On Wednesday, Whitney Eve made its fashion week debut and its designer, Whitney Port, is someone we have all seen grow in the fashion industry. This week, we had the chance to see her grow again, and I have put together a timeline of events leading up to her fall 2012 show and beyond. Also, you get a chance to see her antique kaleidoscope-inspired collection’s show in its entirety.
February 13: Whitney Port preps for the show at People's Revolution offices, completing last-minute styling changes.
February 14: Whitney begins to finalize the music playlist that the models will walk to during her show. The young designer even asks fans for suggestions to get the correct “mood and vibe.”
February 15:
Whitney invites fans backstage (via blog post) hours before her show, giving them a sneak peak behind the scenes of her set and emotions. “I have so many emotions running through my head — I am excited, nervous, proud, anxious, grateful, to name a few, and the butterflies in my stomach have not subsided in days,” she wrote.
Finally, the show began. Check it out in the video...
After the show, Port took to her blog once again, saying, “I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who came out to my show today. Your support means so much to me and seeing all of your faces in the audience made this day that much more special.”
Text Quamé A. Hamlin Image and Source whitneyport.celebuzz.com Video Source: Very
At the 3.1 Phillip Lim show yesterday, the runway looks combined powerful contrasting neutrals with textures. Most of the looks had crisp, tailored jackets and pants with a razor-sharp crease. Although we’ve seen some very colorful fall 2012 lines, this was not one of them. The pops of color didn’t come up until later in the show, with a few orange and turquoise accents. Lim’s RTW line was made of mainly black, cream, beige, and gray. The inspiration? Lim said it was the “modern-day superheroes walking around us every day.”
Models walked the runway in pointy pumps and boots through a fog machine. Like the structured pieces, the patterns on the clothes were geometric. Thick, chunky sweaters softened the theme in some of the looks, but the show had an overall theme of power. Appropriately, plenty of caped jackets were part of the theme. This collection has plenty of subtle “day” looks for the modern super heroine.
For his fall ready-to-wear collection, designer Peter Som chose to add more color and less prints than previous collections. Drawing inspiration from Marlene Dietrich, John Chamberlain and Brancusi, Som’s line features tame colors like camel and white, with pops of magenta, green, and burgundy.
The collection’s beautiful dresses and jackets look extremely practical, complete with a variation of sleeve styles and cuts. Below-the-knee hemlines and a great balance of sheer fabrics, furs, and leathers provide a wide range of looks. Not to be overshadowed, the architectural lines and cuts on the clothing match the flowing, architectural hairstyles that the models wore in the show.
Keeping one of the trends at NYFW alive, Som pays homage to old Hollywood glamour, and it looks amazing.
"I present Bart as a teen dream, [because] that’s who he is to me," said designer Jeremy Scott in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Scott, who is arguably one of our generation's greatest young designers, features the famous Simpsons son in his fall 2012 collection.
"I chased [Fox] down like a dog in heat," Scott said. "I fell madly in love with Bart. And I’m not even the diehard, every-episode fan. It’s just such a part of pop culture."
Scott, who’s clothing pieces are being seen all over the place right now, is becoming a major part of pop culture himself. Released last week, his Jeremy Scott x Adidas Originals collaboration effort is generating much chatter. The music and fashion industry’s elite have been seen in the collection’s sneakers, some of which feature plush teddy bears, Mickey Mouse, and the American flag.
Where have you seen Scott’s work most recently? Well, aside from Opening Ceremony at NYFW, Scott’s gold-winged sneakers and music note track suits were seen all over Madonna’s background dancers at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Text Quamé A. Hamlin Image Twitter Source The Hollywood Reporter
Antonio Azzuolo’s spring 2012 collection is all about contrast — mixing tailored suit jackets with baggy, low-crotch shorts and adding splashes of colors like bright red and yellow.
Azzuolo has reinvented something quite dated in a modern radiance. The collection has a geeky school boy vibe — socks are pulled up past the calves and shorts stop below the knee. Azzuolo also includes stripes in his collection, which remain a popular style choice for men because they widen the body frame and tend to add a young (yet smart) feel to any outfit.
Antonio’s collection is very trendy and will surely be the subject of inspiration for many retailers come springtime. So, keep your eyes peeled for tailored suit jackets, bright-colored sweater vests, and oversized formal wear.
