The Fall Collections in a WordRead ahead for the singular word that sums up fall 2009 for Oscar de la Renta, Proenza Schouler, Phillip Lim, and more.
BySharon Clott
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Jen Mankins of Bird Likes Lim, Sarafpour, Cornejo, and WalkerThroughout the week, the buyers from Bird, Intermix, Henri Bendel, and Oak will tell us which runway looks they plan on stocking. In today’s installment, Bird owner Jen Mankins loves the accessories at Phillip Lim, the colors at Zero + Maria Cornejo, and the party dresses at Behnaz Sarafpour.
model tracker
Karlie Kloss Is Tuesday’s Top ModelIn a sea of brunettes, redheads were on fire Wednesday. Olga Sherer opened Narciso Rodriguez, and Karen Elson returned for her first show of the season, Rodarte. But the real talk was of whom Marc Jacobs would cast for Marc by Marc Jacobs.
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Bird’s Jennifer Mankins Likes Behnaz, Lim, and Bamboo
All week we’ve got buyers from Bird, Bendel, Intermix, and more to give us the scoop on what spring looks they’re snagging. In this installment, Bird owner Jennifer Mankins is falling for Behnaz Sarafpour’s earthy embroidery, pleated tunics from United Bamboo, and high-waisted styles from H Fredriksson.
three is a trend
Straw DollsThe soundtrack at the shows this week could easily have been Van Halen’s “Panama,” because straw hats were perched atop models’ heads everywhere.
three is a trend
Skirting the Issue
Models’ hips may have a circumference smaller than our thighs, but their skirts don’t. This spring it’s all about full skirts the bigger, the better. Vera Wang’s purple-blue skirt is a fresh take on Dior’s new look. Behnaz Sarafpour’s belted dresses add just enough volume to be sexy not hippy. Thakoon’s bright-pink skirt ballooned down the runway, making this spring a rare gift to big bottoms.
new york fugging city
Fashion Week Is All Fugged Up
We were such innocents a mere eight days ago. Times were much simpler then; we had hope in our hearts and an unfailing optimism that our job covering celebrities in Fashion Week’s front rows would be like shooting fish in a barrel, minus the ricochet.
Even though not as many famous faces showed up as we’d have liked, we managed to come out the other end a very happy, sated pair. After all, we love clothes, Champagne, and sandwiches, and we got a lot of all three this week. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of our second stint covering the celebrity turnout at Bryant Park and, yes, of the 37 shows we saw, we did like a lot of the clothes.
three is a trend
Zip It Good
It won’t be hard to slip into next season’s dresses with so many exposed zippers. Though his overall show got tepid reviews, Derek Lam was dead-on in incorporating visible zippers into most looks. Carlos Miele’s dark, ruched dresses came with a sexy zipper up the front. And Behnaz Sarafpour highlighted her external zippers all the more with bright yellow trim on an otherwise subdued gray dress. So come fall, remember to zip up.
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Sari Sloane of Intermix Likes Derek Lam, Doo.Ri, and ThakoonFrom left: Thakoon, Doo.Ri, Derek LamPhotos: Imaxtree.com
Throughout the week, buyers from Bergdorf Goodman, Bird, Intermix, and Jeffrey New York will tell us which runway looks they plan to snatch up for fall. Sari Sloane, VP of fashion merchandising at Intermix, loves the youthful — yet polished — looks at Derek Lam, Doo.Ri, Behnaz Sarafpour, and more.
harriet and amy
Ten Things We Liked on Tuesday
1. The trouser trend. It marches on, and we’re thrilled.
2. Derek Lam’s newly slick vibe, expressed in exposed zippers, stovepipe trousers, and a super-chic, minimalist palette.
3. Also: props to the model who lost a heel and kept right on going, on one shoe and one tippy-toe. She barely missed a beat.
21 questions
Behnaz Sarafpour Medicates in the Tub
Name: Behnaz Sarafpour
Age: 36
Job: Fashion designer
Neighborhood: West Village
Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Holly Golightly.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten in New York?
A lobster roll at Mary’s Fish Camp in the West Village.
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
Attempt to problem-solve!
reviews
Fashion Week Report Card: All-American EditionThe latest bunch of designers to walk were the epitome of New York style: Anna Sui’s rocker chic, Narciso Rodriguez’s minimalism, and Michael Kors’s all-American looks. We round up the critics’ reviews of the key New York collections so far.
reviews
Buttoned-Down BehnazBehnaz Sarafpour’s clothes don’t stop traffic, but when spotted on the rack at Bergdorf Goodman, they look like what the grooviest girl in the law firm might wear. Which is to say conservative but polished.
Ten Things We Liked on TuesdayHarriet and Amy have a soft spot for Parsons’ students, platform sandals, and models with clever names.
new york fugging city
Celebrities: Wear Behnaz SarafpourSome of our favorite collections from Fashion Week came down the runways with almost no celebrities in attendance first at the Ashleigh Verrier show on Friday, and now Tuesday’s Behnaz Sarafpour presentation.