Last year, Ralph Lauren gave us denim overalls and floppy hats inspired by the American West. This year: tuxedo jackets and embroidery inspired by China. At his show Thursday morning, Lauren presented a buttoned-up collection that drew on both the Far East and Art Deco. There were high-waisted black skirts and collared dress shirts, bright red silk shirts and necklaces, a luscious green silk evening dress, and a red velvet suit. The China theme wasn't overt—despite the song "China Girl" blasting over the loudspeakers during the finale. It was hard not to think of Michael Chow—the well-known restaurateur famous for his Bauhaus-inspired glasses—when one bespectacled model pranced down the runway. Lauren's family lined the front row–including his daughter-in-law-to-be, Lauren Bush. His wife, Ricky, jumped up to kiss him when he took a bow. As Cathy Horyn wrote of the collection: "It was possibly one of Mr. Lauren's most beautiful shows in a while, a display of confidence and worldly polish."
Bebeto Matthews / AP Photo
Five years ago, celebrity stylist L'Wren Scott began a clothing line that aimed to give women "easy pieces" that were glamorous enough to work on the red carpet, but not so design-y as to garner clients like Ellen Barkin and Sarah Jessica Parker appearances on worst-dressed lists. On Thursday, Scott continued with this ethos, showing a collection filled with pencil skirts in snakeskin, fitted cocktail dresses, and jet black trousers that would work at the Viper Room and the Oscars. A white and purple ombre cocktail dress came down the runway, followed by a fitted dress painted with blue stripes and, for evening, a black-and-pink beaded paisley gown. Barkin was there munching on a chicken pot pie, and Mick Jagger, Scott's boyfriend, took video with his iPhone. Welcome to the modern world.
Courtesy of L'wren Scott
The day after the Westminster Kennel Club crowned a Scottish Deerhound, Isaac Mizrahi gave us a new Best in Show. Poodles pranced down his runway Thursday, dyed shades of pink, yellow, and blue. The crowd oohed and aahed. Models were, of course, styled to match—in pink, yellow, and blue dresses, with tufts of hair atop their heads. The theme of Mizrahi's fall collection was simple enough: "Cake." That meant waiters passing around slices of colorful cake to audience members before the show (a far cry from the lemon Momofuku cookies at the Band of Outsiders show this week) and waiters carrying triple-tiered cakes down the runway.
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This season, Zuchelli added texture to his signature minimalism. Of one alpaca coat in the collection, he explained: "It started with the whole idea of a teddy bear."
Seth Wenig / AP Photo
The collection may have been beige, white, and camel, but in the front row, things were bright. Kate Bosworth arrived in an orange sheath dress by the designer, and sat with Zoe Saldana and Kerry Washington before rushing backstage to bestow their congratulations upon the designer.
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Who can forget the gold strapless Naeem Khan dress that Michelle Obama wore to the Indian state dinner in 2009? In a way, that's the image that hangs over his collection, which brought more beaded frocks, mermaid gowns, and over-the-top bustles of tulle. And, for the first time all week, it was clear that Khan was a crowd favorite: The audience jumped to its feet when Khan took a bow to give him a massive standing ovation.
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Ending Fashion Week with Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. show always feels like a giant party. Her show Thursday night featured hip-hop, wild clothes, and models who are practically dancing down the runway. The collection featured shrunken skirt-suits, leather leggings—and a particularly cool (if not a little Burberry-inspired) shearling bomber jacket. The crowd went wild when Stefani walked down the aisle in a printed jumpsuit with her son, Kingston.
Jason DeCrow / AP Photo
