New York Fashion Week SS13: Minimalist Modernism

I've not had a lot of time this weekend to poperly submerge myself in New York Fashion Week coverage, however, from what I have seen, there is a distinctly modernist aesthetic running through a lot of the collections. 

Alexander Wang

Prabal Gurung

Alexander Wang, New York's cool-kid and king of sports-luxe, went down the metallic and monochrome route with bold cut-out panelling and simple, clean cut lines whilst Prabal Gurung used light silk-chiffon and silk-satins to create deconstructed biker jackets and sports-inspired shorts. Both collections, though extremely different, are tied together by a sense of elegant feminine modernity.

Derek Lam

Honor

Helmut Lang

Derek Lam's collection championed the one of the fashion packs outfit staples: a simple (and occasionally baggy) jumper paired with a knee-length pencil skirt of heavy embellishment/detail. Honor, much like Wang and Gurung, used a lot of white in the collection though instead teamed it with candy-coloured tulip skirts and sheer chiffon tops; the monochrome palette really cleverly emphasised the neat silhouettes without looking dull. 

Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham was probably the bravest of the minimalist New York pack in terms of colour - though it was still fairly conservative in comparison to the sorbet-shades that dominated many of the SS12 catwalks. Chic tailoring and sharp design defined Beckhams SS13 collection, the black cut-out jacket (seen above, middle) is particularly beautiful.

New York Fashion Week never really appealed to me as a whole but some of my favourite shows in recent years have been New York based; Karen Walker, The Row, Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler - to name a few. What do you think of the collections so far and who are you most looking forward to showing this season?

photos from style.com

New York Fashion Week: The Catch-Up

Yesterday evening I was stuck on a train for three hours and my brain still hasn't recovered from the trauma of it. As a result, I'm finding it somewhat difficult to write coherently this morning so instead of rambling on about the last of the New York Fashion Week collections, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Elizabeth and James

Michael Kors 

Proenza Schouler J. Crew

Some of the best collections thus far have been those with tailored, cropped printed trousers and those with unusual shapes and fabrics. There has been such variety in terms of styling, influences, prints and shape that it's almost impossible to compare the collections against each other, however, slick tailoring is a trend that is constantly reappears in various guises. Maybe it's just because these shows are coming from New York but I've loved the different ways it has been explored so far. I know London is the creative Mecca of all Fashion Weeks, I wouldn't have it any other way, but sometimes we do go a little OTT. 

Now that New York Fashion Week is over, which designers are you most looking forward to seeing? London used to be my favourite city but I'm kind of veering towards Paris at the moment, how about you?

New York Fashion Week: Marc Jacobs FW12

Whilst at a birthday party this weekend, a friend of mine turned up wearing an oversized, red woollen jacket and what can only be described as a floppy, misshapen top hat. Eyebrows were raised at her dubious choice of head-wear; little did we know that she was one step ahead of us all. Enter Mr. Marc Jacobs.

There's no denying that Marc Jacobs is an absolute genius and although (initially) I was a little perplexed looking through his Fall/Winter 2012 collection, it's clear that he has once again created a masterpiece. Rhinestone encrusted pilgrim shoes, giant knitted scarves (complete with giant safety-pin), paisley prints, floral prints, leather panels, fur panels, buttoned wool stoles, tulip skirts with padded hips, metallic jackets, geometric knitwear and to coin a term from the brilliant Coco's Tea Party, Stephen Jones' 'Jamiroquai' mink hats. Jacobs' had it all.

And yet, in spite of the mish-mash of different pieces, the collection is extremely coherent, typically stylish, wearable and in true Jacobs style, desirable. On paper it shouldn't work and at first sight it's all rather overpowering but when you look closely at the finer details you see a fantastic collection bursting with Jacobs' inimitable creative touch. The witty use of colour and the unlikely combination of textures are central to the success of this collection, cementing the knowledge that Jacobs' truly is an outstanding designer.

I think you'd agree that that's enough shameless flattery/arse-licking for one day (though I am desperate to try out the ankle socks, printed midi-skirt, contrasting geometric knitwear and oversized woollen stole combination). What is your opinion on Marc Jacobs' Fall/Winter 2012 offering and will you be doing the 'Jamiroquai' any time soon?

photos from style.com

New York Fashion Week: Karen Walker, Preen AW12

This time last year I raved about Preen and Karen Walker's Fall/Winter collections and now I intend to rave some more. Last year, Walker's collection was inspired by Britain's Northern Soul scene and featured great prints, styles and a clever use of vinyl; this time around, she was inspired by Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea where boxy-woollen coats and paisley-print Chelsea boots took precedence.

Reworking her signature tomboyish aesthetic with bold colour-blocking and interesting prints, Walker's mod-influenced collection is bang on the money for Fall/Winter 2012. Cropped slimline trousers and boxy single-breasted jackets are clearly going to be huge for Winter; Walker's tartan and orange versions are especially lovely, don't you think? She used a lot of orange and yellow last year and I really love this season's interpretation, particularly when worn as a colour-flash statement under more subdued pieces.

