You can always count on Jason Wu for a healthy dose of glamour, but this season he took a dark turn with luxurious black velvets and deep maroons. There was the usual tinge of Old Hollywood stardom, with slinky silk dresses falling to shins and hugging the body. Wu knows how to celebrate the woman and making her feel feminine and powerful. These ladies are women and they know how to get stuff done. I can't wait to see these looks on the red carpet.

Prabal Gurung

Prabal Gurung is a personal favorite, and each season he seems to outdo himself. If spring was a celebration of the past, fall is a fete of the future. Asymmetrical cuts galore, futuristic nomad details, and a cool mix of oranges, blues, and grays made this presentation absolutely stunning and unique. These looks will follow girls from the street to the party scene, which means everyone will want a closet full of Gurung's clothes.

My favorite part? One look (above, far left) had the model matching her hair to her monochromatic blood orange ensemble. Talk about color coordination!

Zimmermann

Zimmerman was incredibly unusual and yet I found myself oohing and ahhing at each and every look. I got the impression that the clothes and the models represented a group of girls who were unbelievably cool but also slightly dangerous - like, I would want to sit with them at lunch but I wouldn't want to be caught stealing one of their boyfriends.

Anywho, Zimmermann was a peculiar mix of goth/punk influences and fifties Lolita vibes. Full skirts and off-the-shoulder tops ran rampant, but so did dark lips, heavy boots, and biker jackets. I thought the clothes were absolutely awesome and I would kill to have that ivory lace jumpsuit. Too perfect for words.

Sally LaPointe

Sally LaPointe was practical luxury at its finest. These are clothes fit for a fashion editor, rich and streamlined and minimal-fuss. I enjoyed the atypical approaches to looks, like a sleeveless fur sweater or a crop top with a fabulous embroidered silk maxi skirt. You know the Sally LaPointe girl means business, and you know you want to be dressing just like her.

Nonoo

At Nonoo, Misha Nonoo played with texture and textile to a brilliant effect. There were fun plays on weaves and pleats (see the grid-paneled coats and skirts, for example) and a radiant range of colors that had me smiling. Maroons and navys are standard autumnal affair, but the pops of yellow and lavender took the collection above and beyond the ordinary winter wear.

Keep checking back for more reviews from all the fashion week shows!

Alice + Olivia Spring 2014

Burberry Prorsum Spring 2014

Wes Gordon Spring 2014

Prabal Gurung Spring 2014

Erdem and Fendi get catty

There is something so beautiful about a well-executed monochromatic look. Chadwick Bell's spring 2014 collection was geometric minimalism at its best. Each look is at once effortless and impeccably thought-out and everything is very, very cool. And can we all just agree that the rectangular mini skirt with sheer maxi underneath is the greatest thing in the history of the earth?

The theme of spring 2014 seems to be black and white and not a whole lot else. Ordinarily I would be thoroughly disappointed by the lack of saturation in the collections, but so far I've been pleasantly surprised by the season's black and white turn. As evidenced with Helmut Lang's clothes, the lack of color allows designers to really focus on shapes and textures. And the result thus far has been wonderful.

Of course, the runways weren't entirely devoid of color, and Prabal Gurung was an excellent example of a show full of vibrant, almost electric pastels (if such a thing makes sense!). Gurung was inspired by the elegant mid-century woman, and Marilyn Monroe in particular. I love his bold combinations of prints and colors, and that off-the-shoulder electric blue dress is pure fashion gold.

Similarly, Tanya Taylor was not afraid to inject a little rainbow into her clothing, but did it in a sophisticated, silhouette-based way that reflected the mood of New York Fashion Week thus far. Hits of rainbow stripes and punchy florals clearly skewed toward spring, but there were more subdued looks that could be worn any time of the year. I hope the floral-and-navy panel dress (second from the left) makes a fabulous red carpet appearance.

Keep posted here at The Fashion Barbie for more Spring 2014 runway coverage! 

Creatures of the Wind

In their first actual runway show (past seasons have all been presentations) designers Shane Gabier and Chris Peters have produced a pack-a-punch collection of patterns, bright pastels, and cool cuts. The brand's recent J. Crew collaboration seems to have influenced the style in today's show, but Creatures of the Wind will always be an eclectic collection not for the faint of heart.

Rachel Comey

Crop tops, high-waisted shorts, and global influences were all spied on Comey's runway in New York. These trends have been gathering steam on the streets, but the way Comey has translated street style to runway ready-to-wear is remarkable. The old thought was that runways influenced street wear, but with the onflux of street style blogs, the everyday wearer has in turn become the influencer, and it is quite intriguing to witness this reversal in trendsetting in action.


Gryphon

The masters of downtown cool go for a muted edginess this time around. Mint-olive camouflage prints, distressed army jackets, ocean-ripple denim: there's certainly a feminine utilitarian vibe going on here. There's also a sense of escapism in these urban clothes that makes you feel like you could be transported anywhere while walking on the streets of SoHo.

 
Lisa Perry

Lisa Perry is a fan of the mod movement. That is no secret. And with posters of the Beatles in the background of her presentation, spring will be no exception. Perry knows how to make a simple shift exceptional by adding bright splashes of color, and while terribly Twiggy-esque, other looks like the color-blocked maxi are so timeless that fashionable fans of mod will be clamoring for it come March.


Prabal Gurung

While not as captivating and stunning as Fall 2012, Prabal Gurung is quickly proving that he is more than just a one-season wonder. Using his signature technological prints and innovative cuts, Prabal stunned yet again. I'm waiting for a celebrity to try (and probably fail) to pull off that blood-red ruffled flapper dress.

(images from style.com)

I love the rich hues and the strong silhouettes. Malandrino always gives off such cool girl vibes but this season especially is so fancy and sophisticated. Give me a shrunken varsity jacket and a pout to match and I'm hooked.

Giulietta

I was getting good vibes from this show. The red number on the left gave me Olivia Hussey as little orphan Annie vibes. The peach suit gave me 70s businesswoman vibes. The yellow dress is totally Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde. And the green dress is fifties prom queen. I love it all and hope Giulietta gets the recognition it deserves for an awesome show.

I like that there's something for everyone in this Jill Stuart collection. For the simple, relaxed girl you have a sweet peplum tee and trouser combo. For the romantic one there's a daring lace and pencil skirt look. For the mysterious girl there's a chocolate coat and maroon leather skirt. And for the girly-girl, there's a sweet cutout dress with floral print. 

My, how things can change in a year. Last year I was raving about relatively under-the-radar designer Prabal Gurung and his red-filled fall 2011 collection. Now Prabal is the cool kid on the block with a cheerleader in Anna Wintour and every bright young thing lining up to get one of his designs. He went from the mean reds to the fighting blues and ended with gold gowns that only reminded me of the golden year he's had.

What I've enjoyed about NYFW thus far is that most of the shows have done a good job of staying away from all black. Instead designers -like Wes Gordon- have integrated rich fall hues into their collections. I love the deep crimsons, emerald greens, and gold flakes. And notice that the indecisive skirt is still going strong! The cuts of these clothes were beautiful.

Well, so far I've been pleasantly surprised by New York. Let's see what the rest of the week brings, shall we? What were your favorites so far?

(all images from style.com)