Christophe Lemaire Says “Au Revoir” To Lacoste With Op-Art and Clean Lines” y 11 mas

Christophe Lemaire Says “Au Revoir” To Lacoste With Op-Art and Clean Lines
Cushnie et Ochs Give Us a Mix of the Feminine and Hard
Honor: For the Fashion Girl With The Most Cake
Menswear Review: Rag & Bone and Tim Hamilton
Gallery: Costello Tagliapietra’s Body of Dresses
Lorick S/S 2011: Linear Dawn
The Rag & Bone Experiment
A Night at Milk Studios: Jen Kao, Mandy Coon, Kimberly Ovitz and LnA
Sneak Peek: The Zac Sack by Z Spoke
We Survived Fashion’s Night Out, Here’s What We Saw
Behind the Scenes: Ruffian’s Glamazons
Peter Som Wakes Us Up

Christophe Lemaire Says “Au Revoir” To Lacoste With Op-Art and Clean Lines

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 02:30 PM PDT

On a sunny Saturday morning with the US Open underway only a few subway stops away, it seemed an appropriate time to see the Lacoste show. This collection is Christophe Lemaire's last for Lacoste before he decamps the tennis courts for the more luxurious pastures of Hermès.

Despite the debauchery of FNO the night before, the Theatre at Lincoln Center was packed for the 10am show. I heard many conversations taking place in French all around me. Unfortunately I wasn't able to glean any Gallic gossip, since I chose to study Spanish in high school. There was some chatter about the arrival of Simon Doonan and Jonathan Adler, the cutest couple in NYC, but I missed them.

After deciding that I liked the big resin "1212" graphic cuff that came as a seat gift–Lacoste has launched a jewelry line–I settled in and prepared myself for the preppy. According to the tip sheet, for spring 2011 Lemaire was inspired by OpArt, Bauhaus, and the Villa Noailles which was designed by Robert Mallet-Stevens.

Jacquelyn Jablonski opened the show looking impossibly chic and reedy in a crisp white shirt and trousers punctuated by a skinny black tie. The first looks were graphic and blindingly white. The middle part of the show brought out the signature peppy color that characterizes Lacoste, and the cheery yellow and orange citrus hues looked fresh, especially on several kimono sleeved pieces. Shorts and loose pants anchored the pieces throughout.

The models were smiling, looked absolutely comfortable in their flat shoes, and were a veritable United Nations. So many different ethnicities were represented on Lacoste's runway, and it was a pleasure to see.

The Lacoste aesthetic was firmly in place, and in the words of Christophe Lemaire, "Vive le Crocodile!"

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Cushnie et Ochs Give Us a Mix of the Feminine and Hard

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Cushnie et Ochs sent down a subversively feminine collection for Spring/Summer 2011. Perfect for a trend setting hard-edged East Village girl, Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs gave us feminine pieces like flouncy pleated skirts, but with a bad ass twist: black leather pleats were mixed in with the chiffon. And if you didn’t hop on the leather shorts trend this summer don’t fret, they’ll be around next summer too, if Cushnie et Ochs have a say. And they’ll be paired with lighter than air distressed chiffon blouses.

Black and caramel leather gave way to a series of short lime and white dresses in silk crepe and bitten gingham. These dresses hang straight on the body rather than hugging it, exhibiting a certain restraint in their simplicity. It was a nice departure from the designer’s typically body-con pieces. And perfect for a P.S. 1 summer warm up party.

**All photos by Julia Silverman.

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Honor: For the Fashion Girl With The Most Cake

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 01:30 PM PDT

There were sweeties involved with the Honor. Not that I’m complaining. Designer Giovanna Randall, one our Fashionista 15, sent out a box of scrumptious macaroons with her invitation. When we left her beautiful presentation yesterday, we were waved goodbye with a Nars lipstick and a small–but dense–coconut and cream cake, covered in pale blue fondant with the word “Honor” stamped in gold.

In between? Plenty of lovely canapes–from mini fish cakes to Poblano quesadilla bites–which tempered the sugar.

Oh, and there were clothes, too. Lots of them. And they were achingly feminine, enchanting–from another time…almost. Randall skipped out on medical school to design, so her first collection is an amalgamation of everything she’s been wanting for the last few years but wasn’t able to express.

There were crepe de Chine suits, a gorgeous lipstick red trench coat, an ombré satin column dress with the perfect oval opening in the back. And turbans. Several. As well as some unbelievable printed textiles that Randall sourced in Switzerland–the tulip dress she did in floral fabric was a favorite. As was the grey cropped blazer and slacks–which she loves to call her Working Girl suit. Oh–and let’s not forget about the big, decadent bows, strapped on by harnesses, and almost Lacroix-esque in their volume.

