Every Rodarte shows gives plenty for the eye to look at. Last spring season, they presented punk rocker chicks from Los Angeles with their chain necklaces and striking zebra bra tops, but this season they seem to have incorporated a more romantic and delicate approach (I couldn't believe it as well) with their signature hard-edged cool girl chic. The marriage between geeky and cool was visible in the opening looks - sprayed-on, high-waisted pants tucked into S&M inspired knee-high lace-up boots were paired with girly (almost toddler-like) ruffled blouses. The rest of the collection took us under water in the most literal sense. Pailettes on minis reminded me of fish scales, fishnet overlays resembled exactly the ones used to catch sealife and sea urchin ornaments decorated the neckline. These highly conceptual cocktail dresses with ripped hems would probably be what the Little Mermaid would wear had she arisen from the ocean yesterday. Although some of the pieces were a tad too busy for their average customer, Laura and Kate Mulleavy's exquisite approach to designing these pieces shall not go unnoticed by fashion editors. My favorite pieces were the oversized, boxy, utilitarian jackets with belted pockets and interesting detailing. P.S. Those pierced eyebrows were genius!
It's hard to imagine a more stressful situation for a designer to be in than to try and outdo their smash hit first collection. I'm guessing pressure was the one of the main components that went into designing the latest collection for Marc by Marc Jacobs. Thankfully, Luella Bartley's and Katie Hillier's innate coolness translated beautifully into another street style smash. Multiple neon triangles at the center of the venue hinted at an ode to clubbing culture and EDM madness. What followed wasn't far from the initial thought, but interestingly transitioned into work uniform inspirations and a quintessentially British way of putting an outfit together. Basically anything you could imagine a stylish Brit wearing to a Disclosure concert was presented - bras over T-shirts, nylon skirts, latex tights and neon slips. What you thought might be a more somber part of the collection, quickly took a turn for the quirky with corsets sticking out from under oversized T-shirts with a flared mini and some tulle attached. Crazy? Yes. But it's hard to imagine a girl wearing any one of these pieces and not have the best night of her life in them.
How fitting that the models at the Oscar de la Renta show entered and exited the stage through an arch of peonies considering that every flower imaginable was featured in the pieces. A lesson in Upper East Side ladylike dressing, the collection featured what every young rose would love to add to her wardrobe. Refined tennis shorts and tasteful mini-skirts (monochrome or in a magnified gingham print) were paired with sophisticated blazers and floral lace shirts. After a few smart black and white ensembles, the romantic vibe continued with classic de la Renta shifts with printed poppies and dandelions that are bound to fly of department store racks. Perhaps we could all agree that no one in New York does glamorous evening wear as well as Mr. de la Renta and he solidified that status with about a dozen Oscar-worthy gowns. The best of the best was a striking brick-orange voluminous strapless piece with bright yellow peeking out from underneath.
Along with Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein, Narciso Rodriguez is one of the pillars of American minimalism. He bore that moniker with pride whilst showing his latest collection. Although not his most enticing work, he did manage to show a lot for his fans to get excited about. Plunging V-neck day-to-night dresses with asymmetric hems and slim-fit high-waisted pants were perfectly tailored, but painstakingly safe and sparkly waves across minis seemed like afterthoughts.
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