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Marc Jacobs has been a busy man with a lot of talk surrounding him recently. He left Louis Vuitton after a stunning final collection last year to focus on his eponymous label and their upcoming IPO. Luella Bartley took up the designing reigns for his offshoot line, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and it seems the reviews have been pretty good.
And now on the final evening of New York Fashion Week, all eyes have turned to Jacobs and his first collection in a new era of his life.
Following his dark, gothic spring show, it is rather jarring to see Jacobs present a collection full of pastels and airy fabrics for fall. Lavender masses of cotton candy (or were they clouds?) were suspended over the viewers and models strutted out to similarly-colored maxi dresses and wide-leg pants. Each model had their stick-straight bobs pulled out of their face with a wide knit headband, giving them an active, ballerina-in-practice look.
Jacobs always likes to leave us guessing, and one would never suspect this collection from the often punk-inspired designer, but my is the result breathtaking. Make no mistake, these clothes are quite challenging to wear and I'm sure we are going to see a few celebrity missteps when they try to translate these looks to the red carpet, but the right girl in the right dress and you will have a knockout outfit.
Personally I loved the change of pace that this collection brought. The seventies continue to be the big trend and Marc Jacobs has interpreted the decade in a fresh new way, and pastels for fall is perfectly genius! Those ombre fur coats are going to be absolutely everywhere.
Fall 2014 for Jacobs was a breath of fresh air, a beginning of a new chapter, as light and promising as a dainty pink cloud at sunrise. And I can't wait to see where this new day leads Marc Jacobs.
New York Fashion Week continues with favorites old and new.
Here's the low-down on some of my favorites:
J. Crew
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| J. Crew aka What Would Jenna Lyons Wear? |
Personal favorite J. Crew is at it again with the preppy-cool shenanigans. The preppy sportswear brand's collection line has basically turned into a presentation of all the outfits Creative Director Jenna Lyons wants to wear come next fashion week. And Jenna Lyons has basically become the Woman We All Want To Be Like.
Because Jenna Lyons is pretty darn cool, if you ask me. She's got great, no-fuss style; not to mention she made her acting debut on Girls this Sunday, which is like the epitome of cool. With her J. Crew isn't just the wardrobe for Ivy League WASPs and polo players - it has become more (ugh, I hate this word) hip. People want to wear J. Crew. Which frankly I so love.
Anyways, their fall collection is full of clothes fit for every type of woman, from the dressed-up feminine lady to the downtown-cool tomboy. There's enough prep in here to stay classically J. Crew, but there's a youthfulness to the clothes that Lyons introduces that has really revitalized the J. Crew brand. I used to only get basics from J. Crew (plain T-shirts and solid skirts, that sort of thing) but now I enter their store looking for statement pieces. That's a big shift in brand identity if you ask me.
Proenza Schouler
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| Proenza Schouler gets wild! |
The boys at Proenza Schouler are not afraid of a little experimentation, and each collection with them seems to be an intriguing exploration of cuts, textiles, and styles. For fall it appears there has never been a more appropriate time to use the term "Urban Jungle" when describing a collection, as these clothes were made for tackling the bustling streets of New York in style.
Jack and Lazaro are experts of balancing proportions and in mixing unexpected patterns together to achieve a spontaneous but put-together look, if that makes sense.
The use of zebra stripes and other loud patterns in a cool, sophisticated way is probably what the Rodarte girls were striving for for their Spring 2014 collection, but here it works because these sometimes tacky prints have been applied to incredibly modern silhouettes and not to equally as tacky shapes.
And if for some reason you are absolutely loving the whole Birkenstocks and ugly sandals trend (preferably with socks) the designers at Proenza have got you covered - well, at least your feet - with loafers that very closely resemble those water booties they make you wear when you go rafting.
