The Leftovers: London Fashion Week SS11

More than any season in recent memory, this one has seen each city present its own distinct story. There are always differing tones and feelings and themes as one moves from New York to London to Milan to Paris, but the threads holding together all of the fashion weeks were more tangible in the recent past. Usually this was a case of not so subtle copying of a collection seen as extremely forward thinking or profitable or both. Phoebe Philo’s first full collection for Celine and the Spring 2004 Prada collection come to mind. Echoes were felt for one to two seasons following those seminal fashion moments, but Spring/Summer 2011 felt more scattered. Disparate.

As it often is in London, the story was one of prints and patterns. Those that conjure thoughts of Dali mingled with those that leave you with a vague impression of the objects and scenes that inspired them.

At Sass & Bide

At Aminaka Wilmont

At Basso & Brooke

At Clements Ribeiro

At Kinder Aggugini

At Mary Katrantzou

At Holly Fulton

At Peter Pilotto

At Amanda Wakeley

At Matthew Williamson

At Erdem

At Nicole Farhi

There were, of course, themes that held over form New York.

At Betty Jackson

At Ann-Sofie Back

At Basso & Brooke

At Hannah Marshall

At Emilio de la Morena

At Nicole Farhi

And sight of those that were to come in Milan.


At Matthew Williamson

At Roksanda Ilincic

At Kinder Aggugini

Photos via

The Leftovers: New York Fashion Week SS11

What I’ve noticed about New York season after season is its wholehearted reliance on one or two trends. On almost every runway these directional winds make an appearance. Last season they were fur and the 1990s. This season they are transparency and white.

It all makes me feel like a sociologist observing a community from the outside. Coming up with theories. Poking holes in them. Starting, once again, from scratch. Why these trends? What makes their reach extend so far? Is it a game of Follow the Leader with no real leaders, only followers? What does our delicate, tenuous financial situation have to do with all of this?

I have to be honest. All of these questions, about sameness vs. innovation, creativity vs. commercial viability, rarely push into my mind when I am in love with what is being offered. Only doubts breed questions.

The matter wasn't helped by the fact that I was suffering an intense case of déjà vu.

But finding the answers and slogging my way through the doubts often leads me to a place of understanding and appreciation. I feel like I still need more time to decide exactly what my feelings are about New York Fashion Week as a whole. But as for what I like right now, in the moment, there were a number of things.

The fact that I was a bit tired of all of the white and the sheer doesn't mean that there weren't those who handled both trends deftly. The white especially lent itself to multiple interpretations.


The Ethereal

At Cushnie et Ochs

At Prabal Gurung

The Prim & Proper

At Barbara Tfank

At Victoria Beckham

The Architectural

At Cushnie et Ochs

At Kimberly Ovitz

The Minimal

At Band of Outsiders

At Preen

At Christian Cota

Those who used transparency played with many of the same themes.

The Ethereal

At Rodarte

The Prim & Proper

At ADAM

At Monique Lhuillier

The Minimal

At Theyskens' Theory

But even with the laser-like focus on these two trends, there was a hint of what was to come in the other cities.

The Prints

At Suno

At Timo Weiland

At L'Wren Scott

The Color

At Peter Som

At Marc Jacobs

At Michael Kors

Photos via

Favorite of the Day: Valentino

Much like the Versace show earlier, Valentino was for women as opposed to girls.

But instead of the clean lines and bursts of color, there were instead lace and ruffles and all of those markers of the ultra feminine.


Photos via

Favorite of the Day: Giambattista Valli

In my third consecutive season of this series, I have come to realize that some designers rarely disappoint me. That doesn't mean that they're doing the same thing year after year. In fact, the opposite is often true. Their shifting and transforming visions consistently find a way of speaking to me.

In the over two years that I've been writing here, Giambattista Valli has captured my attention again and again...

and again.



Photos via

Favorite of the Day: Viktor & Rolf

When New York's fashion week ended, I was excited by the prospect of leaving behind all of the white that had been dominating the runways. For the most part, the trend fell away as we moved from London to Milan.

The last portion of the Viktor & Rolf show picked up that thread.

But they imbued the color with the eccentricity and drama that they so often play with.



Photos via

Favorite of the Day: Lanvin

There are times in fashion when one collection leaves everyone else clamoring for the role copy cat. Such was the case with Phoebe Philo's first full collection for Celine. Minimalism was on everyone's tongue, and you saw Celine-esque clothing on almost every runway the following season.

Alber Elbaz of Lanvin doesn't play those games.

These clothes were the definition of minimal, but nowhere could you see anyone else's influence but his own.


Photos via