Although New York Fashion Week is behind us, I would like to take some time to point out a designer who may not get the recognition that she deserves. I was a lucky patron to receive an extra ticket to Elene Cassis's runway show on Sept. 15 in Lincoln Center. The star-studded, housewife-lined runway was themed in simple black and white, with a musical-enthused show to come.
Just as you thought the first look would come out, a hot player rocked the cords of a hot pink violin and introduced the first of Elene's looks for her show. The dresses, suits, and pant suits were impeccably wearable and classic, with pastels and classic blacks and whites.
As hectic as the back of the house certainly was, everything went off without a hitch in the front. The whole show was unforgettable, and it closed with the talented violin player and the final walk for Elene, who was dressed in an all black pant suit — probably courtesy of herself. Of course, there was a standing ovation as a small dance part commenced in awe of the jaw dropping collection. Elene Cassis is a designer to look and watch out for. Check out EleneCassis.com to see her latest collection and view her timeless pieces.
You absolutely cannot talk about NYFW without anticipating the Marc by Marc Jacobs show with baited breath; and especially this year with the rumors swirling about Marc Jacobs heading to Dior, that were recently confirmed, this year was even more poignant.
This season, minus all the distraction, against a plain white background, Jacobs was one of the only designers to show a sea of solids as opposed to the myriad of prints that we've been seeing. Sticking namely with reds, blues, and whites, the line was very minimalistic and loose fitting. Jacobs kept the whimsy of the line by featuring colorful sneakers, visors, and keeping the sporty, fun theme we are used to.
However, from the free flying anoraks to the tailored jackets everything seemed a bit....muted compared to what the designer normally produces. Even reports from guests at the show seem generally underwhelmed at the presentation and the reception by the designer. Will this new era starting at Dior take away from the Marc by Marc Jacobs line that has gathered such a following?
It's not hard to be jealous during NY Fashion Week. Twitter alone is enough to send anyone into a furry of jealousy for all the great runway shows, presentations, and parties that are going on. Among the many, one of the designers who has clearly stood out with the amount of buzz and praise they are generating...Jason Wu.
The designer, known for red carpet looks and being favored by Michelle Obama, has pushed the envelope this season and tried his hand at an edgier look. Collaborating with graffiti artist KAWS on the print that dominated the show, Wu smudged the edges on his normally prim and proper look (although still without actually making anything "street wear"). It can't really be said that he completely embraced the idea of street, but the difference that can be seen is in the embellishments and colors that he chose: out with the rococo and in with the rudimentary beads, innovating with Nylon but keeping the immensely popular heather grey from last season.
All in all, the designer did a great job of keeping things fresh without losing his basic signatures and that's the name of the game right? Check out the rest of his collection and let us know what you think!
It's safe to say that Alexander Wang's reign as fashion's wonder kid isn't ending anytime soon. So when he says that a certain someone has captured his eyes, we drop what we're doing and turn our attention to whoever he's endorsing. That certain someone is Parisian model Aymeline Valade. The designer proclaims, "Aymeline is very special. She's the girl that I always think about, that I want to dress. When we met, I thought, 'Let's be friends!' She's the kind of girl you want to sit down and have a conversation with. She's not a flavor of the month, she's constant for me."
Aymeline (she's just one of those people you want to be on first name basis with) is a 25-year old classically trained dancer who also studied communications and advertising at university. Although she has already worked for Balenciaga and has posed for Interview magazine, her opening walk at Wang's Fall 2011 show is her NYFW debut. Aymeline's look embodies a sort of maturity and self-assurance, mixed with the right amount of toughness and cool. If she epitomizes the Wang girl, as the designer himself says, then we can be rest assured that her career will be a long and exciting one. More pictures after the jump!
In our second installment of crave-worthy collections that would make you want to sell a major body organ (or if possible, two) come fall, are three designers that take casual dressing to the next level. Their collections are multi-dimensional while remaining unfussy, perfect for the effortlessly stylish girl.
Band of Outsiders (pictured above) – This season, Scott Sternberg transported his models to seventies California, “land of stoner princesses and hippie communes.” He managed to create clothes that are loose and carefree, while infusing his signature preppy aesthetic. Picture that girl who played hacky-sack in the quad every lunch in high school now gone off to an Ivy League; she may have a stack of books in her arms, but that doesn’t mean she’s forgotten how to take it easy. Click to see more!
