New York Fashion Week on So Much to Smile About

Mara Hoffman Spring 2014

Sun, 24 Nov 2013 19:59:34 +0000

It’s freezing outside, and we haven’t turned the heat on in our house yet (so cold!), so while I’m wrapping up a major project for class, I’m also daydreaming about tropical vacations and sunshine – and the Mara Hoffman Spring 2014 show I went to in September would provide the perfect outfits!

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Christian Siriano Spring 2014

Mon, 18 Nov 2013 17:03:33 +0000

After a vampire-inspired FW 2012 collection and a SS 2013 collection inspired by the ballet, Christian Siriano looked to Mexico’s Isla Mujeres for inspiration for his Spring 2014 collection – and I absolutely loved it! From the basket-inspired raffia and straw material to the tropical colors, floral prints and crop tops, everything seemed warm and relaxed, with just the right amount of drama, of course. I left Lincoln Center early to make sure I made this show – my last of the day on the Saturday of fashion week. And the perfect way to finish! Now I just have to finish my Mara Hoffman recap, and that’s it for NYFW posts!

Rebecca Taylor Spring 2014

Sun, 10 Nov 2013 01:33:39 +0000

So I realize it’s way past fashion week at this point, but I still have some photos I want to share – and since I’ve got them all ready, I figured… why not. Rebecca Taylor was my fourth show on the Saturday of fashion week, and it was such an honor to be there. I was nervous I wouldn’t make it in, since I had to rush there in a cab after the Son Jung Wan show and the line to get in was super long, but thankfully, I made it! Rebecca Taylor was the very first New York Fashion Week show I ever went to, so it felt great to be back. And the clothes were amazing, per usual. I loved the neutral colors, the perforated leather and layers, and the jackets and sweaters. Seriously gorgeous stuff. I honestly want it all!

Son Jung Wan Spring 2014

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 19:50:57 +0000

As soon as I saw the program notes at Son Jung Wan, I knew there would be lots of off-white. And the subdued, neutral color pallet inspired by Morocco was wonderful – there were whites, yellows, a hint of pink, and a few pretty prints. Plus, the textures and shapes were so interesting. I especially loved the shifts! Oh, and see my video of the final walk here. It was a great third show of the day at #NYFW!

Lacoste Spring 2014

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 03:48:25 +0000

Lacoste was my second show of fashion week, and is always one I look forward to. I loved the colors and fabrics instantly, but appreciated the collection so much more after reading this review: “The terra-cotta of a clay [tennis] court was one of the collection’s base colors. And the lines on that court were duplicated throughout: in the piping on a polo shirt, in the futuristically linear pattern on a latex duster.” It was all really beautiful and well done – sport and sheer and just so lovely!

Ruffian Spring 2014

Tue, 17 Sep 2013 05:30:54 +0000

Fashion Week may have moved to London, but I still have plenty of New York Fashion Week updates to share! This year, I couldn’t make it up to NYC until late Friday (so I missed Rebecca Minkoff – gah!) but my first show was bright and early Saturday morning! Ruffian was the perfect show to kick things off for me - it was one of my first shows when I went to my first fashion week! And this collection was absolutely gorgeous. As I tweeted, the show was French-inspired (specifically inspired by the life, time and characters of French novelist Francoise Sagan), and even included Stetson hats for the show-goers!

Alice + Olivia Fall 2013

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:00 +0000

The Alice + Olivia presentation was my last fashion week event yesterday, and it was the absolutely perfect end to the day! The flowing champagne and tunes playing (music by Mia Moretti + Caitlin Moe), added to the fun that was evident in the entire fall 2013 collection. The collection featured embellished sweaters and tops, brocade jackets, full skirts, leather (obsessed with the knit tutu dress and quilted leather jacket combo), bronze and gold (the bronze moto jacket + velvet paisley dress was my favorite), and some leopard and zebra details (check out the clutch below). Even the tights (alice + olivia by Pretty Polly, an awesome legwear company!) were so fun! Plus, that red lip was perfection.

Lela Rose Fall 2013

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Can we take a minute to talk about the gorgeousness that is the Lela Rose fall collection? Inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, the collection features stunning dresses like the stenciled version below and lovely off the shoulder frocks, plus peplum tops, beautiful gowns and jackets to dream about. There was plenty of color – reds and burnt oranges and emerald green and prints (view the entire collection here) – but my favorites were the neutral looks towards the end of the collection, especially that embellished sweater + floor length skirt combo. So much pretty!

Rachel Roy Fall 2013

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:00 +0000

As you may already know, Rachel Roy is one of my favorite designers. And her fall 2013 collection is just amazing. It debuted on Facebook today (Rachel’s way of paying homage to her “digital heritage” and to “provide viewers with a 360º view of the collection”) and I seriously want it all, from the embellished sweaters to the ornate jackets and silky pants (oh, and I’m obsessed with the belts by jewelry artist Christopher Ross and to-die-for shoes). Catch the runway show below, and be sure to follow Rachel on Pinterest for a peek at the inspiration and a behind the scenes look at the #RachelRoyF13 collection.

New York Fashion Week Day 1

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Friday morning, after sleeping through my alarm and barely making my bus, I was on my way to NYC. When I finally got there, I had just enough time to check into the hotel, change into my first New York Fashion Week outfit, and grab a cab to Lincoln Center for Rebecca Taylor. It was pretty overwhelming and since we were rushed, I didn’t have a chance to take it all in at first. But once I was in the tents and in line for the show, I had some time to realize where I was. For such a big space, it’s absolutely packed with fashionable people! So packed, in fact, that not everyone was let in to Rebecca Taylor. Thankfully, one of the staff grabbed me after I hung around and let me in at the last second. I peered through the photogs and was mesmerized.

