self-belt; pants made of flapping panels, giant-sized fishnet hose, a thick, circular shawl encasing the shoulders.

All of those elements would recur, becoming more extreme in a fabulous display of fashion. The dominant silhouette was lean through the torso, releasing into more volume starting with the powerful lineup of coats and jackets in spotted calf, boiled felt inspired by the splayed felt work of Robert Morris. The fabrics were major, from the array of tweeds to various needle-punched treatments, including a black and red chiffon crepe that created a mottled, aged effect.

The weightiness of the outerwear found counterpoint in a new take on the bandage dress, wrapped and slashed to reveal skin and attitude. Another dress, a white sheath, got tufts of au sauvage fur at the waist and shoulders. Eventually these ideas mingled, becoming increasingly decorative for the finale of triballike motifs rendered in slashes, eyelets, grommets and intense embroideries, worn by a procession of glamorous she-warriors. Power dressing of a different sort.

Michael Kors Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

Opulent restraint, that was the theme of Michael Kors fall 2015 collection. A very American idea referring to Wallace Simpson, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. All of these women understood how to play with the yin and the yang.
Kors’ fall collection was runway reality at its most alluring. He showed both languid and tailored, the former in pretty bias dresses and sweater dressing; the latter working that gender yin-yang crossover — tweeds, trousers, crisp shirts and especially the outerwear, including a trench-cape hybrid worthy of an ultrachic Sherlock. In the opulent column, Kors’ fabrics were luxe, but often quietly so — the tony cashmeres and wools, the silk foulards.

Oscar de la Renta Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

It was Peter Coppings big night, presenting his debut collection for the house of Oscar de la Renta. And it was a graceful start. His Oscar debut was part homage, part anthology representative of the house’s range. He offered the spectrum: pretty dresses, constructed suits, sleek coat-over-dress looks. A series of graphic tweeds were inspired by the configurations of the buildings and windows he sees out his studio window; the legacy of celebratory color pushed Copping toward the occasional vibrant day look, including a full-skirted suit in fanciful red-violet. Copping infused the evening pieces with a certain youthfulness by using unlined lace for bodices, and working on new necklines. Some of the grander ball gowns could’ve used more fine-tuning. But if the fit on those numbers wasn’t quite as finessed as longtime Oscar followers remember, Copping demonstrated his deft sense of color—midnight blue and violet, chartreuse and bordeaux—and a special eye for detail. An ivory column with black embroidered flowers was exquisite, all the more so when it walked by and you got a look at the deep lace inset in back. There was a lot of poise in that gown.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier’s are now designing the Marc by Marc Jacobs collection for one year, and their message of youth, energy and grit remained strong and unwavering in attitude and aesthetic.

Bartley and Hillier have already secured their girl’s identity through a commendable consistency in the collections — the military references, graphic art, motor jackets and tailored skirts with tulle. For fall they steered in a defiant but positive direction, drawing on references including the work of artist William Morris, the Guardian Angels, the 1979 film “The Warriors” and Jeremy Deller’s political posters, which were channeled into graphic decorative statements.

The most notable progression were the long, lean silhouettes of structured maxi skirts and dresses, some with utility pockets, some bearing Morris’ pretty Arts and Crafts prints in shades of bright blue and muted green. The length gave the look a cool maturity that resonated in the refined cuts of neat, tailored fencing jackets, skinny cropped trousers and short dresses with molded bell-shaped skirts that had a smooth buoyancy.

Rodarte Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

The starting point for the latest Rodarte collection was birds. Migrating birds. Birds migrating from city to country. But is looked like it was all about disco. There were multicolor sequin stripes; one-shoulder dresses; a crystal mesh material that read as a kind of magic lamé; and that Bob Mackie-style, heavy-duty figurative bead embroidery that’s done a long-term penance in the thrift shop bins.

The connection between birds and disco was color: Avian plumage prompted a relook at that rainbow-hued, peacocking disco moment. And it’s also true that the bird reference wasn’t so far-flung, given the preponderance of feathers on the Rodarte runway.
 

Streetfashion Womenswear New York FW2015, Day 2

What are you wearing during the fashion weeks? Your Burberry-boots, that vintage Dior or your latest Celine coat? Maybe we’ll spot you in Paris, Milan, New York or Amsterdam. During the fashion weeks we refresh our streetwear posts regularly. We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: New York Fashion Week fall/winter 2015.

Ready to Fish by Ilja Visser Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

Un-related to any specific theme or inspiration, Ready to Fish by Ilja Visser started with a blank canvas to present a collection that reads like a sketchbook, and a compendium of the Ready to Fish style. It was important for them to capture the sketch-like quality of the unfinished – leaving room for both our own as the customers imagination and interpretation.
As a metaphor for this collation of ideas, used classic marble prints, adorning sketchbooks and archive folders that will prove instantly recognizable to everyone. The collection also emphasizes the idea that many archetypes that inspired the designer belong to the public domaine, and that the use of codes, references verses our own interpretations and developments are at constant play throughout the design process.

Tommy Hilfiger Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

Tommy Hilfiger started his company in 1985. And in three decades he has established a serious company with all the Americana people love. In the past 30 years, Hilfiger has ridden the wave of designer stardom, always with a certain admirable confidence. Maybe that’s because he has been unfailing in his love of Americana in its many, many guises. To kick off his 30th anniversary celebration, he created a Fall collection inspired equally by American football and Love Story.
He staged the show at the Park Avenue Armory, which was transformed into a football stadium, with a Jumbotron capturing the fashion plays as models walked the runway in Ali MacGraw-inspired ’70s-prep silhouettes. They were wearing faux-fur stadium jackets with red-stitched toggles, wool cashmere ponchos, and several looks in bouclé plaid. The jacket of a shorts suit, for instance, was decorated with a knitted striped collar. Those athletic stripes added a sporty detail to just about every item, many of which were decorated with little pins and stars reminiscent of 1940s football paraphernalia.

For Hilfiger, this was just the beginning of a year of celebration.

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