Diane von Furstenberg unleashed vibrant color, Victoria Beckham channeled her sporty side, and Gisele Bundchen made a surprise appearance at Alexander Wang. See highlights from New York Fashion Week.
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Diane von Furstenberg called her fall 2012 collection “Rendez-Vous,” explaining in the show notes that a “Rendez-Vous is a meeting with suspense and expectation.” And with the collection that she presented with Yvan Mispelaere, expectations most certainly were met. There was a standout red kimono dress with opera gloves, tailored velvet jackets, a patchwork top covered in black and white handprints, and then a dramatic rosy red halter dress for evening, a seafoam strapless dress that looked like a wave was unfurling on the runway as the model walked. This being DVF, the 48-piece collection delivered its fair share of strong color and bold prints, such as a frosted-lime paisley jacquard, a jigsaw black georgette blouse and pant, and a printed-dot panel skirt. As von Furstenberg explained, her woman next fall is “glamorous at a moment’s notice, she is alive with anticipation.”
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Alexander Wang’s shows at Pier 94 on the Hudson River have an industrial feel as soon as you walk in. Dim fluorescent lighting, slate-colored floors, and great slabs of mirror gave the room an unsettling feel as guests (who included the South African rap group Die Antwoord) began to fill the bleachers. The collection was heavy on outerwear, with stiff leathers and tweeds in a lacquered finish. There were knee-high boots, structured leather pants, puffer vests, and black body-con dresses. Models wore turtlenecks over their mouths—which looked like surgical masks, and lent the collection an eerie edge. After the models had processed and everyone thought the show was over, the real finale began. A series of models—Including Karolina Kurkova, Shalom Harlow, Carmen Kass, and Gisele Bundchen—walked the runway and each froze in front of a mirror before the lights went out. But as Cathy Horyn wrote in The New York Times, there may have been simply too much darkness. “If you happened to be seated within 20 feet of a corner of his rectangular set, you were out of luck,” she wrote. “The lighting was so dim that once the models left the area in front of the photographers, the details of their outfits were lost. Mr. Wang may have been trying to suggest a sense of things being covered up, judging from his hard-edge shapes. But it doesn’t matter. There are only two acceptable explanations for showing your clothes in the dark: either your generator failed or you’re out of your mind.”
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At Victoria Beckham, things were short and to the point. Her 22-look collection consisted exclusively of coats and dresses—almost all with a pencil silhouette. There were shocks of color, and color-blocked fabrics, but the overall mood of the collection was defiantly sporty. “I’m living and breathing sport having so many boys in the house,” Beckham told WWD of her inspiration.
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There was a gypsy feel to Joseph Altuzarra’s fall collection. His inspiration was Corto Maltese, a French comic strip and character in the Sixties and Seventies, as Altuzarra explained to Style.com’s Nicole Phelps, who was a “sailor, his mom was a gypsy, and his dad was Venetian.” Each of those threads was traceable in the collection—with fur peacoats, red embroidered dresses jingling with medallions, and thick belted knit sweaters. The collection evoked a mingling of European and Moroccan cultures—clothes that looked chic but easy.
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Jason Wu’s fall collection was a response to his childhood in Taiwan, both literally and figuratively in China’s shadow. Models entered in a cloud of smoke through large, lacquered red doors reminiscent of the Forbidden City. There were Mao jackets, black silk embroidered with flowers, military-green wool caps, high-slit black velvet gowns, and gold brocades. But the collection was as reminiscent of old Hollywood as it was of China—and, as his show notes explained, was inspired by a “1940’s Hollywood version of Chinese glamour, exemplified by Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express.”
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When guests (including Zoe Saldana) filed into Prabal Gurung’s show, they would never have guessed that they were about to go to hell and back. Inspired by the spiritual journey between heaven and hell, the young Nepalese designer unveiled a varied collection that began with a string of black capes, furs, leathers, and tailored pants (and Philip Treacy visor hats), passed through a blue period with suits of futuristic prints, and finished in an explosion of white and gold, with ruffles and beads.
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The spirit of the Wild West greeted the fashion set at the Band of Outsiders show Saturday afternoon, where Scott Sternberg presented three collections—Band of Outsiders, Girl, and Boy—against an elaborate backdrop inspired by the American Southwest. And the collections followed suit, running the gamut from Mexican embroideries to alpaca sweaters to fur scarves. There were billowing dresses with paisley prints, blue-dyed furs, and, for evening, a gorgeous black bandage dress that would surely have no place in the desert—other than, of course, in a James Bond film.
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Monique Lhuillier described her fall mood as “more sultry,” which explained the deeper color palette. There were metallic pailettes, sequins, miles of organza, and fine embroideries—and a series of dresses we can see many Best Actress nominees jockeying for at the end of the month.
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Rachel Zoe has officially expanded her empire. The celebrity stylist-cum-reality TV star-cum-QVC sensation has turned definitively toward ready-to-wear, launching her first runway show this season after several presentations. Zoe presented 46 looks in a collection that was inspired by the rock culture of London in the 1960s—a mix of grit and glamour. There were a floor-length backless gold dress, tailored trousers and sweater-dresses, printed silks and velvets, and, in true Zoe fashion, lots and lots of fur.
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Derek Lam kept it simple for his fall collection. A boxy silhouette dominated the minimalist collection, with strong separates and sleek shells. There was a lot of leather, which paired nicely with floral motifs.
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Thakoon’s fall runway burst with color—magentas, reds, and pinks. Hemlines were short and dresses were prim—but there were suggestions of sexiness as well, in cut-out necklines, thigh-grazing skirts, a plunging neckline on a tuxedo dress, and backless tops. There were moments of boldness, too, in dresses emblazoned with feather prints, and bright red pants affixed with metallic pendants.
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The crowd that came to the Zac Posen show looking for a little drama certainly was not disappointed. Sunday night, the designer delivered his signature statements in a collection inspired by the Far East. There were strong reds, fishtail silhouettes, peplum waists, silk chinoiserie, and sweeping ball gowns for evening.
Charles Sykes / AP Photo