Noon by Noor Spring 2013

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

On Friday morning (my 4th day in NYC), after getting a bit of sleep post-FNO and stopping by the Danielle Nicole showroom (post coming soon!), I made my way to Lincoln Center for the Noon by Noor show. The Bahrianian designers Shaikha Noor Al Khalifa and Shaikha Haya Al Khalifa actually studied fashion in the DC area, graduating from Marymount University (and last week were the first Gulf-based fashion house to take part in New York’s fashion week), so I was especially interested in seeing what they had to show for Spring! Apparently Olivia Palermo, India de Beaufort, Cory Kennedy and Nicky Hilton were too, as they all sat front row!

Rebecca Minkoff Spring 2013

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Rebecca Minkoff was one of my favorite shows last season, so after Noon by Noor, I couldn’t wait to see the spring collection. As it did in February, the show opened with a live performance (catch the whole show here) – this time, indie group Tennis (they’re really good – you can listen and download a couple songs here) played along with beats by DJ Cassidy. And then, of course, there was the fashion.

BCBG Spring 2013

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I got to NYC on Tuesday in time for dinner at Hundred Acres in Soho and a Go Try It On launch party at the Cut25 store, then spent the next day at the Lucky FABB conference and my evening at Beaumarchais for dinner with Glam and some fabulous bloggers. So when I got up Thursday morning, I was beyond ready to head to the tents – and the BCBG Max Azria show was my first of the week!

Christian Siriano Spring 2013

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Christian Siriano was my last runway show of fashion week, and by this time, my phone had died along with my camera (you’d think I’d be better prepared by now… nope). But even though I couldn’t snap any photos, I was in a unique position to just take in the show and enjoy my final spring runway experience – something I recommend show-goers try sometime. As he is a former DC area guy (and was one of my fave shows from last season), I was definitely excited to see what Christian would show for spring.

Jill Stuart Spring 2013

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Saturday was by far my craziest day while at New York Fashion Week – I managed to make it to five shows back-to-back, and would have made it to six had I been able to find the venue for Edun (this was the single most devastating thing to happen to me while I was in NYC). Thankfully, I had the Jill Stuart show to kick off my day, and it was the absolute perfect start.

Mara Hoffman Spring 2013

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:00:00 +0000

So I just need to say that at this point in the afternoon, my camera battery had died (yes, MY CAMERA BATTERY DIED AND THE CHARGER WAS IN DC). Moving on. I still utterly enjoyed the Mara Hoffman show, as I knew I would. With an “Aloha” theme – complete with ukulele players and palm tree branch headpieces – it was so different from the fall collection, and SO very Mara Hoffman. As she told Style.com before the show, “I decided to stay true to myself and bring my energy, pure and clean.”

Tadashi Shoji Spring 2013

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:00:00 +0000

After the BCBG show and a quick break for some food (break? food? how did I get so lucky?) it was off to the Tadashi Shoji show, where the designer took us on a “journey along the Modern Silk Road.” The collection started with lots of embroidered lace dresses in rich blues, reds and black – some more form fitting, some with fuller skirts, and a few trapeze silhouettes that were just darling. From there, there were colorful striped dresses and gorgeous ikat-printed gowns. And of course, the collection wrapped up with some red carpet worthy dresses that were incredible to watch walk down the runway (if you’re interested, you can catch my shaky video of the final walk here).

NYFW Power Players

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 06:39:51 +0000

I learned a lot from my first fashion week: Ed Westwick is just as pretty in person, at the shows stand near an aisle for a better chance to get pulled down for a seat, Pepsi One will never replace Diet Coke for me, Olivia Palermo is just as pretty in person, wear statement necklaces and a red lip to instantly increase your chances of getting photographed, a light wool coat will not keep you warm in a warehouse on the Hudson in February, Molly Sims is just as pretty in person, Whitney Port is just as pretty in person, even if your heels don’t cause blisters your back and feet will make you want to cry after 10 hours, don’t forget to grab the show program notes, McDonalds is an amazing place for people watching at 11PM, shows never start on time, everyone is pretty in person… I could go on.

Edun FW 2012

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:34:25 +0000

The Edun show, held at Pier 57, was easily the coolest, and coldest, show I saw all fashion week. As soon as I read it would be a “safari punk mashup of 80s vibe leathers, bonded plaids and mesh with safari prints” I was intrigued. Plus, the concrete venue and stylish show-goers seemed so incredibly cool. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, seeing Kate Lanphear and sitting next to Ada Kokosar put it over-the-top amazing – until the show started, and then the fashion had all my attention.

New York Fashion Week Day 3

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:53:13 +0000

For my last full day in NYC, I spent most of my time down at the Milk Studios and Chelsea Market. My first show was Kevork Kiledjian, a new-to-me designer I was invited to cover with Crissie (who has one of my fave blogs) and IFB. If you love sexy dresses, dark colors, and lots of leather (and I do), you’d love this collection. There were also tight leggings (with a bit of a boot cut), fur, and amazing moto jackets. Aside from the leather, I loved the jacquards and the little black dresses with cutout/mesh details. Absolutely gorgeous!