other critics

Critics Love Proenza’s Neon Tweeds, Balk at Krakoff’s ‘Skants’

It’s the final day of Fashion Week, and the latest reviews are in. The critics adored Proenza Schouler’s ladylike neon looks, as well as Phillip Lim’s deft layering. (The lone exception? Godfrey Deeny of Fashion Wire Daily found Lim’s show lacking in “real fashion magic.”) Reed Krakoff, on the other hand, drew ire with his tricky utility-belt wraps. Read on to find out what else the heavyweights had to say.

THE HITS:
Michael Kors
• “This season’s collection looked designed to fly off the shelves. … It left me thinking that if it had been available for sale right then, I might have clicked “buy now.” … It’s the fabrics and colors that carried the collection, which also nailed a lot of upcoming trends.” [Heard on the Runway/WSJ]

• “[H]is collection was more at ease than it has been of late, less slickness and artifice. … If the collection lacked any gratifying wow-factor, don’t feel disappointed. It’s still a marvel how Kors can innately make everyday seem so utterly desirable.” [Vogue UK]

• “His girl may be shedding her springtime sable this time around, but to her, smart style is as essential as the very air she breathes. … Kors set the tone with a his-and-hers opening that was just plain sexy.” [WWD]

• “The collection was a fine granola mix. … [H]ardly a new look to someone who lives in Los Angeles or Austin, but Mr. Kors made the story seem fresh.” [NYT]

• “[T]he designer knew exactly how to dose the rustic elements with other looks — not least the fresh white linens for both sexes that opened his show.” [IHT]

>>> See a slideshow of the full Michael Kors spring collection.

3.1 Phillip Lim
• “It was certainly an ambitious gambit, not easy to pull off, but it made for one of the best and most refined 3.1 collections to date. … There was definitely a greater sense of luxury.” [Style.com]

• “The overlapping geometry, repeated throughout, felt chicly layered, not labored. … It was a beautiful, well-focused outing.” [WWD]

• “… 42 looks, each delicate and bold in its own right. … Like a girl who paints her eyelids blue, Lim delivered a collection that was unapologetically original and fresh.” [Fashion Week Daily]

• “Layered. Refined. Beautiful. These are the words we kept scribbling in our notebook as designer Phillip Lim unveiled his terrific spring/summer 2011 collection. … [The clothes are] wearable by a wide variety of women.” [Vogue UK]

>>> See a slideshow of the full 3.1 Phillip Lim collection.

Proenza Schouler
• “This [collection] was definitely more grown up, with the flattering fit of the suits, the grainy texture of the Japanese fabrics, and the sour mash of colors. This was a good creative free-for-all. … Major Proenza.” [On the Runway/NYT]

• “Proenza Schouler gave us the most contemporary statement of fashion for the coming decade seen all week in the current New York season … all the uptown aplomb one expects from this brand, but allied with a sense of sassy color … such a memorable show.” [Fashion Wire Daily]

• “There are the dresses where someone got drunk and lost it with the fluorescent pink and orange Sharpies … the print dresses that looked as though someone had an accident with the tie-dye … you wouldn’t wear them often, but no one would forget you when you did. … Nonetheless, those tweedy suits and separates took Proenza into wearable territory.” [Heard on the Runway/WSJ]

• “It was as over-the-top colorful as it sounds and loaded with sensory details … a very welcome end-of-week boost.” [Style.com]

• “It was beautiful and felt new. … These [textiles] were both remarkably crafted and pretty. … The success came in the combination of pretty and raw.” [WWD]

>>>See a slideshow of the full Proenza Schouler spring collection.

THE MISSES:
Reed Krakoff
• “The designer has still to find his identity. … The problem for Mr. Krakoff seemed to be in the styling. … The act of putting on a show forced Mr. Krakoff to add pieces, like gilded dresses, that seemed against his natural style.” [NYT]

• “Reed Krakoff improved on last season’s debut in the manner that the economy improved — which is to say, there’s still a ways to go. … [T]hings got trickier from there. … And those utility belt wraps only made the looks, such as the easy suitings, look fussy. (Note: fanny pack-like accessories never work.)” [WWD]

• “Shirts, vests, and dresses wrapped around the torso like kimonos, leaving plenty of flesh exposed — sometimes too much, it seemed, for the models’ comfort. … The show’s strongest pieces were the two closing looks.” [Style.com]

• “Maybe ‘skants’ (skirt-pants) will be next season’s ‘jeggings’ (jean-leggings)? In fashion, anything is possible.” [Heard on the Runway/WSJ]

>>>See a slideshow of the full Reed Krakoff spring collection.

Critics Love Proenza’s Neon Tweeds, Balk at Krakoff’s ‘Skants’