as one of the most talked about & visually groundbreaking labels to come out of new york in the last five years, the mulleavy sisters present the FW11 rodarte collection. as expected, imaginative concepts were presented as wheat field printed satin gown blew down the runway starting with an opening look worn by caroline trentini. statement coats were given added sophistication as the palette consisted of soft neutral shades that transformed to a bold finale set of gowns. intricate cuts & geometric construction was seen while details of crocheted elements were also adapted to the fall collection. much like what we seen from preen, just in a different perception, influence of american quilting was seen on the collection pieces & was interlaced perfectly. near the close of the collection, i love the use of navy & though a greater feel of country elements was created, soft & feminine quality is seen as well. overall, the rodarte label is a leader of creativity in design, in new york, as well as internationally. they’ve presented yet another dimension of fashion that was not expected & is greatly inspiring.

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with a focus on textures, the FW11 collection presented by monique lhuillier is one of beautiful construction & elegant design. always looking at fashion as a form of story telling, i love what is presented gradually from the first look to the last. at the entrance of the show sequence, a focus on more heavy pieces including outerwear were seen. as the collection progressed, the clothes become more & more stripped; necklines dropped, lace exposed more skin & it almost seemed as though winter was melting away one model at a time, eventually leading us to next season, spring. subtle use of animal print was introduced throughout the collection as shots of red lit the mostly black & earth toned palette. gold undertones tapped into the trend of metallics for the fall & drama ensued in the form of an army of gowns that lead to the collections close. gowns constructed of sheer textiles, tulle & ostrich feathers allowed each gown to become greatly individualized through design additions in the form of animal print, sequins, lace & ruffles. in the collection, i loved the brown dipped gown with the intricate neckline- a gorgeous piece & one of the standout designs of this season. i admire the direction taken this fall & applaud lhuillier’s refined style.

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the vera wang FW11 collection surprised me in it’s show of rugged & still soft feminine influence. in season’s past, i had criticized what was presented on the runway as being unpolished & unattractive; but this season a defined form of urban elegance is felt. with a dark, moody eye & slightly undone hair fur lined parkas were matched to ethereal gowns & ankle boots that allowed vera’s elegant style signature to clash with the edge of new york city street fashion. i was very inspired by how rugged & perfected each look was- very, very happy with what was created this year, in style & design. all our faves walked for the show as daphne gorenveld opened leading joan smalls, ming xi, kasia struss, hanne gaby odiele, sigrid agren, jac & frida gustavsson, among others, down the runway. arizona muse closed the show in a vintage inspired sleeved gown which allowed the soft feel i described to be felt through to the end. cohesive from the first look to the last; it’s glamourous, edgy, sophisticated & extremely stylish- i love this collection & applaud the vera wang label. here two perceptions of style collide, perfectly.

revealed presentation style in new york city yesterday, the chris benz FW11 collection is one of charming concepts & vintage style notes. seen in this look book set, the surrounding elements of the actual photos of the collection incorporate a greater sense of design poetry. a marbelized cloth backdrop is seen loosely draped as the models stand atop couch cushions allowing elements seen in the collection to take on a bit of aged elegance. hats & print are two elements many of designers are pushing this season & those trends are seen here. expert styling of the collection creates a feeling of comfortablity & organic style. nothing is too forced or up tight- even in the use of fur, it’s very relaxed. well tailored suits are seen alongside floral gowns, soft blouses & fur coats as floppy hats provide a cherry on top, in terms of translating a vision. a wide range of looks are cohesively presented & i find the execution of the collection to the presented images as picture perfect. a strong collection.

season after season, one label im always interested to see is victoria beckham. i think the case of the once posh spice is extremely interesting given the success of her transition from pop star to style icon & now to designer. surprisingly, the beckham label ventures further into the depths of minimalism with a what appears to be influenced by the middle east, 70′s style sensibility & relaxed silhouettes all in one collection. im very impressed by the collection seen this season & admittedly had my share of fears that the beckham label would become a design one note. my fears aside, i adore the concepts & story that is told through this collection. understated through clean design lines, victoria & her design team hit the nail on the head this season. a wide range of looks with understated & still powerful style statements was created this season. an elegant color story was seen as red announced the collections beginning & soon yellow, orange & maroon was soothed into a base of chic earth tones. models walked the runway with head coverings which allowed the clothes to make an even more powerful statement. strong in construction & beautiful by execution, the victoria beckham collection is one that i respect, tremendously.

