News From the Fashion Trenches of New York Fashion Week 2012

New York fashion week sparkled as the models twirled in Lincoln Centre where New York Fashion Week was held. Everyone watched in anticipation for the collections to soar to great heights, in the Spring of 2012 and that is exactly what happened.

Lincoln Centre is where the cultural elite attends the arts. What an appropriate venue to set New York Fashion Week then in Lincoln Center. Yes, fashion is an art form and it is a major part of a societies culture. It tells historians what the society is thinking, feeling, and doing.

It is not only an art form but also a time capsule for other generations.

The week started with photographers, journalist and celebrities pouring in from around the globe. They also came to start the week off with FNO, Fashion Night Out, where all the posh fashion houses showed their collections and encouraged people to buy.

This year my International photojournalist, Leah McQueen attended several exclusive parties and was invited into the holiest of holies, the designer boutiques: Salvatore Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein and Lanvin. FVM covered FNO in Beverly Hills, NY, Paris and Los Angeles. This year you had the opening of Frey Wille’s second store in the US in New York on Madison Avenue.

The other half of the coin is that designers have a structural vision of how the outfit will turn out. I think that is why I admire the designers who understand architecture or photography. They can see the story in the pattern or the model or the photograph. (Kati Stern, of Venexiana in the NY FW crowd).

It seemed that the theme of New York Fashion Week was colour – especially, coral and white, along with a sea of pastels, see through blouses and dresses and art deco.

Tommy Hilfiger was a sea of coral and vibrant handbags. Hilfiger leapt from modern to his traditional Hampton look. The Row, (by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen,) was a sea of interesting white and interesting architectural patterns.

Anna Sui started her story with Annie the Riveter. The way the silk headscarf was wrapped gave Ms. Sui’s collection a forties flare. Zang Toi had the model floating in a sea of brown and cross-references to Malaysian dress. He had Kirste Alley walk the runway in a Navy Blue Malaysian inspired gown. She was simply fab!

Ralph Lauren gave us the swinging twenties, along with Cloche hats and flapper dresses and skirts, tres art deco. Vivienne Tam also threw in a few flapper dresses along with her lovely see through blouses. Another fashion trend, we see is the see through blouses and dresses.

Michael Kors took us on a Safari, with gladiator sandals and men is wrapped cloth, sexy! And what a Safari, Zebra dresses, Snakeskin bags and trench coats. The macramé showed up again this year, as did the colour coral.

Carolina Herra came out soft as the Right Of Spring and then let the music crescendo in the myriad of styles she sent out. Her gowns had a similar hemline that I have seen on Ralph Rucci and Jason Wu designs. Ms. Herra even threw in an art deco dress. There was a strong reference to a stronger edge in Herra’s collection.

Veneixana and Chado Ralph Rucci stole the show! Kati Stern had us rocking to punk music as we watched her gowns flowed out of a surreal space with rouched Grecian designs. I loved the green with pink flowers. 

Ms. Stern is a professional architect and pianist! Being a student of architecture Stern made the gowns look like Frank Gehry has a hand in them. Kati Stern made evening dress rouched and flowing with the most wonderful colors.

Chado Rucci made the most innovative and luxurious clothes look simple. The elegance of simplicity, and no one does that better than Rucci. I could hardly keep my breath inside when I saw his creations; they were superbly done not a stitch out of place, even when he puts it on the plastic sleeves or back on his coats and pants suites or dresses. He has a see through neoprene trench coat seen on the cover. Not too many people can make plastic sexy! Rucci is one of the only American designers to be allowed into Haute Couture Fashion Week.

Rucci studied philosophy and has based his collections on the Japanese Tea Ceremony that is where the Chado enters the design name. Mr. Rucci has been seen in costume shows, at the Metropolitan Museum, Victoria and Albert, and LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum, and at least ten other museums around the world. Rucci and Stern were both treated to a standing ovation after their shows.