It’s Fashion Week’s last gasp, and the critics are still going strong!
Anna Sui
Anna Sui presented a colorful collection of rompers, fringed dresses, and shifts with a south-of-the-border feel; Fashion Week Daily called the collection “full of flirty skirts, rich earthy tones, embroidery, fringing, beading, and Spanish lace.” Most critics appreciated the upbeat theme, including WWD, who hailed it a “parade of fiestawear, all of it young and fresh,” and Style.com, who declared, “If it didn’t put a smile on your face, you weren’t paying attention.” (Though Eric Wilson of the New York Times couldn’t resist a jab at the décor: “The runway … looked like the entrance to the temple of Taco Bell.”) Although the collection occasionally veered toward “costume-y,” WWD praised the line as “more polished than in the past,” and Horyn noted that Sui always “mixes references in an intelligent way.” AP’s Samantha Critchell particularly loved the work-appropriate rompers, and several reviewers coveted Erickson Beamon’s beaded costume jewelry. “It put us in the mood for the Mayan Rivera,” Fashion Week Daily concluded. “Besos.”
Watch a slideshow and video of the Anna Sui collection.
Michael Kors
Critics applauded Michael Kors’s optimistic, classic collection of all-American sportswear. Cathy Horyn thought Kors found “just the right contemporary looks,” and Fashion Wire Daily called it “one of the most forward-looking sportswear collections from Kors in recent memory.” Style.com deemed the show “an extended riff on American classics,” and most reviewers lauded the playful use of polka-dot, gingham-checked, and striped prints. Standouts included fifties-style polka-dot bikinis, voluminous checked dresses, and scuba-inspired shifts. “Wherever Mr. Kors plants his oar — Portofino, Malibu — the results are inevitably and hopelessly glamorous,” declared Horyn.
Watch a slideshow and video of the Michael Kors collection.
Oscar de la Renta
Reviewers swooned over Oscar de la Renta’s “polished to perfection” collection of sophisticated uptown style. “Oscar, our cup runneth over,” gushed Fashion Week Daily, adding that the glittering array of jewels sent them “over the edge.” British Vogue praised the designer’s consistency, noting that he even managed make downtown girl Agyness Deyn “look quite the Park Avenue princess,” and WWD applauded the collection’s range: “variously floufy or slim, decorative or stark, gussied up or sportif.” There were a few gentle critiques amid the flowery acclaim: Style.com felt the collection was “perfectly beautiful, maybe a bit too much so,” and longed to see De la Renta “play more to the J. Lo crowd … and less to the ladies who lunch.” While Cathy Horyn acknowledged the “gorgeous” clothes, she hoped for a bit more, “that little fillip of difference that blows you away.” Nevertheless, Godfrey Deeny of Fashion Wire Daily loved it best, hailing the show as a “smash hit by an uptown gent who knows how to reinvent himself with serene effortless gestures.”
Watch a slideshow and video of the Oscar de la Renta collection.
3.1 Phillip Lim
Critics largely praised Phillip Lim’s conceptual, Spanish-inspired collection as an edgy departure from his usual all-American style. British Vogue felt the “effortlessly chic” clothes made up Lim’s “most interesting collection to date.” Fashion Week Daily loved the deft combination of prints, ruffles, and metallics, noting that organic zipper dresses in particular represented “a welcome new coutureish direction” for the label. WWD called it a “beautifully spirited affair,” and coveted the accessories — ruffled Louboutin heels and polka-dot bags — a point echoed by many. Style.com disagreed, venturing that Lim’s experimental new direction was “a bit overdone,” and AP’s Samantha Critchell wondered if the menswear looks would translate to the “everyman — or even the hipster.” But overall, most applauded the foray, affirming British Vogue’s rendering of the show as a “tour de force.”
Watch a slideshow and video of the 3.1 phillip lim collection.