Randall’s pieces don’t come cheap–she produces everything here in New York City–but the quality is difficult to surpass. Clearly I’ve been charmed, and urge any and all with money to burn to place a personal order with Randall asap. Get it before the buyers scoop it all up.

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Menswear Review: Rag & Bone and Tim Hamilton

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 01:00 PM PDT

If there was a men’s highlight to Friday of Fashion Week (next to Hamish Bowles's duet with Cheyenne Jackson—with Anna Wintour looking on—at The Rug Company's Fashion's Night Out event), it was the Rag & Bone show. Everyone was in attendance, and on the edge of their seats.

The results were mixed. David Neville and Marcus Wainwright have moved past the punky downtown and more towards this year's ubiquitous obsession: workwear. I've always seen Rag & Bone as the uniform for bartenders at speakeasies, but not longer—you might do a double take over your gimlet poured by a mixologist in a pair of Japanese denim overalls. That's right, overalls! Raw indigo denim overalls, to be specific. And the salute to John Henry was just beginning: raw indigo denim chambrays, coats, dungarees, and a poncho followed.

Yet the stronger pieces had nothing to do with denim, like the black and white wool and silk herringbone engine jacket and matching trousers, and a red silk blazer.

Staying true to its simple and streamlined roots, Rag & Bone is moving forward in some surprising, and sometimes satisfying directions. If I'm not totally on board, I'll be interested to see where this train is headed.

And while Rag & Bone got a little rough and tumble, Tim Hamilton Redux celebrated something closer to rough trade in a collection that was tough, grungy and at the same time soft and taciturn. Hamilton was going for a look of "early nineties life on the terraces of Warsaw's concrete tower blocks, nattily updated to the New York-Tokyo-Paris standard."

Think Lech Walesa-meets-rent boy atop the crumbling Berlin wall. Or something.

And yet despite the tough exteriors, there's levity here: jersey tees and fitted pants, a single button light-wool blazer that would fit your sexy professor and a green trench that was downright natty.

As with nearly everyone this season, there was the occasional tunic, which I have trouble seeing any guy wearing, from New York to Warsaw, no matter how liberated he's feeling.

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Gallery: Costello Tagliapietra’s Body of Dresses

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 12:00 PM PDT

Every season Costello Tagliapietra creates the perfect collection of dresses. This season was no different. Enjoy!

**All photos by Julia Silverman.

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Lorick S/S 2011: Linear Dawn

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 11:00 AM PDT

Lorick has had my heart since its Spring/Summer 2009 presentation, where models were elegant, beautiful, and refined yet playful as they dug into pastel-colored cakes. It looked like a scene out of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, which by the way, happens to be my all time favorite movie. Every season since then, Abigail Lorick –the mastermind behind Lorick–has been producing beautifully tailored pieces as she strives to embody the ‘Lorick Lady,’ a woman who has eternal style while trends come and go.

As I made my way to Tella Design Studio, I imagined what Lorick might have in store for us this season. Named Linear Dawn, this season’s collection consists of subtle simplicity. Of course I expected beautiful clothing but once again, I was taken back by the attention to detail Lorick offers. From afar, the color palette–soft pinks, light blues, and soft grays–looked whimsical. However, once I moved up close it could be seen that the organza, chiffon, and georgette had been all hand-painted with lines and grids, giving life to the name of the collection. There were lovingly-draped dresses, skirts, and head-pieces, which seemed to be made for the models, who looked like they were all planning to go to some modern tea party after the show.

So, even though there was no cake involved this time around, I was pleasantly impressed by the aesthetics. It was everything I expected from the designer. Très bien!

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The Rag & Bone Experiment

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 10:00 AM PDT

Rag & Bone is many things. But if they were one thing, it would be a wearable, salable brand. Yesterday’s show in a meatpacking district warehouse showed that they’d like to be more than that. While there were plenty of marketable pieces, there were also plenty of totally unmarketable ones. And that’s okay, because designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville took some risks. And with the near-perfect collection they put out last season, they couldn’t do anything but.

There were Rag & Bone staples–a pair of oatmeal drawstring football pants, a red and tan blazer that I’ll be surely ordering–mixed in with some less-predictable items. A mushed up watercolor print, bike shorts with garters, and a few bandage harnesses. It all read as a modern interpretation of early ’90s street culture.

Another favorite–the pale, sheer green used on several pieces at the end of the show. Overall, it was an interesting and ballsy–if not entirely successful–departure for the guys. Major R&B investor and Theory CEO Andrew Rosen was sitting across from me–and he looked pleased. So good on them.

