A friend of mine who’s a cinephile said this girl reminded her of a young Annette Bening. This, I don’t know about…but the short hair, Ray Bans and blue suede shoes gives her look a distinctly ’80s vibe. But the New Wave ’80s ala Talking Heads etc as opposed to the more colorful pop aesthetic of the period…

No, not that Anna! This Anna. She has a blog called ‘what Anna wears’ so I couldn’t help but use that for the blog post. I lost my notes that detail exactly what she’s wearing but the green coat is cute and is a popular color at the moment. I don’t know if I can personally carry off a green like this but I think she does it rather well!

Normally during fashion week I see an equal amount of men that catch my eye as women. This season that wasn’t the case, but these two definitely stood out as having some great style! Particularly love the camo print shirt underneath the suit.

Another New York Fashion Week has come and gone and I am still sorting through photos from the week. I’ll be posting about a dozen reviews this week including a post featuring the shows of designers that we’ve featured in the UPcoming section: Timothy K, Dawn Han, Ann Yee and Alexa Galler’s Eighteenth.

But the first few collections I wanted to share are some that have a decidedly downtown vibe translated into completely different aesthetics –at least one of which you’re sure to fall in love with. (Click on their names to go to my fuller review/images)In the order of the show schedule:

Katie Gallagher

If you read this site you know I’ve been a fan since day one and this hasn’t changed. As a relatively young designer from RISD, Katie had some haters who claimed that all she makes is leggings only appropriate for her enviably thin frame. However if  you’ve actually been watching her development what you see is a quietly formidable designer who is developing a unique aesthetic. Shorter and more form fitting is juxtaposed against longer and looser and her jackets are f***ing amazing.

Jen Kao

Out of the 4 collections here Jen Kao’s is easily the most eclectic and also the most wearable. She is as fearless when it comes to mixing prints and textures as she is with mixing the East & West references. An insanely sequined jacket paired with a brocade pant or schoolgirl plaids with a severly cinched waist. Her designs define ‘je ne sais quoi’ -or at risk of cliche- effortless cool and to me, very New York.

Kevork Kiledjian

When you click on “THE HOUSE” on his website the following words fill the screen: Contrast/Leather/Opposite/Harmony/PASSION/Addiction/Freedom/Adrenaline/Lace/Sensuality/MYSTERY. This seems as good of a description of his aesthetic as any I could write. The recently transplanted Parisian presented a collection of mostly dresses that seem to dare you to live life more fearlessly, play with addictions and embrace freedom and passion. An assertively sexy collection, it demands boldness from the wearer and feels ageless. Neither catering solely to “it girls” nor grand dames it seems to invite both groups and all women in between to become Kiledjian women.

threeASFOUR

threeASFOUR are the veterans of the group having been on the scene since ’98 and in their current formation since 2005. Yet despite, or perhaps because of their longevetity they felt the freshest.

With fashion show tickets now for sale to the general public (or at least American Express cardholders) at both Lincoln Center and MiLK and fast fashion at H&M getting as much attention as major runway shows the  stereotype about NYC being the overly commerical fashion center is getting frighteningly close to true. threeASFOUR, with their intricate and innovative designs show that you can push boundaries without sacrificing quality of the work. Using materials like mushroom colored felt, platinum leather and rubberized wool they create beautiful clothes that remind me of what fashion can truly be and why I fell in love with it in the first place.

I don’t know where one finds a Warhol/Marilyn dress –a thrift store? In Seoul? But wherever it’s from it suits her. And I approve of the big shades and colored tights to complete the look. There’s no point being tame when you’re wearing a print like this!

These two are wearing two trends that I’m sure we’ll see continuing this spring and summer. The first is denim that is not denim blue. This is clearly in all the stores now and in NYC it seems more neon colors are being pushed. For me personally, I don’t know if I can wear jeans that aren’t black or denim blue. Call me a purist but I think colored denim on anyone over 10 can look ridiculous…or at least would on me. The other trend is the move away from skinny jeans (granted this will be a slow move)  but I think we’ll start to see more silhouettes like the girl on top: pretty skinny but then flaring out just a little so it’s not quite a full on bell bottom or flare and going all the way to the floor. So obviously heels are a must! While part of me cringes at the idea of how dirty the jeans can get I also love the lengthening effect of super long…some of us need all the help we can get!

My fave ladies, Emily and Abigail from Lovely Wanderlust are pictured on top wearing skirts from another favorite of mine: UPcoming designer Dawn Han. But the reason they’re posted today is because, along with the two women below, they’re wearing long sheer skirts. While four people don’t make a trend, I actually saw many more examples of this look…just the other ones were…less successful? Is that a nice way of saying it? It’s a tricky look to pull off. Especially because it seems to necessitate a shorter skirt underneath and if you’re not careful it can literally look like a Scarlet O’Hara moment. i.e. like you grabbed the curtains and wrapped them around for added length over your shorter skirt. I seriously saw one look that reminded me exactly of that. And it was sad. Really sad. She was a PR Girl and honestly, I would have made her change before representing my company at NYFW. So you can see how on the fence I am about this one. Thoughts on this trend?

Not technically “street style” but it is fashion week and thought this looked inspired by streetstyle! And I loved the mix of prints and textures at the Alice + Olivia presentation so had to share one look. Mostly though, I was backstage learning all the hair tips and tricks from the Sebastian Professional team. See what I learned here!

Models at the Dawn Han presentation (more pix coming)

Designer Lars Andersson at his presentation at the Soho Grand with my girl Karmela Lozina who did the hair for his show of brilliant knitwear.

Cody Ross, Steve Sang & friends at Rad Hourani

Rad Hourani models going by in a blur. Okay, I didn’t like the angle of my shot so thought it would be more interesting to shoot on a slow shutter like this. Real images from show coming later!

What can I say? I love to see Marcus Mason and Kristin Prim during fashion week. They always turn it out and still keep it real –meaning they look as good whenever I see them and they’re not just dressing for the camera. I didn’t get the details of what they were wearing but if you want to know, I will!