Fashion Week: J Crew Spring/Summer 2012

images via style.com

Well, this is definitely not your mother’s J Crew. Or mine, even.

Jenna Lyons has done it again, this time transforming the prepster cool looks into an almost unrecognizable mashup of prints, color, and texture. Familiar highlighter pinks and citrus tones make their return for Spring. They bring with them familiar J Crew standbys like chambray, slubby silks, and sequined stripes.  The styling was part Tory and just a touch menswear…if you peered really deep, you can see a little bit of 2011′s Spring J Crew peeking through.

Was it tailored? Yes.

Playful? Yes.

J Crew? I’m not so sure.

Ms. Lyons has thrown me for a loop this time. Is this another J Crew revolution or just an update to their current recipe for success? I’m going to have to let this one sink in for a little bit. What’s your initial reaction?

Fashion Week: Marc by Marc Jacobs Summer/Spring 2012

images via style.com

The Spring collection from Marc by Marc Jacobs was surpsringly simple. Bold, bright, feminine-all typical of MMJ, but the simplicity had me scratching my head. The looks had very few prints, just a tiny bit of whimsy, and were relatively plain. This divergence from the expected lent quite a bit of sophistication to the collection, with MMJ being a line that has traditionally been marketed to the Contemporary market.

Is simplicity a bad thing? I say no. The interest in this collection is found in its dramatic shapes, beautiful folds, and eye-cathcing brights. The A-line shapes, perhaps a nod to the 80s and 90s mood we are currently seeing in fashion, make the skirts and dresses completely wearable for a variety of customers. Clean, crisp, and smooth-Marc threw me for a loop but had my heart in the end.

Custo Barcelona Spring 2011: Runway Rundown

Custo Barcelona’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection made it’s debut on September 12, and I was thrilled to be sitting in the crowd, watching the line float and flounce it’s way down the runway.  This collection could best be described as the Little Mermaid goes chic. Neons, fluorescents, and plenty of geometrics combined to make a fabulous line. Each piece was made to command attention by combining fiction and reality, with inspiration drawn from the movement of a Calder mobile and the functionality of “everyday clothes.” Pieces were created with geometric shapes, feathers and fringe. Subtle colors, such as nude and aquamarine, were re-combined with fluorescents in fuchsia, green, and yellow. In other words, it was all about contrast.

For Custo Dalamau, the designer behind the Custo Barcelona line, there is obviously no such thing as a solid color. But who needs solids when you can strut fabulously in mixed prints? Whoever says that you can’t mix your polka dots and stripes has obviously not seen what Dalamau is capable of. Patterns were ingeniously assembled into one coherent piece that is surely built to turn heads.

In a hat tip to the seventies, feathers and fringe also dominated the runway, giving each piece movement and boldness (as if the colors and patterns weren’t already attention-grabbing in and of themselves). Feathers were found on tops, bottoms, shoulders – you name it. Likewise, fringe was everywhere – including swimwear.

Dalamau managed to combine geometric shapes with the antithesis of flowing feathers and fringe, creating an avant-garde collection fit for anyone desiring to command attention. He received a thunderous applause from the queen of fabulosity herself, Miss Kimora Lee, alongside a few other celebrities who graced the front row.

Do you think the line is a hit, or a miss?

Pamella Roland Spring 2010 Collection

WOW.

Before I arrived at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, I was only slightly familiar with designer Pamella Roland.  Yesterday, however, I had the opportunity to attend her Spring 2010 Runway Show, and I must say, I was absolutely blown away. Roland presented a collection inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe – and what an inspired collection it was.  So diverse, so imaginative – I truly believe there was something in the Spring line for everyone.  Tailored, flowing, dramatic, conservative — each piece was dramatically different than the last yet gorgeous in its own way.

The delicate florals, the red carpet looks (which are a personal favorite, though I never have anyplace remotely that fancy to go!) and the bright colors all won me over – I have emphatically told everyone that asks what my favorite show has been that it was Pamella Roland.  I think it’s because, while other shows and designs were fantastic, I could picture myself wearing almost every piece from this collection.  And for me, that is saying something.

Right before I went into the show, I ran into my friend Anna (who is the most amazing designer and has her own line of handmade jewelry!) who was taking photographs of the show.  She helped me film a part of the video below, and we also took some fun pictures together on the runway after the show. We had a bunch of fun hanging out together and it was so nice to be able to catch up!

In addition, Anna is a talented photographer, and she gave me permission to steal some of her high-quality photos from the show to post here.  Check out some of the amazing pieces from Pamella Roland’s Spring 2010 Collection.

And last, but not least, I made a video of my experience at the show.  I was sitting in the second row, in the middle of the runway, so I had a great view.  I was directly behind Nigel Barker and across from Amanda Bynes, Bethany Frankel, Lisa Rinna, and Luann de Lesseps (“The Countess”), among others.  I managed to catch almost the entire line on video, so watch and enjoy!