Donna Karan Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

Donna Karan’s whole career has been inspired by New York City. For Fall she used the nighttime skyline as a backdrop for the runway, and made the blacks and grays of the buildings and the glinting golds of their lights her show’s central colors. Perched on platform sandals or boots, the collection’s long, lean silhouette owed something to the city’s new class of super-scrapers. New York is tall and getting taller. It’s a melting pot, too. Obi-like belts and origami folds on the one hand and opulent, burnished brocades on the other conveyed something of its multicultural glamour.

Depending on the season, Karan shifts between tailoring and dresses. This collection was mostly built on the former. All manner of jackets, from blazers to a leather bomber, were belted at the midriff above tapering trousers or narrow skirts. Her evening dresses had a modern spirit.

Streetfashion Womenswear New York FW2015 Day 1

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.

DKNY Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

Trooper Maartje Verhoef opened the DKNY show dressed in a sporty/casual look. Nude skirt, blue V neck sweater, white turtle neck underneath, double breasted grey overcoat. A sportive, urban ensemble which set the mood for what was about to follow. Modern looking, structured looks representing Donna Karan’s ‘New York uniform’. Suits and dresses, bomber jackets and sweaters. Asymmetric skirts, extra long sleeves. Neoprene and tweed in the mix with wool and leather. Some pleated sheerness and a touch of tulle to go. Boxy silhouettes and bright pops of color. A brooch, a snake skin sleeve, some glitter on the collar of a camel coat and cut outs of colorful beads softened the edginess of the collection. A vibrant collection conveying all aspects of the Big Apple life. ‘What is New York?’, Donna asked her audience. And though just a tiny part, this might be it.

Diane von Furstenberg Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

As gender bending is becoming one of fashion’s latest ‘trends’ Diane von Furstenberg allowed herself to play along. Not only did she presented her iconic wrap dresses, she also presented designs a bit more masculine. Like a number of pinstripe creations and a blue tuxedo suit. Masculine influences presented in the most feminine way, combined with lace, silk, sheerness and floral prints. Black and white with touches of blue and red. Unbuttoned collars, accentuated waists. Cleavages and slits. Brush strokes and bird prints in the mix. Matching bags, polka dot hosiery and peep toe pumps to top it off. Yet perhaps it was all a bit much. Maybe the simplistic look Kendall Jenner wore opening the show should have set the example for the following looks; clean, modern, feminine and 100% true to DvF’s DNA.

Thakoon Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

Seventies vibes were in the air at Thakoon. Yet, after so many seventies inspired shows the last couple of months, Thakoon managed to take it to a new, fall/winter level. No plain flared denim, brown suede and fringes here. But rich colored stripes, exotic floral prints and midi lengths instead. Seductive sheerness and sparkling embellishments covered the festive part of the collection. As loose fitting pleated pants, white shirts and fur accents represented more business-y looks. East inspired references could be seen in the colorful embroideries and shiny silk. While flared flapper kind of skirts had a certain boho vibe. A sheer pleated, floral printed skirt matched with a sequined navy jumper was one of the most wearable and modern looking attires. A style bound to be copied by bloggers, editors and classy lady’s all around. To strut or to swirl in and make an impressive entrance in any case.

Victoria Beckham Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

While working on her fall collection Victoria Beckham had been listening closely to her London store customers. Not minimalism and modernism alone were key terms of her collection; Victoria brought sexy back into her designs. The extremely popular, sexy dresses she presented at the beginning of her career in fashion, that is. Designs perhaps closer to Victoria’s, very much adored, personal style. Figure hugging, but – created out of the loveliest, most luxury fabrics– extra classy. Midi was another key word as culottes, dresses, skirts and coats all ended mid calf, forming a perfect match with the stompy high-heeled calf boots. Black, white, grey will be fall’s strongest color options, presented in the mix with a chic pop of olive green, yellow and orange. Cashmere tops and woolen bottoms ; clothes were stiff and structured, but kept their elegance, gracefully moving along with the models every move. Worn in a careless, effortless, yet sophisticated kind of way, that is inherent to Victoria’s personal way of dressing. As well as to that of her family. The Beckham family, which was complete and represented front row. Stylish, cool and well behaved (no tantrum involved). Victoria knows a thing or two about class..

Alexander Wang Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

Alexandser Wang presented a totally black collection, well almost.  Technically the lineup was not totally black — there were two ivory fisherman sweaters worn with stonewashed jeans, two red plaids and a few metallic mesh getups. The rest was pitch black and hardcore, framed within the street section of heavy metal.
It was a brave collection. References to metal abounded in the very sophisticated construction of the clothes. Severe, mannish tailoring of cropped pants and harsh jackets had pocket chains made of little silver balls that also trimmed coat collars and dresses with panels. The same pattern recurred on handbags. Quilted pieces looked made from luxe packing blankets  while silk pajamas and bathrobes reflected the lush side of Goth.