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barbaric chic mixed with a bit a varsity cheerleader & a bit of new age  marching band were the insanely creative concepts i felt from the rag & bone womenswear collection this fall. from the first look the collection wasted no time projecting a visually stunning vision that really blew my mind. though a bit more wild compared to some of the american designer labels that have opted for more conservative or refined direction, the rag & bone collection achieved it’s goal in presenting a refreshing take on the fall with fur sleeves, stylish layering, leather pants, geometic color blocking, plaid & even padded leggings. i was very inspired by how wild & tamed the concepts were- very creative & outrageously innovative. in cast, valerija kelava opened the show while liu wen, karmen pedaru, joan smalls, fei fei sun, jacquelyn jablonski, lindsey wixson, edita vilkevicute, sigrid agren, anais mali, hanne gaby odiele, jac walked as arizona muse closed. everything from military style coats were seen alongside ponchos. a super stunning collection of imaginative design & exciting execution. fearless & fashionable all at once.

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bold blues, stoned greys & black looks filled the FW11 nicole miller runway show. as cameos of red entered the collection palette, progressive construction was seen in the use of metallic, suede & leather. while much more fashion forward concepts were seen within this collection, in comparison to seasons past; i did not agree with the use of print. the use of print seen within the collection made the concepts feel dated & in a sense, forcefully innovative; the collection could’ve been much more powerful through simplicity had that aspect been removed. models ajak deng, tao okamoto, siri tollerod & rose cordero were seen in this season’s cast as alana zimmer both closed & opened the show. i’ve had my eye on the nicole miller since being blown away by the label’s pre-fall collection & admire many moves the label has made in an effort to become more modernized in this new digital age of fashion. their FW11 show was live streamed from new york & the label has created a successful twitter account, as well as a tumblr account & facebook fan page- which allows the brand to become more involved with consumers. in my attraction to the labels pre-fall collection, little use of print was seen & my attraction was more greatly concentrated on the simplicity of the seen concepts. within this collection, a further development of similar concepts that are much more structured is recognized. overall, the collection is one of strong direction, with few questionable choices. created in 1994, i recognize the potential that the miller label has to becoming much more progressive & more stunningly, creatively. with what was presented for fall, in this collection- i loved the styling, the use of layers & the collections coats had an inter-galactic feel that drew me in. displayed in some of the collections coats were the same elongated, almost exaggerated silhouettes that i really loved as well. i would like to see greater forms of power through simplicity, as much of the fashion market is preying on the art of minimalism.

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sophisticated style was presented with metallic accents in the form of the FW11 peter som womenswear collection. less than perfect beehives sat atop the models heads as they walked down the runway clad in well tailored dresses, formal pants looks & floor length gowns. much of the collection, stylistically, reminded me of oscar de la renta- it’s that same approach to dressing women that is so timeless. with a palette consisting of cameos of orange, red, blue, grey & black- the collection is one of solid direction & promising concepts. strong not only in design direction but in cast, as anais mali walked alongside tao okamoto, ming xi, valerija kelava & rose cordero. i loved the use of fur on some of the collections coats & while i readily identify a likeness to oscar de la renta’s design style, i also admire the sense of youth seen in the clothes- though classic, the concepts aren’t dated & are given a slight tinge of modernization, which will only enhance the som labels marketability.  

in a surprising turn of event, christian siriano showcased another dimension to his design creativity for the FW11 season. while i admittedly expected dramatic gowns & loads of ruffles- the latest collection from christian siriano showcased a restrained creativity & an army of blacked out looks. as the collection swelled to the finale the garments became more dramatized & siriano’s signatures were clearly visible by the final look. i admire siriano’s choice to do something more controlled this time around & was pleased by what was seen. as a standout reality tv star to the real life runways of new york fashion week, the christian siriano label has become greatly developed with established clientele.  

as a developing brand of relaxed silhouettes & 90′s inspired layering, the FW11 richard chai love collection hosted a wide range of murky tones today on the runways of new york fashion week. as a stunning wool wrap coat opened the collection, an army of charcoal grey looks soon followed. the richard chai signature is that of elongated silhouettess, relaxed fit & effortless style. it’s downtown youngster meets uptown fashion chick- a style chai has greatly developed over time. it’s very interesting to analyze the sense of style being presented on the runways with younger designers- while it may be just this season in particular, i’ve sensed a 90′s style homage for a few seasons now. i love that the chai collection is androgynous in a way but is still feminine enough for some of the girly girls. the greyed palette eventually warmed to a set of neutrals towards the close of the collection & for the most part, i was impressed. i admire nothing more than a designer with clear direction & outstanding style. slight use of print was introduced in some of the pieces in conspicuously & complimented the collection, in it’s entirety, rather than to break it up stylistically. a strong direction & well developed vision. a strong collecton, for the win.    

an interesting movement has been happening in new york city over the course of four seasons & two years. the concept of classic american heritage has had an outstanding influence & the proof is seen in this collections direction. made entirely of organic materials, the designs of john patrick appear with a slight 90′s style influence as well. knitwear, long-lengthed dresses, floral, plaid, lace, oversized cardigans & relax fit statement coats blazed through the collection, which amounted to a solid collection for the fall in new york. i loved the boots in the collection & admire the styling greatly. it’s casual, chic & effortless- nothing is worse than a direction that feels forced, the vision is, well..organic. a strong collection & promising effort. 

