Throughout the week, the buyers from Bird, Henri Bendel, Oak, and more will tell us which runway looks they plan on stocking. In today’s installment, Henri Bendel fashion director Ann Watson loves Y-3’s reworked classics, DVF’s colors and prints, and Tuleh’s sheath dresses.
Y-3
Y-3 truly is the perfect collaboration between Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas, as each brand has classic iconic signatures that merge to create a young, active lifestyle brand. My favorite pieces were the classics reworked, like an elongated white button-down shirt with zip-off sleeves, a fleece pencil skirt with a side drape detail, the peacoat in oversize proportions, and the new “sweat pant” as a cropped Capri. The Adidas stripes evolved into a bold black-and-white stripe in a T-shirt, long tank, or cropped leggings; all were layered under a fine-gauge crinkled knit for a play of texture. Layering fine-gauge knits was a continued theme throughout the presentation. The finale was my favorite: a classic Yohji-style low-slung full skirt in a sporty jersey knit, giving the sense of volume without the bulk.
Watch a slideshow of Y-3’s spring 2009 collection.
Diane Von Furstenberg
Diane’s free spirit and multicultural lifestyle was loud and clear on her spring 2009 runway. Her colors are reminiscent of an Indian summer with purple, magenta, spice, poppy red, and green. She showed a kaleidoscope of prints from butterflies, leaves, abstracts, and florals. Her looks ran the gamut from Americana seventies sportswear with wide-leg, tailored denim pants paired with a ribbed sweater to flower-girl chiffon tiered dresses to Asian-inspired embroidered chemises to a green twenties flapper-style dress to satin harem pants and caftan dresses. The must-have long dress of the season is her jersey plissé gown in a deep purple.
View a slideshow of Diane Von Furstenberg’s spring 2009 collection.
Tuleh
Tuleh’s spring 2009 runway presentation commemorated the brand’s ten-year anniversary, and it was Brian Bradley’s best collection to date. The Tuleh spirit was apparent in Bryan’s ability to show how a sublimely simple sheath dress can be forever chic and his effortless ability to mix unexpected prints and patterns and make them look like they were always supposed to be in combination. Look for the sheath in poppy red (this season’s shade of red); the floral elongated wrap blouse with a layered, voluminous sleeve perfectly paired with a cropped satin pant ideal for a last-minute cocktail party; and for a summer black-tie event, the multilayered long floral-printed chiffon dress with a slit up the leg — both drop-dead sexy and dance-floor ready.
Watch a slideshow of Tuleh’s spring 2009 collection.
