Hipsters lined up for over an hour in Chelsea for Band of Outsider’s Spring/Summer 2011 presentation. But once inside, they were transported to a 1930s camp ground, complete with bleachers, beach umbrellas, and bunk beds. Amidst the tomboy atmosphere, Scott Sternberg introduced Girl, a remarkably feminine new collection, complete with drop-waisted dresses and sheer fabrics. As Sternberg explained after the presentation, he was inspired by 1930s photographer Paul Outerbridge, whose beach scenes he has hanging in his Los Angeles studio. “Once you look closely,” Sternberg said of the photographs, “you notice a couple elements are obtuse and off – like a cigarette in the sand. I started working on this and that image was on the board, and poof! Connection.”
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Industry darling Alexander Wang has made a name for himself for his modern street wear – angular, layered, and dark. But at his Spring/Summer collection, which he showed in New York on Saturday, things were remarkably different: “There’s no black!” As Wang told Style.com, “I was looking for something optimistic, something pure.” He says he was inspired by the theme of construction, which is a part of his everyday life: he’s expanding his studio, opening his first store, and moving into a new apartment. Wang painted his models’ hair with white paint and added touches of rose gold for a metallic sheen against the matte clothes. Singer M.I.A, Lenny Kravitz, Wang muse Erin Wasson, and artist Ryan McGinley were among the noteables in the front row.
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Fashion’s Night Out, Anna Wintour’s shopping carnival, hit the globe on Friday night. In New York, more than1,000 retailers kept their doors open late and treated shoppers to activities and after-hours shopping. Victoria Beckham and Tom Ford mingled at Bergdorf Goodman, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen judged karaoke at Barneys, and a booty-shaking Naomi Campbell celebrated her 25th anniversary in the fashion business at Dolce & Gabbana. But as crowds descended on New York stores to see their favorite celebrities and drink free Champagne, it was unclear whether they actually spent money. When asked if she was shopping on Fashion’s Night Out, Fern Mallis, longtime head of Fashion Week, flashed a look of disbelief. “No!,” she told The Daily Beast. “Nobody is!”
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Peter Som sent several surprises down the runway—looks that included fresh mixes of shape, color, and texture. One bright blue short-suit included patches of tweed, which lent the youthful outfit a grownup edge. But The Wall Street Journal’s Christina Binkley asked if all the mixing and matching was really necessary: “It’s too bad that Mr. Som feels obligated to include editorial looks like a skirt embellished with twists of fabric that look like flowers and are called “embroidery,” she wrote. “It doesn’t detract terribly from the collection, but why bother going there?”
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Leave it to Chanel to throw the first big party of New York Fashion Week. Karl Lagerfeld, Blake Lively, Sarah-Jessica Parker, Diane Kruger, and Liv Tyler crammed into Chanel’s SoHo boutique to celebrate its redesign by the architect Peter Marino. As SJP told The Daily Beast’s Jacob Bernstein, she first encountered Chanel as a consumer when she was "a very young person," and she thought it would be "awfully nice" to have a classic black quilted Chanel bag, so she bought one, along with a bouclé jacket. "He's somebody you could study forever,” Parker said of Lagerfeld. “He's endlessly interesting, complicated, smart, inspired. And then I got the chance to meet him and know him and he's completely lovely." After the party, the fashion set hopped across town to Andre Balazs’s Standard Hotel, where they celebrated the re-christening of his famed Boom Boom Room on the top floor. See pictures of the parties here.
After his colorful show, Jason Wu waxed poetic about the Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes, but don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with her work. Though Wu claims she served as a primary inspiration for his Spring 2011 collection, what he took from her paintings were the bold colors and the “interesting mix of patterns and stripes.” The collection included lots of florals and chiffon, the kind of stuff his most famous client (Michelle Obama) would love and that others would be willing to spring on, even in a recession. “I want every woman to walk out of the show wanting a piece from the collection,” he said. “It’s about wearable clothes. These are investment pieces, they’re timeless pieces. It’s about building a wardrobe.”
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Jason Wu catapulted to fame when the first lady wore his design at the Inaugural Ball. And it’s clear he’s still friends with her (albeit former) right-hand woman: Former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers made her first appearance of fashion week at his Friday show. “I just love his work so much, and this was incredible,” she gushed to The Daily Beast after the show. “I loved it! Loved it! It was feminine but, yet, strong.”
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If you think spring fashion is all about flowers and pastels—then Richard Chai has another thing coming. The designer sent a “super-neutral” collection down his spring runway, many of which consisted of loose nude body stockings. “All the prints, the embellishment, the embroidery, all of those things are still in the collection,” Chai explained. “But what I’m showing is not that.”
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Halfway through Doo.Ri’s show, the pumping techno music cut out. But the parade of models—in cream drapery and printed minidresses—continued to kick up their heels. Ever the faithful backup singers, the scrum of photographers at the end of the runway began to whistle to a beat. But the show must go on: After the sound system had been repaired, brocade tops and kaleidoscopic bright dresses finished out the collection.
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Rag & Bone's tough street warrior just got a little softer: The collection featured futuristic shapes, and lots and lots of layers. Lingerie designer Jean Yu collaborated with designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville to produce several bras for the collection, which were shown beneath open jackets and flowing dresses. There was also a welcome infusion of color: Bright red column dresses and boldly printed skirts lent the collection an upbeat edge.
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What’s so funny? Jessica Stam took a break from the runway to catch Rag & Bone’s Spring show, where she sat front-row with Gossip Girl star Jessica Szohr.
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Kanye West has landed: The Louis Vuitton Don hit Fashion Week with a bang on Thursday night. At the reopening of the Boom Boom Room at the top of the Standard Hotel, guests Naomi Campbell and Liv Tyler got a surprise when West jumped on top of the bar to perform an impromptu rap song. The room, naturally, went wild. Things were more subdued as he took his front-row seat at Philip Lim’s men’s show on Friday in a black suit and a pair of shades. But for all his lyrical egocentricity, West was quick to dole out lavish praise about Fashion’s Night Out: “I gotta thank Anna Wintour for having Fashion’s Night Out,” he tweeted. “The city is alive… I feel the energy… I need a Power nap for 2nt!!!”
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Fashion’s Night Out was a free for all but at the end of the night culminated with one of the week’s most exclusive parties yet: Pop Magazine editor Dasha Zhukova’s bash at Don Hill’s, the hot spot recently reopened by Nur Khan and Paul Sevigny. Adrien Grenier, Gwen Stefani, and Jeff Koons danced late into the night to music by Iggy Pop & The Stooges. “I think we’re all aware it’s Fashion Week in New York City,” Iggy Pop said into the microphone as he took the stage. “Just remember, fashion people, your pretty face is going to hell.”
Bill Farrell
Some designers stick to a theme. Others try to do it all. Prabal Gurung sent a wide variety of color and styles down the runway on Saturday, and the crowd loved every minute of it. Gurung’s collection began with bright color-blocked separates, and culminated with a series of cheerful dresses adorned with mesh, fringe, and sequins. “Best food forward @PrabalGurung,” tweeted Elle’s style director Joe Zee. “Major!”
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This season, Gurung’s hemlines largely fell below the knee—which, as Gurung told The New York Times, was a reaction to how girls dress today. Gurung said he wants to dress “smart, intelligent girls.” He explained: “We’ve had a decade of tight skirts and vulgar dresses, and I want to make a statement about something different.” What resulted felt like a breath of fresh air: modern dresses that would make any girl stand out a party—but for all the right reasons.
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