All of the details, the design equivalent of puns, were part of Wang’s playful spirit, yet the attitude of the show was seriously aggressive. The models stomped out in extreme platform lug-sole combat boots with wet stringy hair covering their zombie faces. Two fitted velvet crop tops, worn with skirts that swished with silver fringe, were womanly in a witchy way, but there was not a soft side to this collection. Wang was unflinching in his point of view and there’s a lot to be said for such conviction.

Lacoste Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2015

Jef Montes presents Velero

Jef Montes presented his third collection VELERO  in Amsterdam yesterday. Again, modern high tech fabrics and expressive silhouettes merged into a spectacular collection with a leading role for water and light.
For VELERO Jef Montes got inspired by the construction of sailing boats and the materials they are built with. Montes used fibres as glassfibre, nylon, carbon, silk wool, cotton and viscose. The silhouettes were based on the contours of ships and the way they were draped around the body symbolized the constant fight between nature and machine. The collection was a collaboration between various artists and product designers.  Jef Montes translated the work of artist Simone Albers to graphic colorblocks and into textile developed with  Textile Lab of the Museum for Textiles in Tilburg. At this lab he also developed a material build with four ‘layers’  nylon and cotton that reveals sailinpatterns once the light is projected. Product designer
Lennart Bras developed the material for shoes and the fabric that is used in the first look of the show is an abstract pattern of product designer Eva Bloemsma. The pattern was fixed into the fabric by a chemical process.
The show was followed by an exhibition.

Viktor&Rolf: the best of ready to wear

This morning the house of Viktor&Rolf announced via an exclusive story to WWD that it would stop creating and producing ready to wear after fall/winter 2015.
This is what WWD wrote:

“Viktor & Rolf are to halt ready-to-wear following the fall-winter 2015 season and concentrate on couture, fragrances and licensed businesses. Disclosing the development first to WWD, Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren said the decision was made in concert with majority shareholder OTB Group, the holding of Italian industrialist Renzo Rosso.
Rosso characterized the rtw shutdown as “a strategic decision to position the Viktor & Rolf brand in the highest luxury segment of fashion.”
It echoes last fall’s bombshell when French designer Jean Paul Gaultier said he would shutter rtw after a 38-year career to focus on high fashions and the perfume business it fuels, along with special projects.
A Viktor & Rolf spokeswoman said the designers would present and sell a final fall-winter 2015 women’s wear collection, but skip the runway during Paris Fashion Week, scheduled for March 3 to 11.
Viktor & Rolf ships its rtw collections for men and women to more than 100 specialty stores, and operates a freestanding store on Rue Saint Honoré in Paris, which is to go dark in early 2016.
“We feel a strong need to refocus on our artistic roots. We have always used fashion to communicate, it is our primary means of artistic expression,” Horsting said, lamenting that rtw — with its fast pace, deadlines and fierce competition — “started to feel creatively restricting. By letting go of it, we gain more time and freedom.”
“We are extremely excited to push the boundaries of our vision in new, unexpected territories,” Snoeren concurred.

The designers launched their brand in 1993, started showing couture in Paris in 1998, and began focusing on rtw in 2000. In 2005, they catapulted into the big league with the launch of Flowerbomb, their first women’s fragrance, in collaboration with L’Oréal.
“The decision to focus on haute couture is a strategic decision by the house of Viktor & Rolf to position the brand in the highest luxury segment of fashion,” a L’Oréal spokeswoman said on Tuesday. “We are confident that our strong collaboration with Viktor & Rolf will continue to see the launch of many successful fragrances.”
Viktor & Rolf showed five couture collections between January 1998 and July 2000, including the Atomic Bomb collection, featuring dramatic mushroom cloud-like cushioned necklines. For the Russian Doll show, the designers dressed model Maggie Rizer in 10 layers of clothes, merging fashion with performance art.
The majority of those pieces were sold to museums and institutions.
A men’s wear’s line, Viktor & Rolf Monsier, was introduced in 2003.
Despite this move into the mainstream, Viktor & Rolf maintained their reputation for unconventional catwalk presentations, many featuring live performances by actors and singers, including Tilda Swinton, Rufus Wainwright and Tori Amos.
OTB Spa invested in the brand in 2008, heralding what seemed to be a new stage in its development.

We’ve gathered the most memorable collections for you.

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