Favorite of the Day: Preen

I was feeling a bit of exhaustion after the end of the New York season. It's a fairly normal occurrence for me. After sifting through so many looks in that many shows, I can't help but feel a bit muddled. But this time the fatigue was laced with weariness brought on by a season that inspired only sporadic excitement. Perhaps unfairly some of that feeling bled into my thoughts as the proceedings moved to London. It wasn't until the third day, and the Preen collection, that I was finally shaken free of it.

Preen did what it, and London, do best. Prints. Patterns. Combinations of the two. Here and there you could see the athletic thread that remains a force in the industry. Details that called to mind the collars and cuffs of letterman jackets. A callback to a classic tennis dress.

But it was never too much.


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Favorite of the Day: Carolina Herrera

Child Samantha was always drawn to the "pretty pretty". The big skirts. The sweeping trains. Adult Samantha isn't as easily impressed by such things. But there are some designers who do that work so well, who can still draw out my slumbering love for drama.

Carolina Herrera produces those types of ensembles every season, but in the midst of a season of black and white and utility they stood out even more than usual. Not just for their beauty, because so many of the clothes presented during this week are beautiful, but for the way that they spoke to one another.

Everything felt connected. Each piece told one part of the same story.

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Favorite of the Day: Alexander Wang

New York Fashion Week is at the halfway mark, and I find myself bored. Everything started to bleed together almost from the beginning, and it's been hard to become excited by collection after collection of the same old thing. But the Alexander Wang show provided me with a jolt.

I watched the livestream in my room and found myself standing up. Bouncing around. Dancing to the music. The clothes were thrilling. The girls sped down the runway. He was playing with the prevalent sporting motif but that has always been his wheelhouse, and unlike most others he continues to provide fresh takes on it. These were not off-duty yoga looks, devoid of shape or life. 

They were sharp and tailored and hard and sexy. 

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Favorite of the Day: Whit

Even on the day of its soft opening, it was already obvious in what direction the Spring/Summer 2015 season in New York would be moving. But because it was so early, I decided to ignore all of that. The prevailing winds and the dominating trends. Instead I relished the simple joy found in the best types of summer clothing, which were all on display at Whit. Vibrant and light and playful. Maybe moving west has made me a breezier person.

Or maybe it's just made me more accepting of breezier sensibilities.


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Favorite of the Day: Victoria, Victoria Beckham

In a season filled to the breaking point with clothes that feel overwrought and overthought, I've been drawn to the simple things. To the pulled back and restrained. I love drama. I even love drama for drama's sake, but something this season has felt off.

So it was clear as I was going through the shows of September 9th what my favorite would be from the moment that I saw it. At Victoria, Victoria Beckham, the shapes were simple and refined with details such as pleating that kept them from drifting into the mundane. Sherbet colors stood out among the navy and deeper blues. And a feeling emerged that had been missing for most of the week.

A feeling of timelessness.


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Favorite of the Day: DKNY

Birthdays have never been my thing. When my friends finally convinced me to do something for my 25th, I settled on Thai food and bowling and funfetti cupcakes. It was the kind of low key affair that I so often crave.

But the 25th anniversary of a fashion line calls for a blowout celebration. In an industry that is often fickle, that kind of longevity is something to be lauded. DKNY has lasted, and prospered, by remaining true to its core tenets. The brand continues to be the go to for that young New York City woman looking to outfit all aspects of her life.

This season she was as cool as she always is, wearing clothes that were sporty and savvy in that unique NYC way.

And let's not forget sexy.


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Favorite of the Day: Prabal Gurung

The Resort 2014 collection from Prabal Gurung was one of my favorites of the season. It's a fashion cliché to applaud a designer's point of view, but as we moved into day three of the Spring/Summer 2014 midriff parade, it became evident how important such things are.

Prabal Gurung has a clear idea of the woman that he is designing for. After a Resort season filled with strong and stark silhouettes, colors, and prints, things softened up a bit.

But they never softened too much.

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Favorite of the Day: Dolce & Gabbana

I find myself complaining about some of the same things every season. Collections featuring more than 50 looks rank high on the list. After all of the production and hoopla that goes into planning a runway show, I understand wanting everything to last more than eight to twelve minutes, but being able to edit down the number of looks into a cohesive story is something to be lauded. Nothing is worse than a group of dresses that seem to have no home within the larger theme.

The Dolce & Gabbana show is never less than 60 looks, and yet my usual gripes rarely surface. They never try to cram all of the looks into a single narrative. Instead there are several, interlocking stories being told. This season, there were prints that recalled religious frescoes. There were lady-like dresses, suits, and coats in heathered grays. There were stark blacks and demure whites and blood reds.

And when you have that many looks and that many models, you can end your show on this note.

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Favorite of the Day: Roksanda Ilincic

Pink has never been one of my favorite colors. My first love was purple. Then around age eight or nine, I switched my allegiance to blue. I didn't dislike pink; there was just a hefty amount of indifference thrown in its direction. I mean, it wasn't like my disdain for kelly green. (I have since gotten over this hatred, though St. Patrick's Day still sometimes proves to be a trial.)

So it was with some surprise that I found myself unable to look away from the sweet, pale pinks presented by Roksanda Ilincic on February 19th. 

Though the entire collection was filled with her usual intricate details and feminine flourishes, it was these light and airy shades that stood out from all the rest.

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Favorite of the Day: Ostwald Helgason

I have a well-documented love for all things schoolgirl. Short, full skirts and collared shirts. Oxfords, penny loafers, and mary janes. At the Ostwald Helgason presentation, The Schoolgirl and her cousin The Tomboy were everywhere.

But the patterns were bold. The colors were vibrant. The blazers were gilded. And none of it was juvenile.

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Favorite of the Day: Lisa Perry

In terms of fashion and style, the 1960s have always been my go-to decade. So as the Fall/Winter 2013 season began, it wasn't a surprise that I found myself coming back again and again to the designs of Lisa Perry.

I often turn away from designers who are one note, who have a very specific niche and stay there, but this season the clothes at Lisa Perry sang to me. 

They were fun. They were colorful. They were all that I needed in the dreariness of February.

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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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