Socialites Don Their Spring Dresses, We Judge ThemChecking out photos from last night’s parties, we noticed the outfits were as spring-ready as the sandals — sandals! — on our feet right now. So obviously we had to judge them.
retail therapy
First Look at H&M’s Marimekko CollectionHere’s a very early look at what to expect from H&M’s tribute to Marimekko, which hits stores April 10. A brief summary: colors, colors, and more colors. Since it’s not a designer collaboration like Karl Lagerfeld or Roberto Cavalli, the price point is lower than you might expect. A one-piece swimsuit is $34.90, an apron dress is $49.90. The 50 piece collection also includes menswear: Bermuda shorts are $39.90, short-sleeved shirts are $29.90. On the whole, the collection packs enough vivid patterns and punchy colors to make dressing for even the stickiest New York afternoon feel a little more like preparing for a tropical vacation.
Check out the rest of the women’s collection after the jump.
Young Hollywood Copies Anna WintourIf you hang on to something long enough — boots, a bag, a hairstyle — it’s bound to come back into fashion some decade or another. Such seems to be the case with Anna Wintour’s signature bob, which she’s been rocking since she was 14.
first looks
Nina Ricci’s Spring 2008 Campaign Revealed!After months of anticipation, the spring Nina Ricci campaign pictures have leaked. Our pick for Fashion Week’s model of the week Karlie Kloss and one to watch Courtney Smerski are the lucky girls, wearing gorgeous metallic gowns and soft knits offset by splashy pink shadows.
ask a retailer
Sari Sloane of Intermix Likes Chloé, Lanvin, and StellaWith the spring 2008 shows under way in Paris, we checked in with Sari Sloane, VP of fashion merchandising at Intermix, to get her picks from the latest crop of looks. What’s she buying for spring? Stella’s florals and shoes, Chloé’s graphic prints, and all of Lanvin.
harriet and amy
Video: Harriet and Amy’s Trend ReportIt’s become a Fashion Week tradition here at NYMag.com: Each season, New York Magazine fashion director Harriet Mays Powell and fashion reporter Amy Larocca talk about the trends they’ve seen over the last few days.
model tracker
Irina Kulikova Wins Fashion Week
All week long, we’ve been keeping track of which models opened and closed the big shows. Now, using our patented secret formula — a complex algorithm that awards points based on the number and importance of shows each model walked in — we can reveal who made the biggest splash this week.
new york fugging city
It’s Finally Fugging OverThe sky didn’t fall, even when it opened. The VMAs landed smack in the middle of Fashion Week and threatened to rain on our stargazing parade, but in the end — after all the wailing, teeth-gnashing, and prophesies of doom — neither an awful awards show nor an actual deluge could spoil the celebrity turnout in the front rows. It’s enough to make our Grinchy hearts grow three sizes. Or at least keep us smiling through the pain of our considerable blisters.
Without further ado, here’s a look at a few of the highlights:
harriet and amy
Ten Things We Loved This WeekAnd so it comes to an end, with editors collapsing with relief and models eating with glee. But what really stood out? Our own Harriet and Amy proudly (and exhaustedly, no doubt) present their picks.
1. Proenza Schouler’s polish was a thrilling finish to the day: everything short, stylish, and belted. Particular favorite: exit No. 2.
three is a trend
Belly Dance
Think shoulders are the only skin you’ll be showing next season? Think again.
three is a trend
Sheena Was a Punk-Rocker
Neon was the buzzword this week, landing on nearly every runway. But a few crafty designers reinterpreted that late-eighties trend into something distinctively more punk.
new york fugging city
Someone Acts Like a Fugging Baby at Hilfiger
Just for fun, let’s try a blind item for you gossip aficionados. Which ubiquitous, young(ish) singer didn’t get seated with the other cool kids at Tommy Hilfiger’s show and spent the entire production pulling a completely petulant bitchface?
show & tell
Chloë Sevigny Designs the Clothes of Her DreamsHave you ever wondered what happens when celebrities make random pronouncements in the press about who they’d like to date or which director really needs to give them a job? Well, if you’re Chloë Sevigny, you get to design a clothing line.