Michael Kors
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| Neutrals never looked so good at Michael Kors |
If the boys behind Proenza Schouler are mad scientists of clothing experimentation, then Michael Kors is a distinguished professor of history. You cannot get more classic American clothing than Kors, and you're never going to see him try something that is wayyy out there. And that's okay. Kors has perfected classic American sportswear and it is so darn good, why would he want to change any of that?
For fall Kors stuck mostly with neutrals and soft metallics, but it was always cool and never boring. Kors makes clothes that are sexy without being slutty, historically inspired without being outdated, masculine without losing that feminine edge that makes them so desirable. He may walk a fine line but he never falters, and that is why he consistently makes people fall in love with his clothes.
There's a rich luxuriousness to his clothes but at the same time I wouldn't feel like I had to limit myself from running around in them or going out into nature because I was worried I would spill something on my slip dress or tear my oversized knit sweater. Kors makes clothes that are meant to be worn and lived in which I truly find refreshing. Clothing can be as beautiful as a Renaissance painting but they aren't really valuable if you feel afraid to wear them.
With Michael Kors, these clothes are calling to me, asking me to wear them. And it's taking everything I have to resist them.
Pardon my French, but Rodarte Fall 2014 was the shit.
To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much from the Mulleavy sisters this time around. After their, ahem, "interesting" Spring 2014 collection that was widely regarded as a bit of a misstep for the usually flawless sister designers, I wasn't exactly waiting on pins and needles for the follow-up.
I must apologize to Rodarte (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) because for a second I had given up hope. As cliche as it might be, Rodarte was one of the shows that got me to really enjoy fashion and see it as something more than just practicality. Their clothes were cool and creative and they were inspired by unique things like Japanese monster movies, and I really appreciated that original approach to designing clothes.
The past few seasons had been shaky, and Rodarte kind of fell from the top of my must-see list. It's sad to admit but true. I kept expecting to fall in love again and again and after a few seasons of just not feeling it, I kind of gave up any expectation.
And maybe that's why I felt such a strong appreciation for Tuesday's show. This wasn't only a strong collection through and through, it was a redemption.
Well, consider yourself redeemed in the eyes of the fashion world, Kate and Laura.
You should have done Star Wars dresses ages ago.
For a fall collection it was quite full of colors - all the colors of a Tatooine sunset, perhaps. The first looks were rather bohemian in the best, intellectual sense of the word, with girls walking out in colorful berets and shawls draped haphazardly around shoulders.
Then there were the awesome coats. I could imagine how delighted editors and bloggers must have been when they saw the glimmering jackets make their way down the runway, thinking about how that is something they could wear during this horrid polar vortex thing.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing colorful coats. It's so easy to resort to blacks and grays when the weather is less than stellar, and I would absolutely love to wear that sparkly blue coat when the temperature dares to drop below - gasp - 50.
The gowns were divided into two groups - Renaissance and Star Wars. I enjoyed both sections for different reasons, but I must say that the Mulleavy know how to turn something that could come across as kitschy into something that is sassy but also super cool.
The Death Star and Two Moon dresses are the best choices for a starlet who is hoping to geek out but not wear Yoda on her skirt, but even the dress with Luke Skywalker is so perfectly matched to his own ensemble that it doesn't seem that odd to have him there.
My only criticism for this show is that it seemed a bit disjointed, thematically speaking. I don't know if I quite understand how bookish bohemians, Renaissance princesses, and intergalactic Jedis have in common.
I'm not complaining though. I love that this is such a huge improvement for Rodarte, and from what I've heard others are quite pleased with the collection as well!
Props to you, Rodarte. You're back on my list of favorites.
New York Fashion Week is off with a bang, and designers are full of dark, gothy pieces; Lorde and the girls of Coven would be so proud. Here are some of the shows that really wowed me in the first few days of NYFW.
Jason Wu
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| Jason Wu went for dark glamour |
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
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| A lesson in draping at 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
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| 80s punk meets 50s rockabilly - with a slight South American twist - at 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
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| Sophisticated style meets downtown cool at 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
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| Experimental textures and textile combinations at 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!
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