There's something about Preen's collections that is effortlessly classy and elegant, without being stuffy or outdated. For one thing, the styling is flawless and more importantly, the clothes are always outstanding.

For Fall/Winter 2012, Preen took inspiration from Beatrix Potter alongside notions of the strong, independent modern day woman. The end result was a striking balance of intricate botanical prints and bold, geometric shapes with a contemporary 'girl power' edge. These are the kind of clothes that women in power wear, women who mean business; they're not for your everyday Jane but for someone who know's what they want and how to get it. Although not realistically practical, the suede and lace platform heels will undoubtedly appear on 'must-have' lists everywhere come the end of Summer whilst a million and one geometric-colour block suits pop-up on the high-street. Ground-breaking? No. Desirable? Completely.

Will you be investing in a boxy-woollen coat and cropped geometric trousers or botanical florals at all? I am definitely taken with Walker's collection and can totally see myself buying a single-breasted jacket, they're all over the catwalk's this season and are super versatile.

photos from style.com

New York Fashion Week: The Prints Prevail

Yesterday I said that Alexander Wang was one of the American designers I was most looking forward to showing at New York Fashion Week and having taken one look at his Fall/Winter 2012 collection, this may have been a mistake.

It wasn't terrible, it just wasn't exactly interesting. Besides some classic Wang tailoring, the fabrics and shapes looked quite clunky and unless you're of model proportions, shapeless jumpers reminiscent of smelly wetsuits just ain't gonna work. Maybe it'll grow on me, who knows, but Alexander Wang Fall/Winter 2012 hasn't quite hit the mark or the standards we've become accustomed to.

Yesterday I said how my fear of colour restricts me to a uniform of black during the winter months but that might be about to change. Enter Band of Outsiders, Christian Cota and Mara Hoffman and their colourful, outdoorsy, printed collections. 

 Band of Outsiders

Christian Cota

Mara Hoffman

These collections probably instil the fear of God in anyone with an aversion to colour but they're so chic and well-styled it's almost impossible not to like them. Floaty peasant dresses were given sheer sex appeal and slouchy printed harem-pants were teamed with super-bright blazers at Band of Outsiders; their men's collections are always great so it'd be hard not the love the women's too. Fur is always a massive trend for Fall/Winter and my favourite variation this season has got to be the long-line waistcoat also seen at Christian Cota. His ethnic inspired collection made me want to travel back to the 70s and explore South America; it seems the printed trouser is fast becoming a serious contender for the most popular trend this season. Everything about Mara Hoffman's collection is doing it for me: the hats, the snoods, the prints, the shapes. Everything. The printed trouser and white shirt combination has to be my favourite look so far - you can just tell that over the coming weeks, there'll be a million and one variations.

I never thought I would favour bright prints over classic monochrome shapes but these collections are undeniably wonderful. I absolutely fell in love with the leather body-harnesses at Hervé Léger by Max Azria (see below) so have my fingers crossed that the high-street is taking note. How amazing would they look over a sheer vest or a contrasting body-con dress?

What are your favourite trends so far and would you like to see the high-street producing printed-trousers and body harnesses next winter? 

photos from style.com

New York Fashion Week: Helmut Lang AW12

Some of you may (or may not) know that last September I moved to New York for 3 months. Everyone kept telling me it was like London, only bigger; however, geographical differences aside, it's nothing like London. I could write a list as long as my arm citing the disparities: fashion, lifestyle, night-life - where do you start? During my first week there, I was lucky enough to attend a show during New York Fashion Week and it was there that I noticed a massive contrast in clothing and personal style. See, New Yorker's are very chic and more often that not, live in a uniform of black whilst rarely venturing into the world of colour. I, for one, can appreciate this apprehension of wearing colour because it scares me; what if it clashes with my hair? Do I have to co-ordinate it with my nail-varnish? The potential colour predicaments are endless.

Anyway, what does any of this have to do with Helmut Lang? Technically, New York Fashion Week and I should be the best of friends but to be entirely truthful, I usually find it excruciatingly boring. There's rarely any 'oomph' (for want of a better word) and I'm usually disappointed, even more so after having fallen in love with the city. So far this season it's been true to form and the only people I'm vaguely excited about are yet to show. With its monochrome palette, structured tailoring, luxury fabrics and clever styling Helmut Lang has thus far been my favourite show.

I'll be the first to admit that there's nothing new here: over the knee boots, cobwebby knits, funnel-neck leather jackets and leather trousers are all far from cutting edge. What I do love though is the simplicity and wearability of the collection - it is neither generic nor high-fashion and therefore suits me just fine. In my opinion, this is the best collection out of a bad bunch which is such a shame as New York has so much to offer. I know it isn't notorious for avant-garde and unwearable fashions but it would be nice to see something unique and original come out of NYFW this season, let's hope the best is still to come!