Though it’s just past noon in the fabulous city of Manhattan, fashion week has already begun and six designers have presented their collections thus far. After looking at Rachel Zoe’s overrated tailored suits, Z Spoke’s slew of black dresses, and Gary Graham’s over-the-top mismatched ensembles, I began to view browsing through the Fall 2011 collections as more of a chore than anything. That is, until I saw the 25 looks that creative director George Sharp put together to create the first-ever St. John runway presentation.
There are those collections that you admire on other people (i.e. models in editorials) and there are those that you actually want on your back. The following collections give you the latter, with clothes that are wearable yet new and forward enough to satisfy a fashionista at heart.
NAHM (pictured above) – Ally Hilfiger (yes, that Hilfiger) and Nary Manivong collaborated to present their first collection that reinvents the shirt dress. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” the collection definitely has a certain dark and macabre feeling about it, destabilizing the concept of the simple staple and distorting it through asymmetrical hemlines and the use of unexpected black and clay-hued textured fabrics. With the duo’s successful inventiveness, the shirt dress will surely be “nevermore” boring again. Click to see more after the jump!
New York Fashion Week has now come and gone, and closing out the shows this week was Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. Usually I am a HUGE fan of this line; I love Stefani's combinations of punk and play and her personal wardrobe seems to be so flawless itself, it's hard not to trust her as a designer. However, this season I'm a little on the fence; the line was shown in 6 segments, each with its own theme, models, and music. I think in theory it has possibilities, but it execution it causes a little bit of a disconnect. It's hard to follow a story line when right as you're getting into it, you're afronted with a stark change and while in my mind Stefani is a Queen Chameleon herself, smoother transitions might have created a less abrupt show. And who could miss half the model's shoe go flying during the "Buffalo Girls" segment, never a good sign.
That being said, I think a lot of the clothing was well styled and reflected a lot of the aspects of the line's aesthetic; it explored trends for both the current season, and one's featured in the past seasons. As always her color pallete was impeccable and there was no limit of clothes I wanted to rip off the models for my own closet. So maybe the conclusion for this has to be....one so-so big show, but 6 great mini-shows.
Dang, what I would have given to be at this show! They never fall in the Marc Jacobs shows, perhaps I need to re-evaluate my choices of shows I attend if I want to see some real action. Oh I'm just kidding! Fashion week was boring enough, a few crashes would have spiced it up a bit. So while I'm picking action packed shows to attend I think designer Herve Leger might want to rethink his footwear for his shows. When two models crash in the same show minutes after each other something has got to be wrong. Eeek! The model was of course a good sport and got right back up with her game face on and well walked it off. Do you think she'll be hired next fashion week by Herve Leger? It's the floors damn it!! The floors!!!!
If you paid any attention to New York fashion week, you would definitely notice that the Recessionista look is in--black dresses, black accessories, black, black, black. It's almost as if every designer was invited to create a look for Wall Street's funeral.
However, Isaac Mizrahi, god bless him, decided to skip the wake and go straight for the what-happens-when-you-lose-your-trust-fund look. Baggy pants, wacky coats, weird granny-size dresses on granddaughter-size bodies.
And bag hats? So much for subtlety. One model was even carrying a handbag that was part purse, part box it came in. At least she can return if she's in a jam and needs cash for cab...
Maybe Mr. Mizrahi was inspired by spending one too many Saturdays in T. J. Maxx ("Is the economy really this bad or was there a fight before I got here?"). One thing is for sure though, bag lady chic has officially arrived. Well, at least it wasn't all black.
Maybe some of you have been wondering why we haven't said a single word about New York Fashion week. Well, lets just say there umm isn't much to say. Yup. For the lack of a better word the shows were just, boring. I mean aren't people supposed to be pouring out with creativity during a recessions? Thank God for Rebecca Taylor, her collection with the little blue socks saved me from nearly being bored to tears as I clicked through the collections on style dot com. Even though the socks added a little bit of a interesting element to an over all yawn of a fashion week... I probably could put that look together in my grandma's closet. I mean rose detailed silk top, skirt and a Grandpa cardigan. Well at least we won't be tempted to go out and shop with the money we don't have. There isn't anything I saw during fashion week that will get me running to 5th Ave, but maybe to Grandmas.