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A Night at Milk Studios: Jen Kao, Mandy Coon, Kimberly Ovitz and LnA

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 09:15 AM PDT

Jen Kao
Sure there was sand on the runway and there were floaty dresses and soleless sandals at Jen Kao’s show at Milk yesterday, but there was a dark undercurrent running through her collection. Chris Isaac’s “Wicked Games” played for the entire length of the show, and Kao’s line sheets said that she was “inspired by the arid sands and shifting light of the powdery dunes where desert princes find their zombie brides.” Ok…? The zombie bride thing didn’t exactly come across but Kao’s color palette–sand, off-white, dusty rose–certainly gave off a desert vibe. Models strolled through the sand in over-sized slouchy knits and loose airy dresses, most of which were crocheted and macramed, and paired with soleless macrame thongs and shin guards. The stand out look? A dusty rose gown with intricate paneling at the bodice.

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Sneak Peek: The Zac Sack by Z Spoke

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 08:30 AM PDT

Five minutes on the phone with Zac Posen and I'm sold. Sold on the Zac Sack, his new signature bag for the Z Spoke line, and sold on the designer himself. For all his artistry, the former wunderkind is also a salesman. To wit: not only does the Zac Sack strike the perfect balance between uptown lady and downtown grunge gal, Posen declares, it can also make a great in-flight pillow for those tight economy seats. Really.

He may be eccentric, but he's right about the bag. It's the perfect size—no Olsen-sized monster or annoyingly tiny clutch for the Z Spoke girl—comes in spot-on colors, and has thoughtful details, like the row of grooves on the underside of its handle to make grasping it on your train commute that much more comfortable. Knowing a man might need assistance in imagining the myriad requirements an ideal bag should fulfill, he hired a female accessories designer (Yaz Buket, an Egyptian princess with a jewelry line at Colette), and used his devoted celebrity following as a testing audience.

"Every actress that came in the studio had to have a go with the prototype," he told me, which is how Claire Danes, Alexa Chung and Dita von Teese were all spotted carrying the bag even before its release this week at Saks Fifth Avenue. And he credits his experience with Target with giving him the know-how to create a supple leather bag (lined in silk faille, no less) for $525, explaining it was the mega-retailer that taught him to "put what you can do into the product [versus advertising or packaging], and to make the right, intelligent choices."

Posen is showing his fourth Z Spoke collection at Lincoln Center tonight, and will make his Parisian debut with Zac Posen Collection next month. We can’t wait!

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We Survived Fashion’s Night Out, Here’s What We Saw

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 08:00 AM PDT

Fashion’s Night Out round two is over. Veni, vidi, vici. It was like Halloween for fashion people. (We wish retailers were handing out clothes like candy.) Conquering the chaos of last night was much easier as Fashion’s Night Out provided the Fashionista team with a Volkswagen Jetta so we could jump from Soho where we shopped Alexa Chung’s collection for Madewell (so cute) uptown to Bergdorf’s to wait on line to see Tom Ford, and made a lot of stops in between.

Here’s the best of what we saw last night, and a few highlights from events we wish we’d had time to see. If you braved FNO last night, we want to know, what was the craziest thing you saw or best purchase you made?

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Behind the Scenes: Ruffian’s Glamazons

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 07:30 AM PDT

Thursday’s Ruffian show was a ladylike safari. Here’s what went on behind the scenes. **All photos by Julia Silverman.

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Peter Som Wakes Us Up

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 07:00 AM PDT

It's kind of like running a marathon after a marathon:

Immediately after his show Friday morning, Peter Som headed uptown to Tommy Hilfiger's studio, where he would continue more work. (Som consults for the designer, who's showing this Sunday).

But let's hope Som finds some time to celebrate his own success later. Not just any collection could shake the slumber from an audience that dragged their designer heels to Milk studios by (gasp!) 9am after Fashion Week's first night of festivities—but Som did just that.

As the first dress bounced down the runway, postures straightened, whispers hushed, and digital cameras woke up at the same time as their owners.

The culprit was not the show's spectacle (in fact, a sleepy soundtrack of The Shins, Nick Drake, and Fleetwood Mac made the perfect lullaby). Instead, the wake-up call was the color: flamingo pinks, electric turquoises, and sunbeam yellows that pulsated life into Som's ladylike silhouettes and fabrics (tweed, brocade, and lace).

The result was an utterly wearable, playful spring collection alive with the color and detail largely missing from the spring shows so far.

While neutrals and minimalism may be ubiquitous right now, Som's ahead of the curve on the bounce back effect. After all, a girl can only have so many sandstone sheaths before she wants a statement party dress.

Som fills that nice for spring, and smartly so.

**All photos by Julia Silverman.