Critics Bow at the Altar of Marc, Oscar, Anna, and CarolinaAs Fashion Week draws to a close, it’s time to talk about the big guns, those wonders who need no surname. Did Marc’s intellectual show ultimately please? Did Oscar and Carolina meet expectations? And what does Anna Sui have up her sleeve?
party lines
Serena Williams Is Trying, Damn YouThe chaotic, shutterbug-infested scene at Zac Posen’s show meant that celebrities from Demi on down to Ivanka Trump were unavailable for us to chat up. And so Serena Williams, sitting just outside the fray, provided the rote quotes.
model tracker
Chanel Iman Beats Out Jenna Jameson As Tuesday’s Top ModelDay seven got a little wacky. We were about to crown Jenna Jameson as the queen of the world for closing Heatherette, but then we came to our senses. (The shock of seeing actual boobs on the runway was just too much.) So instead we’re picking Chanel Iman, who opened Heatherette, opened and closed Custo Barcelona, and closed JustSweet. Girl must be tired.
party lines
Kim Gordon Gives her Secrets on BadasseryKim Gordon has always represented unstudied badassness to us, so when we spotted her in three front rows — 3.1 Phillip Lim, Anna Sui, and Marc Jacobs — we were determined to ask just how she pulls it off. The answer: H&M.
Who’s Ready to Talk Fall Collections?Designers also reveled in the memory of the days they got off between their shows and starting in on fall collections.
new york fugging city
Marc Anthony Is Undead; Harvey Weinstein Is Unknown
The big questions on our lips before Jennifer Lopez’s JustSweet show: Would any big names make it across town after Zac Posen? Would Posh Spice come out to support the good friend of her pal Tom Cruise? And, most important, would Marc Anthony look as undead in person?
Five Things We Liked on Tuesday
1. The new, tailored, polished Marc by Marc Jacobs — specifically a short, strapless navy-blue dress.
2. Bruce was completely refined and chic. We loved the evening looks of black trousers and exquisitely detailed and beaded camisole tops.
Slow Down, Strike a PoseFashion Week will always be hectic. But some designers gave editors a break from having to frantically crane their necks just to catch a model soaring down the runway. They offered up static presentations where you could — gasp! — actually see the clothes.
three is a trend
Scarf It UpHair this week has swung the arc from long and flowy to super-tight ponytails. But next spring, break out your best Pucci scarves and rock them as headbands.
new york fugging city
Julianne Moore Goes Fugging Blonde at CalvinWe were loitering outside Calvin Klein, doing our usual “are we in the right line?” dance along with everyone else, when things got a little exciting. Anna Wintour stopped and looked right at us. And gestured!
party lines
Vincent Gallo Wants You Out of Those JeansWe’ve been spotting Vincent Gallo all over the place — that is, when we can see past the facial hair — and our curiosity finally got the better of us. Why has he been going to so many shows? Does he really know anything about fashion? Would he even deign to talk to us?
John Varvatos Likes Alice Cooper, Detroit, SnakesThe boys over on our pop-culture-obsessed sibling site Vulture dipped one toe in our fashionable world and came out with an interview with chicken-loving rocker Alice Cooper, who was at last night’s John Varvatos show.
new york fugging city
Donna Martin Graduates, Goes to Betsey JohnsonConsidering we’re such die-hard Beverly Hills, 90210 lovers, it was almost too perfect that the marquee guest at Betsey Johnson’s prom-themed fashion show was none other than Tori Spelling herself, (in)famous for the time her alter-ego Donna Martin almost didn’t graduate because she got drunk on champers at prom.
loose threads
Marc(ia), Marc(ia), Marc(ia)!Pity the designers who had to show today, hopelessly stuck in the shadow of Marc Jacobs. Monique who?, you say? So you’re hungry for more Marc coverage, right? We thought you were!
style scrapbook
Fashion Bloggers Covet With the Best of ‘EmWe know what the retailers are loving. And we know what the critics are digging. But what are Fashion Week’s unsung heroes — those buzzy fashion bloggers, whose blood, sweat, and tears are flecked across your monitor — going for?
It’s Your PartyLast season’s LWD has given way to the ever-so-important cocktail dress. Yes, spring is all about dressing up for drinks, dahling — appropriately, the runways were full of cute little numbers that would fit nearly every occasion.