hushed tones normally seen for the spring were seen in the refreshingly minimal reed krakoff pre-fall collection for 2011. reed krakoff is actually the creative director of coach & designs for both companies simultaneously. his approach to design, free from the heavy logoing we most commmonly see at coach, is astoundingly beautiful & understated elegance. use of suede, leather & metallic snakeskin were all seen throughout the collection, which proved to be a fresh take on the fall pre-season. relaxed silhouettes, layering & slices of color blocking were seen- which i really loved. overall, the set is strong granted the current direction of many major fashion houses of the current time. a progressive set with strong direction.

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Tom Ford talks about his new womenswear collection

Unfortunately, there were no pics of the interview, aside from Tom wearing a dressing gown from his own collection- but the copy was very descriptive. A A Gill writes: “Tom sits with his legs slightly apart and his hips tilted. It has a classic, cool Raphael aesthetic, with a hint of Tom of Findland. He has a thing for nudity. He likes being naked. He likes bodies. Real bodies. He likes their varierty and their uniformity, their symmetry and their grave humanity..” This explains the lack of attire then!

But what I found really interesting was what Tom Ford said about his new womenswear collection…

Tom said this time he doesn’t want to be part of the fashion treadmill, of making people feel insecure about not having the right clobber. Is this a thinly veiled dig at his previous places of work..? He made his name as the creative director of fashion house Gucci and later Yves Saint Laurent.

He said: “It’s about taking what makes you feel good about yourself. The clothes aren’t seasonal; there are no catwalks of clip-clopping etiolated, shark-eyed models. No circus of hacks and photographers. The clothes have no sell-by date. You make your own look and add what you like. I wanna makes things that are classic. Imagine inventing the Chanel suit or blazer..”

Tom Ford famously banned all photography from the preview of his new collection in September, aside from one official photographer Terry Richardson. The pics have only just been released to press.

The womenswear line marks Tom’s return to womenswear, the first time in six years. This is the man who invented the modern concept of glamour through his time at Gucci in the ’90′s and then Yves Saint Laurent. Skinny disco pants, Barbarella-style boots, velvet tuxedos, leather trimmed minis, satin shirts- all Tom Ford.

Tom Ford womenswear follows a menswear collection, make-up range and hit movie. It will be interesting to see if his new approach to ‘seasonless’ fashion, with no preview photography will take off..? His argument to no photography being that why should he showcase his designs months and months in advance in order that they’re spread all over the internet and the likes of H&M can copy the trends and make millions off the back of it..where’s the incentive for him? It kind of makes sense, but it also recreates that level of exclusivity within designer fashion again.

For more details on the new collection, see FashionBite’s post: Tom Ford’s First Own Label Collection-Sneak Preview

FashionBite xx

he rebuilt the house of gucci when the rest of the luxury world had lost interest & hope, he comprised a team of super friends who are now considered heavyweights in fashion & now tom ford returns to world of womenswear. an exclusive look at his first collection, under his namesake, tom ford label was presented digitally by vogue & it’s stunning. his historical takeover & domination of high end fashion through the house of gucci made him an icon, as he called upon a stylist by the name of carine roitfeld & a photographer known as mario testino. while roitfeld is now the editor-in-chief of french vogue, testino shoots just about every american vogue cover, british vogue & fashion campaigns with dolce & gabbana, stefanel & michael kors among others. ford’s reputation for trendsetting is valued highly & his return to womenswear is nothing short of amazing. while ford has had a six year absence from womenswear; he has steadily been working to build himself as an empire in the form of tom ford menswear. tailored suits & luxurious textiles are created for his menswear collections every season. upon his entrance to film, ford debuted his first film “a single man” which starred colin firth, with co-stars julianne moore & jon kortajarena. in building professional realtionships with esteé lauder, opening his first flagship location for the brand in 2007 & conquering the accessories market, ford is poised to build an empire larger than what he built for the house of gucci. the exclusive look at the collection shows ford at his greatest; relevant through trend & groundbreaking in concepts, ford has an affinity for classic design & a dark aesthetic. i am beyond thrilled that we are beginning to see what he has been keeping secret for the last two seasons. shot by steven meisel, we see joan smalls, anja rubik, carolyn murphy, amber valletta, stella tennant, edita vilkeviciute & karen elson in ford’s first namesake ready-to-wear collection. ford revealed his collection of womenswear in a tightlipped showcase that models & celebrities attended during the spring fashion season, in new york. while no camera’s were admitted into the presentation but one, this is a first look at which tricks tom has up his sleeve. one things for sure, all the icons have come out to be apart of this momentous occasion. i am expecting major, major moves from ford with this collection in the coming year. i advise all of you to make note of this homecoming.