A Look Back at New York...

I know I'm going out of order, but until the Paris shows start posting I think it's a good time to look back at New York. While most of the collections were completely underwhelming (hence the lack of effusive posts) I did enjoy a few here and there.

Preen had some great pieces, everything was draped just so, but still managed to look simple and clean. And while Scott Schuman found the thickly tufted skirts offensive to the female form, I thought they looked fantastic. Sure, they may not be the most flattering shape for the hips, but that's why we have 15 year-olds wearing them down the runways.

Yigal Azrouel also played to his strengths again, working in the same palette from fall of black and

neutrals. He had a little of everything- the tight skirts, cutouts, layered tanks, long dresses- and everything looked perfectly wearable.

Yigal is not inventing the wheel here, and he definitely borrows from designers like ThreeAsFour and Demeulemeester, but he still really delivers when it comes to great pieces and well styled shows. There isn't much in this collection I wouldn't wear.

Just Saying...

Did anyone else notice the major Rodarte dresses in the 3.1 Philip Lim show??

Fa Fa Fendi

You've got to love Fendi. Karl always knows the right hand to play and this season was no different. While the lingerie references were a little heavy (or rather frilly) for my taste, the palette was exquisite and there were some really fantastic separates on display.

The way Lagerfeld worked the neutrals was perfect, pale blue with chartreuse and rust with buttery yellows. Christopher Bailey should be taking notes on how to work with pastels, keeping things subtle and soft while still offering a strong range of color.

Plus you can always count on Fendi for some killer shoes. Yikes.

Piece of Phi

Phi is pretty hot right now, with the Trainas, Santo Domingo and Wasson crew showing up all over town in their body conscious dresses and jackets. And this latest collection for Spring is no less smoking.

Keeping his usual palette of Black, White, and Nude, Andreas Melbostad conjured up yet another collection of perfect layers. Roughed up ensembles with wool blazers and below-the-knee skirts strutted atop thick lace-up heels while zippers, bondage accents, and blonde bedhead kept things safely within the zone of the hip.

I especially love the proportions of a heavily draped top with a long loose skirt and heels, eschewing the more common look of heavy on top with skinny pants or short skirts.

The shoes were also spot on, with their thick heel and appropriately urban leather and laces, they could be one of the best pairs of boots for fall/winter in the city (not necessarily spring/summer fare). There is a heavy Demeulemeester influence there, but that's hardly a bad thing.

Erin Wasson x RVCA

I was walking through Barneys the other day on Madison when my friend and I approached the Erin Wasson x RVCA rack, at which point my friend (who knows every designer) begged the question "What is RVCA anyway?"

This is how I feel about the partnership of ex-model Erin Wasson and picked out of obscurity skater-friendly sportswear label RVCA. What is it anyway??

This season's collection included a show in the tents at Bryant Park complete with a full band and Freja Beha, and I'm really confused as to what we're supposed to take away besides the fact that Wasson really likes a good tan and long vests.

Fashion's Night Out

Where will you be? At Vena Cava? At the Gap? Hanging with an Olsen? Everywhere at once?
At home, because coercing people to shop with a few cocktails and deejay is ridiculous and condescending?

Either way is fine. The kids over at Rogan made a map of what's going on in their hood:

Coffeetable Coveting

Olivier Theyskens' gorgeous new book. Sure to be a work of art, like everything he does. WWD reports:

OLIVIER TWIST: Olivier Theyskens, who recently exited Nina Ricci, has a book in the works. In January, Assouline will publish “Olivier Theyskens: The Other Side of the Picture,” a 186-page tome based on a collaboration between the Belgian designer and photographer Julien Claessens, who documented the backstage scene for over a decade.

Bring on The Layers

I'm so ready for all after looking at these fabulous layered looks from Burberry and Yigal. Bring on the sweater weather.

Thoughts For Fall

For Fall I want some shine,

(Phillip Lim)

(Isabel Marant)

a skirt that kits just below the knee,

(Isabel Marant)

(Dries van Noten)

and some leopard.

(Isabel Marant)

(Rachel Comey)

Jennifer & Jil

Jennifer Lopez is so unbelievably dull there are no words for it. She's one of those celebrities I don't get: everything they do or wear is absolutely the same over and over yet people never seem to lose their appetite for it (others who go in this category are Jen Aniston, Kate Hudson, and Renee Zellweger, you know who I'm talking about). And InStyle is the perfect magazine to showcase these people- full of bland, opinion-less mass appeal designed to be enticed off the shelves by lowest-common-denominator types who think Juicy Couture is, in fact, a luxury brand.

So while it's no surprising that Jennifer is on the cover of their rather robust September issue, it is surprisingly that someone over there thought to out her in Jil Sander, the most cerebral of labels.

Still doesn't make me want to read the damn thing. Or even open the cover. But it is a great dress.

Oh Lord, Yes

MUST HAVE. MUST MUST MUST HAVE.



The Acne Atacoma. I hate to say that anything MTV-related is cool, but the other day I was home early from work and actually watched a few minutes of the Alexa Chung show. And she was wearing these amazing shoes. And now I've found them...and they will find their way into my closet. Somehow.