LeAnn Rimes Magically Appears at LhuillierWe finally escaped from the endless tyranny of Demi Moore and Sophia Bush and enjoyed some fresh faces at the Monique Lhuillier show: singer LeAnn Rimes and starlet Michelle Trachtenberg, each of whom was wearing the designer’s clothing — and a lot of foundation for the benefit of the cameras. That said, it’s refreshing to see child stars who have not grown up to be tremendous skanks, and we are grateful to them for all of their panty-wearing, complexion-saving good behavior.
ask a retailer
Ann Watson of Henri Bendel Likes Nili Lotan, Anna Sui, and Peter SomThroughout the week, the buyers from Kirna Zabête, Henri Bendel, Intermix, and more will tell us which runway looks they plan on stocking. Today, Henri Bendel VP, fashion director Ann Watson reveals her current faves: sexy sophistication from Nili Lotan, menswear cuts from Anna Sui, and Peter Som’s reworked American classics.
reviews
Critics Love Kors and Lam, Not So Sure on Lim
We’re on Fashion Week’s last lap, and the reviews are still rolling in: Michael Kors’s latest collection receives major kudos and Derek Lam reminds us why he’s the industry darling. But why did Phillip Lim draw such a mixed reaction? And could DVF do better?
model tracker
Agyness Deyn Is Monday’s Top ModelDay six of our model watch and we’re just begging for someone to fall. Not one trip? No buckling ankles? Alas, we’ll just have to stick to who opened and closed the shows. There’s a cheeky case to be made for Marc Jacobs as Monday’s top model, since he sort of opened his own show last night. But we can’t overlook Agyness Deyn: Not only did she open and close Anna Sui, she also closed Oscar de la Renta.
new york fugging city
These Ladies Fugging Love Cool JamesFor the second season in a row, John Varvatos debuted his new collection at the very top of 7 World Trade Center, which boasts a spectacular view of Manhattan and a moving perspective on ground zero. Many of the guests were unable to keep up the usual routine of schmoozing with their fellow fashionistas, instead wandering over to the floor-to-ceiling windows to take a look.
harriet and amy
5 Things We Liked on Monday1.Oscar de la Renta knows his customer. Today’s show was local (held on the Upper East Side) and age appropriate. Loved the cream, sleeveless top with a navy pencil skirt and feathered hat. Very Chic.
2.The punk rock hair at Anna Sui was a hit, as was a purple cardigan worn over pewter ruffled shorts that looked like a skirt.
show & tell
Anna Sui Fights Copycats, One Tee at a TimeWhat do you do when a cheap, mass-market company knocks off your designs? Well, first you sue the crap out of them. Then, while you wait to collect your hard-earned winnings, you make up a T-shirt and give it away at your fashion show. Not just any old shirt, mind you, but one emblazoned with the devious mugs of your nemesis, Old West style. That’s what Anna Sui did in retaliation to Don and Jin Chang, owners of Forever 21, who allegedly ripped off her clothes. The bounty: $21,000. And judging by the number of designs the Changs have allegedly stolen from, oh, everyone, someone’s bound to score that cash soon enough.
harriet and amy
Marc Jacobs Will Show Whenever He Damn Well PleasesThe Marc Jacobs show was scheduled for nine o’clock, which most of the invitees took to mean that around nine, you might want to think about finishing dinner and heading over to Lex. But instead, at nine o’clock, KCD publicists started working the phones: The show would be even later than usual, don’t bother turning up before 10:30. It would start at eleven was the promise, which wound up meaning that lots of people turned up drunk.
show & tell
Video: Padma and Alberta Go Way BackIntrepid socialite-cum-reporter Fabiola Beracasa hit the Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti presentation, where she found Elle’s Nina Garcia, Vanity Fair’s Alexis Bryan, and reality-television hostess Padma Lakshmi (who, long before she was intimidating the hell out of Top Chefs, was modeling for Alberta Ferretti in Milan). Watch and see what they had to say about Philosophy’s latest feminine line.
Lisa Marie Allows Her Daughter to Be Seen With Ryan CabreraWhen a sullen, put-upon-seeming woman in a dress vaguely resembling that of a pirate wench skulked into the Anna Sui show, the guy next to us snarked, “Who is that person trying so hard to look miserable?” We shrugged and replied, “Oh, it’s probably Amy Lee, that sounds like something she’d do.” Turns out we named that tune. Fortunately, the Evanescence singer magically summoned the strength to smile when the cameras spied her, and the healing glow of flashbulbs rejuvenated ye ol’ wench. It was like a Prozac explosion.