Favorite of the Day: Carven

Carven is a favorite among fashion "It Girls" and up and coming young stars, so I was surprised to see that the collection shown on September 27th almost overflowed with austerity.

But only almost. There were still pops of color and print and the occasional touch of unexpected skin.


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Favorite of the Day: Dries Van Noten

When it comes to major trends, the lifespan of the grunge movement was relatively short-lived. Yet its influence has appeared again and again over the past few years. The clothes shown at the Dries Van Noten show on September 26th weren't mere copies or callbacks. Instead they represented a progression from the youthful rebellion that was so a part of that initial emergence of grunge fashion to a more grown up reworking of the plaids and oversized shapes.

They were clothes for a woman who enjoyed her youth but who realized the futility in trying to relive it.


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Favorite of the Day: Anthony Vaccarello

I tend to shy away from clothes defined as sexy. Yet there are some, those that play both sides, that draw me in. Those on display at Anthony Vaccarello played that game.

Short and loose. Long and tight. And never boring.


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Favorite of the Day: Dolce & Gabbana

For the past few seasons, Dolce & Gabbana has stuck close to home and mined the cultural history of Italy for inspiration.

This season they took us on a colorful trip to Sicily.

It made one hope that they don't soon leave home.


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Favorite of the Day: Fendi

Sometimes I am can be contrary simply for the sake of being contrary. At times fashion seems to have similar tendencies. The Fendi collection, with its somewhat darker palette and its showcase of soft leathers, might have seemed to be playing that game.

Or maybe it was teaching us that spring and summer aren't just for cottons and linens.

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Favorite of the Day: Gabriele Colangelo

My favorite pieces of modern art are those that deal in strong shapes and blocks of color. I get lost in them and find myself unable to keep any grasp on the time that is passing or the setting that surrounds me. While looking over the Gabriele Colangelo collection shown on September 21st, some of those same feelings emerged.

It shook me out of my Milan-induced lethargy.


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Favorite of the Day: Pringle of Scotland

The clothes seen at Pringle of Scotland on September 17th were slouchy and easy, made for those girls who can throw on anything and make it look polished.

But some of the colors, so saturated that they verged on the psychedelic, elevated the clothes far beyond the casual.


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Favorite of the Day: Preen

By the time New York fashion week ends, I often find myself already tiring of the trends that I know will continue to crop up in the other three cities. Yet occasionally there is a collection that hits all of the right notes for the season without leaving me wanting something more.

The Preen collection shown on September 16th in London prominently featured the prints and hints of transparency that have been almost everywhere.

But there was something in the way that it was all put together that kept me fixated.

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Favorite of the Day: Dion Lee

While the London collections are known for their play prints and patterns, there are designers who employ a quieter method to garner attention.

On September 15th at Dion Lee, the prints were there, but they were joined by other looks.

Looks full of sex and laser-sharp tailoring.


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Favorite of the Day: Maria Grachvogel

Most collections tell one small story. But at the Maria Grachvogel show on Friday the 14th, there were several being told. It was a story of minimal whites. A story of long, draped gowns. A story of prints where the colors melted into each other.

Everything fit yet nothing did.

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Favorite of the Day: Calvin Klein

After a foray into the red spectrum last season, the Calvin Klein collection presented yesterday played instead with extremes. The clothes were many things. Black. White. Hard. Soft.

But never boring.


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Favorite of the Day: Michael Kors

The mod look of the 1960s grew out of the London scene and has been a constant source of inspiration for a number of designers since that time.

At Michael Kors, all of the classic pieces were there.

But instead of simple copies, he infused it all with his classic American sportswear aesthetic.

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Favorite of the Day: Vera Wang

Maybe it's the fact that it's finally begun to feel like fall here or maybe it's the fact that there's been life missing from so many of the other shows, but the lushness of the Vera Wang collection hit me in all of the right ways.

Even when made of the delicate laces that have been seen so many runways during the past week, there was a feeling that these clothes were close to earth.

But not in a simple or easy way.

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Favorite of the Day: Duro Olowu

There is something to be said for following the trends of the season and presenting your interpretation of what is "new" and "now" in fashion. But there are times when I favor those collections where the designer has a vision that remains mostly unchanged in the face of the prevailing winds.

At Duro Olowu, there were the usual exuberant prints. In the hands of someone less studied, they could easily become overwhelming.

But in this instance, practice made perfect.

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Favorite of the Day: Tanya Taylor

Wednesday was New York Fashion Week's soft open. There are always a few shows and presentations here and there on that day, but most people save their excitement and anxiety for Thursday.

While picking through yesterday's collections, I came across some of those shown on Wednesday. Among them was Tanya Taylor.

The clothes had a matronly foundation tempered by a youthful edge. It was as if a young girl went searching through her great aunt's closet and remade her finds with the help of a pair of pinking shears and a dusty sewing machine.

The hemlines were higher. The silhouettes tighter. And occasionally a bit of skin peeked through.


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