New York Fashion Week Fall 2009 RTW Wrap Up Part 1

PHEW! Almost there, I guess many of you are focusing on London Fashion Week now but I started to make these posts and I am determined to finish them! This is part one and I hope to finish the last part soon. I also must feature the magnificent photos of the Clematis-No-Oka garden we went to over the weekend. Magnificent. Please visit the fabulous Leah's blog to read about our adventure before I have a chance to post about it! It's really great, check it out and drop her a comment!

Marc Jacobs

Talk about some crazy hairstyles going down the runway for Marc Jacobs! When interviewed by WWD he asked “What? Is all black going to help the economy?” Love it. This collection was fun and playful full of color and life in a time of gloom and doom. There were some magnificent cape like coats in vibrant yellows and reds. Again, you are probably tired of hearing me say this, but am not a huge fan of those wild shoulder pads! What is your take on the shoulder pad craze this season?

Michael Kors

I am not completely sold on Michael Kors yet but how can I not feature the fabulous Project Runway Judge? It's too bad the show is facing so many legal woes and may not air this season. Nevertheless, his collection featured a lot of great timeless staple pieces. There were a few bright colors incorporated into the black based collection (left). The coat on the right looks magnificent with the black silhouette doesn't it?

Narciso Rodriguez

Last year my sister and I bought Narciso Rodriguez perfume for my Mom and she was a changed women. She only uses it on special occassions but she says it makes her feel special and fantastic when she puts it on. This is how I felt when I looked at his magnifcent collection. It was full of body hugging pieces that were fabulously tailored and caused my jaw to drop! Not eveyone can make camaflouge look cool but there were some great jackets and dresses that would make any woman swoon. I was not a huge fan of the bizarre cut out hats but nevertheless I was wowed by this collection!

Zac Posen

Zac Posen presented an interesting and very glamourous collection this season. I was not a huge fan of many of the large shoulders but I thought it was definitely worth highlighting. There were some amazing gowns and interesting cuts as well. There were also a few great pant and skirt suits. These were my two favorite pieces from the collection (left and right).

Proenza Schouler

The collection put together by Jack McCollough and
Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler was a stunner! There were some great tweed looks (see below) as well as some stunning evening wear dresses. I loved the gold sparkly dress (featured left) and the fabulous layered dress (featured right). Shorts with tights were also another key element in this collection. This trend is huge in Japan. Many women wear cool capris and shorts with leggings and big chunky boots. Thre were also a variety of casual, yet chic jackets gracing the runway this season.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren included three large chandeliers above his runway! Many of the pieces were in earth toned colors of blacks, greys and browns. I wasn't too keen on all of the velvet-like materials but there were many great pieces. Look at this dress on the left, doesn't it look like a flower? The collection also featured some magnificent hats (see below).

Rodarte

I have always been a fan of the collections presented by the Rodarte women (Kate and Laura Mulleavy). There was a whole lot of leather presented this season. There were leather pants in a variety of colors and hard mini dresses with long sleeves. They might be a hard sell during these times but it sure was a fabulous show! Their collection was inspired by architect Gordon Matta-Clark. In the seventies, He created a series entitled "Building Cuts" where he took apart buildings that had been abandoned. They captured the collage idea brilliantly!

Temperly London

Many designers have been using mannequins this season. The clothes have to be dramatic and styled fabulously for them to stand out from the masses of houses presenting collections. Temperly London was one of the few houses that pulled the effect of effortlessly. I loved the way the clothes were displayed. They looked chic, wearable and fun! The cropped leather jacket (left) was different than any of the jackets coming down the runway this season. Don't you love the hats and poses of the models on the right?

Tory Burch

This season Tory Burch included a lot of casual street style pieces intermingled with rough leather and biker boots. There was just something about this collection that grabbed my attention. The cardigans, vests and blouses all seemed to fit into the hard look. The pieces are simple, yet have a playfulness to them.

(All images via WWD)