I kicked off the Fashion Week season with my girlfriends, at New York Model Management’s Fashion Week Party at Hotel Grace. We danced by a colorful pool while the champagne flowed like water, and partied the night away with the likes of Tyson Beckford, runway & print models, and the cast of Real Housewives of NYC.
Designer Tadashi Shoji unveiled a crisp and very upbeat dress collection for Fall 2009. Vivacious hues, such as Rapture Rose, played an important role in casting this season’s message of hope and clarity. Wisteria, turquoise, and lime also livened up the sheer cream and ebony numbers.
Shoji worked a stunning, minimalistic approach in his styling where light elements (such as ruffled chiffon, sweetheart halters, and bubble pleats) received the rock glam treatment. The black tights, patent leather heels, studded belts, and crystal rhinestone baubles kept things powerful and edgy without overshadowing the feminine undertones.
– Tiffany Chang
Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn
See more photos from the Tadashi Shoji Show below
Grace Jones pumped through the sound system as I made my way into the tent for Anna Sui’s presentation Wednesday evening. For the umpteenth time last week, I felt nostalgia for the 80’s. Blondie’s “Sunday Girl” played next and, although I heard Debbie Harry was in the house, I never caught a glimpse of her. I did see Taylor Momsen (Gossip Girl), Justin Tranter (of the glam-rock band “Semi Precious Weapons”), Fern Mallis, Linda Wells, Suzy Menkes and Hal Rubenstein. A slew of models (or just some very tall, slender women) sat perched in front – clearly fans of Anna’s garb. At the end of the stage, Sui’s name was scrolled onto a giant nouveau-style backdrop which was also decorated with sparkly stars.
The collection projected a Victorian feeling as the first twelve outfits were all black velvet, wool and jacquard with touches of satin and lace. Ruffled blouses secured tightly at the neck with cameos further enforced the Victorian mood, as did the leg-of-mutton type sleeves that showed up in several jackets. But, leave it to Miss Sui to maintain an underlying sense of rock and roll and bohemian-chic that has become her signature. She kept things moving as lively prints and patterns frolicked down the catwalk in flouncy, chiffon dresses and flirty, wool gauze blouses. Color emerged within psychedelic prints and beautiful turquoise, saffron, heliotrope and ultramarine took on shapes such as; paisley, medallion, floral and butterflies. Rich ruby, Bordeaux, raisin and midnight hues combined with warm gold, copper and chocolate brown to produce complex pieces. Jackets incorporating strong shoulders, colorful border trims, beadwork and appliqué offset feminine dresses and skirts by adding structure. Sui promoted skirts that were mostly mini length and showed them with black thermal leggings and, of course, patterned hosiery. Suede belts studded with star shapes squeezed waists on several ensembles, but I especially adored the knit hats (provided by James Coviello) adorned with jewels and large ostrich feathers.
Whether or not one is a fan of Anna’s clothes or not, there is no debate that Ms. Sui has fine tuned and perfected her style over the years and her clothes are absolutely identifiable. She has developed quite a following of devotees and everyone enjoyed the show including models Jessica Stam, Sasha Pivovarova and Agnyess Deyn who danced during the final run and skipped arm in arm off the stage.
-Stacy Lomman
Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn
After showing for several years in Chelsea, Narciso Rodriguez found himself back in the tents of Bryant Park for Fall 2009. However, nine o’clock is a difficult time slot for any designer to present a collection. By then, show-goers have done the “hurry up and wait” routine over and over, we’ve dealt with stress and crowds all day and are simply worn out. As for me, I was happy that Mr. Rodriguez opted for the tent this time and I didn’t have to hike over to The West Side Highway (well, almost), rather, I just had to go a few steps over from the Salon where Domenico Vacca had just ended. The tent was overcrowded, of course, and people were highly irritable. As a long time admirer of the humble designer, I tried to relax and wait patiently for the show to begin. Claire Danes and Julianna Margulies were sitting upfront (just as last season) along with Jessica Seinfeld. Kanye West (most likely influenced by his new model girlfriend, Amber Rose) was there as was Fern Mallis, Linda Fargo and Simon Doonan. NY1’s society reporter George Whipple was also in attendance (my mind is still boggled that he covers fashion).
The first seven or eight pieces appearing on the runway were in khaki, black and white — very typical of Rodriguez’s sophisticated range. Usually, he infuses his neutral palettes with at least one pop color, but this time he chose several. His color selections were brighter and cleaner for Fall ’09 — so much so, they were given names such as; highlighter pink, highlighter yellow, ultra purple and citrine. Rodriguez seemed to draw inspiration from 80’s legend Steven Sprouse. Fashion, as we are all aware, is cyclical and the Day-Glo colors were refreshing and looked current.
Unlike the colors, I didn’t find the styling to be new looking or particularly modern. Apart from the lace-layered, printed camouflage and the onyx, matte lurex/wool tweed, the only other standout was the oversized thimble (or gumdrop) shaped hats with cut-outs for the eyes. The overall silhouette was narrow and sexy and very much what love about and have come to expect from Mr. Rodriguez’s clothes. But, I felt that this season’s cleavage-focused, skin-tight, viscose knit dresses were only suitable for Pamela Anderson. They also contrasted drastically from the other pieces in the collection (which were much safer in terms of revealing the body). On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rodriguez showed an oversized rain jacket in black and white camouflage print paired with matching (full, boot-covering) leggings. Camouflaged she was not, as the model looked like a cow grazing through a pasture. If a pencil-thin model can’t pull this off, I thought, who can?
I did find some “winners” within the thirty-nine looks Narciso presented. The highlighter yellow wool jacket and dress were perfectly sculpted and the bright silk crepe dresses embroidered on top with shimmery black made a bold statement. Overall, this wasn’t Narciso Rodriguez’s best season. He has been so good for so long, the fashion world’s expectation of this designer is probably beyond what anybody can possibly deliver. It certainly wasn’t a bad collection, but it just wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. In Narciso’s case, there is always next time!
-Stacy Lomman
Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn
Christian Siriano aimed to give “the modern working girl a bit of Cleopatra’s drama” with his Egyptian-inspired Fall 2009 collection. Expect gold, chocolate brown, and dark turquoise in bold shapes and cuts. Intriguing styles include a satin high collar, puff sleeve blouse with sculpted front petals, a sleek vest slipped over a cashmere cowlneck sweater, and a number of hard metallic pieces suggestive of the sacred scarab beetle.
One can never have too many coats in the fall, and Siriano provides a wide range of flattering silhouettes, from the classic peacoat with gold zippers, to outerwear with cinched waists, bell sleeves, and tuxedo pintuck details. There were also several one-shoulder ruched dresses, but Siriano does especially well with his grandiose gowns, complete with a daring headdress, gathered train, and hammered satin layers. The gold lips and those fetching, fringed bangs brought a nice costume effect.
Siriano also debuted his shoe collection for Payless. The gold pyramid heels, stacked chains, and subtle hieroglyphic print complemented the Egyptian theme, but would make the transition marvelously onto city streets.
– Tiffany Chang
See more photos from the Christian Siriano show below
