Opening day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City has come to a close, but if today was any indication of what is still to come, I can’t wait to see more! The day started off with a collection by Nicholas K, which featured designs for both men and women. The color palette was mainly neutral with tones of black, white, beige, and gray accented by pops of navy blue. The collection was edgy and hip, with an effortless feel. I felt as if the models had just pulled clothes from their closet and layered them on sort of haphazardly, yet they looked trendy and modern. The highlight of the collection in my opinion was the navy blue chiffon dress toward the end of the lineup. The drape and the fabric was so feminine and sopisticated, yet the color was very dramatic which created a beautiful juxtaposition.
My least favorite of the day was Richard Chai. Individually, I felt like there were some great pieces here. However, as a collection, it just didn’t suit my personal taste. I liked the use of color in this collection–the salmon pink, chocolate brown, cream, and seafoam green–but it didn’t feel totally cohesive. I saw a couple of great structured jackets, particularly the women’s 3/4 length sleeve jacket with the prominent shoulders and the high rolled collar that looked like it came in both navy and seafoam green. There was also a great hot pink and navy printed wrap skirt paired with a brown blouse that looked very chic. On the downside, I felt like many of the pieces of this collection were unflattering, particularly some of the men’s pants, which fell somewhere between an ankle jean and a cropped pant, but just ended up looking like Steve Urkel’s highwaters. Also, I just didn’t get the Ke$ha-style blue lips. I know that people look to pop stars for fashion trends, but is that look really flattering on anyone? Sorry, Ke$ha.
My favorite designer of the day was Tadashi Shoji, whom I was unfamiliar with before today, but can now say that I am a huge fan of. I didn’t see a single piece on that runway that I wouldn’t have worn myself. His use of stripes in the first few looks might as well have been inspired by my very own closet. Anyone who knows me well knows that I can’t pass up anything with stripes. His collection as a whole was just absolutely gorgeous, from his inspiring use of color to his flattering silhouettes, to his flawless fabric choices to set the overall tone of the collection. I feel like he crawled inside of my head and stole every idea that I’ve ever had of dresses that I wanted to make. The collection exuded femininity while maintaining modernity and sophistication. I especially loved the use of lace mixed with sheer chiffons, which is a look that I have been in love with as of late. The color palette was moslty muted with pops of pink and yellow and also accentuated with perfectly placed sequins. My favorite look, or actually looks, of the day (not just of this collection, but of the day overall) were the very last two garments that appeared on the runway. Both were a beautifully draped silk chiffon that flowed in the breeze with each step that the model took down the runway. The first of the two was a strapless yellow and gray print on white with a fitted bodice and long, flowing skirt. The second was a pink and gray print on white with an asymmetrical one-shoulder neckline and one flowing sleeve and a floor length skirt. Both complemented the models’ skin tone perfectly. Well done Mr. Shoji!
I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s shows, and some heavy-hitters like Rebecca Taylor, Nicole Miller, and Cynthia Rowley. I’m also very excited for Electric Feathers, but unfortunately their show is not live streamed. Also to show tomorrow is the winner of this season of Project Runway. Don’t worry all of you loyal P.R. fans, the ending will not be spoiled for you, as this show will not be live streamed either. (However, I’m sure if you can’t wait until the last episode, there will be plenty of spoilers for you to uncover online…and personally I think it’s going to be Anya.) The full lineup for tomorrow, courtesy of mbfashionweek.com, looks like this:
September 99AM EMERSON, STUDIO 9:30-10:30AM ELECTRIC FEATHERS, BOX 9:30AM PROJECT RUNWAY, THEATRE 11AM LUCA LUCA, STAGE 11AM LUCA LUCA LIVE STREAM 1PM GENERAL IDEA, STUDIO 2PM REBECCA TAYLOR, STAGE 2PM REBECCA TAYLOR LIVE STREAM 2:30-3:30PM MARA HOFFMAN, BOX 5-7PM HELEN YARMAK, 730 5TH AVE, 23RD FLOOR 5:30PM TOMMY HILFIGER MEN’S, HIGH LINE’S CHELSEA MARKET PASSAGE, 14TH ST AT 10TH AVE 6PM NICOLE MILLER, STUDIO 6PM NICOLE MILLER LIVE STREAM 6:30-7:30PM JOY CIOCI, BOX 6:30-8:30PM CONCEPT KOREA, AVERY FISHER HALL 7PM CYNTHIA ROWLEY, STAGE 7PM CYNTHIA ROWLEY LIVE STREAM 8PM ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY, THEATRE 9PM FALGUNI & SHANE PEACOCK, STUDIO
Look for more of my commentary again tomorrow, and feel free to let me know what you thought of the shows as well! Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Until next time,
-L.Zgo.