THE HITS:
• “[A] brilliant fashion dissertation on hyper chic American sportswear … An ode to sophisticated eye-catching style…his sense of cut and self-assured taste are all so in the zone that he makes everything look fresh, and charmingly new … a bases loaded fashion home run.” [Fashion Wire Daily]
• “Buried in the snowstorm were some great charcoal plaid or tweed dresses with black leather sleeves, as well as a black leather blouse shown with cropped black wool pants.” [NYT]
• “His trick, as always, was to filter it all through his glamorous yet practical lens … Daywear was all about the unexpected mix … high evening was highly polished … [For menswear,] he might have done better by skipping the man-furs and a tartan crombie.” [Style.com]
• “[A] terrific show … Kors has been happy to give his ladies what they love: glamorous, sporty clothes that are sexy and practical.” [WWD]
• “[A] solid collection of luxuriant fur, woollen coats and plaid … Womenswear had an equally off-duty feeling … There were plenty of glam moments too.” [Vogue UK]
See the Full Fall 2012 Michael Kors Collection.
• “[A] superb show … Mr. Rodriguez made everything look modern and effortless, from the new volumes in wool coats to the puzzle effects on dresses and tops … With high-heeled ankle boots, [the bias-cut evening skirts] were like liquor to red-carpet candy.” [NYT]
• “This ability to make the complex appear simple made for a workable wardrobe … [the collage top and fishtail skirt] proved that he was pushing his signature aesthetic in an effective way.” [IHT]
• “The show’s color palette was moody and gorgeous…Coats had bell-like volumes, less successfully, falling in A-line tent shapes. Things weren’t quite so mathematical on a good deal of the ready-to-wear … [T]he trousers had a sporty yet polished ease.” [Style.com]
• “There was indeed a lot to ponder in the lineup, most of it great. Rodriguez played up his strong construction skills, layering together different colors and fabrics … The techniques could have looked awkward, but Rodriguez executed them exquisitely.” [WWD]
• “[T]he designer is often able to wring a substantial amount of intrigue from somewhat limited means.. there wasn’t an uptight rigidity to the designs. Narciso’s work is also incredibly cerebral … Masterful technique elevates his collections into lessons in how to create collections that are unencumbered with the past.” [Vogue UK]
• “Clean lines, grown-up colors, and quietly intricate constructions.” [Fashion Week Daily]
See the Full Fall 2012 Narciso Rodriguez Collection.
MIXED:
• “The clothes convey the klutzy, tenderhearted beauty that they like …With this collection, sophisticated and varied, the Mulleavys have worked out a few more kinks … so far, nothing has matched Rodarte’s [leather] pieces in technique and simplicity of design.” [NYT]
• “[T]his collection in shades of beige and rust seemed subdued…The craft work was condensed into dowdy dresses with dolman sleeves … [W]here was the underlying tension? … the show lacked vigor.” [IHT]
• “This time around, they got the art and commerce balance right … Tailored coats and jackets worked too…The finale evening gowns with their cave-painting handprints were as unconventional as ever. Same goes for their new shoe collection.” [Style.com]
• “The designers followed a savvy arc that indulged the misty-eyed sentimentality that fuels their creative intelligence while making an effort to feed the commercial end of a business, albeit a very niche one … That tension between somber, old-world femininity and modern moodiness was pitch perfect in the Victorian-inspired gowns.” [WWD]
• “The past two seasons have shown that the Mulleavys are striving to add commercial appeal to their earlier collections…This season was surely their most retail-friendly venture yet … It seems that [the Mulleavys] are looking to build a more grounded business without losing their quirky charms. This collection suggests that they’re heading in a good direction.” [Vogue UK]
• “[A] cinematic collection built off of a rust and azure blue color palette … The highlights: Tailored black and white shearling coats and Outback booties with sand-filled heels.” [Fashion Week Daily]
See the Full Fall 2012 Rodarte Collection.
• “Mr. de la Renta’s bijoux-print mini-dresses and skirts strained in their attempt to be young … On the plus side, the collection was loaded with sporty separates … But he overused the brooch idea, which was already sketchy, and the pink and blue was in too much sweet abundance, like a runway of cotton candy.” [NYT]
• “Oscar de la Renta made a pitch for a new generation of cute uptown girls … And good Lord! They smiled! … The technique of blobs of bling, as introduced originally at MiuMiu, looked highly sophisticated.” [IHT]
• “[T]he epitome of polished, tony panache…so witty and quirky is his take on refinement, so self-confident his experimentation with texture and print…a truly accomplished collection and show.” [Fashion Wire Daily]
• “The clothes seemed pitched at a new generation…the photo prints of jewels that gave this show its irreverent streak…Don’t get us wrong; these clothes were still plenty precious—as is the de la Renta way.” [Style.com]
• “No girlie cliché went unchecked … the pretty excess of Oscar de la Renta’s fall collection was without limits … party frocks fit for princesses of all ages … Apparently, Oscar’s delightful bubble doesn’t burst.” [WWD]
• “[De la Renta made] a convincing case for a return bygone dress codes … an exhaustive and comprehensive collection … [I]t felt young, but it wasn’t cheap. These were day clothes at their best — preppy but with a sense of carefree opulence; something that feels young, but not in a sloppy way.” [Vogue UK]
• “[S]accharine, jewel-encrusted frocks and puffy princess tulle ball gowns reigned supreme … For the younger set, Oscar offered up blue sixities-ish minis, bedazzled tops with high-waisted skirts, and a plethora of party dresses.” [Fashion Week Daily]
