Streetfashion FW2010 New York Day 1

What are you wearing during the coming fashionweeks? Your Burberry-boots, your latest D&G-vest or that vintage YSL? Maybe we’ll spot you in Paris, Milan, New York or Amsterdam. During the fashionweeks we refresh our streetwear posts regularly. We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: New York.

Alexander Wang Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

It looked like Alexander Wang took the traditional banker’s uniform – the darkblue pinstriped suit – deconstructed it and put it together again. The result was sexy and dark, almost with a Belgian touch. But where designers like An Demeulemeester and the early Martin Margiela put a lot of effort in the making, the cut and the fit, it seemed Wang aimed more at the effect. Cropped blazers, tailcoats and vests exposed flashes of skin and were worn with thick thigh-high legwarmers and chunky heels. Layering also played a part in this collection, but was less relaxed. For evening and partywear Wang chose velvet and chenille.

Jason Wu Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

Everybody talked about Jason Wu’s inspiration, photographer Irving Penn, but you better ignore that. The designer just wanted to do something different than the princess-like clothes he’s famous for thanks to Michele Obama. So Wu took a good look at menswear – that’s where the personal style of Penn comes along – and morphed influences into pretty womenswear with a mannish touch. He presented short sleeved jackets, oversized cashmere coats,  mohair sweaters and fold-over pants. The overall look had an appealing, relaxed sensibility. Grey, black, white and blue were the main colors with splashes of mustard, orange, yellow, golden and green.

In the end Wu just couldn’t resist to design a few real princess-dresses, just for the fun of it. I’m sure a few of those will return sooner or later at the White House or some red-carpet event.

Groupielove # 12

Narciso Rodriguez embraced his softer side for spring summer 2010. And it made for a stronger collection. The vibe was still plenty sexy, like the killer sheath color-blocked from jute linen canvas and black silk jacquard.  A pair of shifts, one in white, the other pink, came with graphic cutouts on the upper back, while another dress was essentially a mesh tank with strategically placed ovals of printed fuchsia silk. All three were revealing without being vulgar, a balance other designers have had some difficulty achieving this season.

But Rodriguez also loosened up the silhouette dramatically, letting the air in, so to speak, on everything from a white silk, linen, and organza bubble dress to a silk mud-cloth coat. The show ended with a trio of short-in-front, long-in-back tent dresses that took this concept to the extreme. Chic, modern propositions for a black-tie evening, they billowed dramatically behind the models in the runway breeze.

Groupielove #9

Practicing his signature brand of arty minimalism, Francisco Costa replaced the sharp angles and dark colors of his Fall collection with soft, organic shapes and light-reflecting neutrals. It made for a Spring collection more sensuous than  sexy—and more youthful in feeling than his recent efforts. He opened with a white one-sleeve bubble dress that, like the needle-punched nylon coat that came down the runway a few looks later, caught air behind the model as she walked. When he wasn’t experimenting with volume, Costa was creating interesting textures: smocking and puckering cotton voile for an A-line shift, or hand-pleating and pintucking an organdy dress. Playing natural off techno, and sheer against opaque, the designer sent out mohair jacquard tank dresses that shaded from black to brown to gray and revealed subtle swaths of skin. The only departure from the show’s earthy palette was a group of crinkled silk-cotton tank dresses and asymmetrical shifts in shades of pale aqua, citron, coral, and jade.

Groupielove # 7

Turning out refined day looks and eveningwear since 1981, the house of Herrera specializes in classic shapes (lean trousers, pencil skirts, A-line ball dresses, and nipped-waist jackets) stitched up in soigné silk faille and jacquard, luxurious taffeta and mink. In recent seasons, Oscar regulars like Renée Zellweger have splashed this most Park Avenue of labels with a starry dash of Hollywood Boulevard.

Carolina Herrera made a name for herself by dressing well before she began designing well. (And she is still recognized for her chic uniform of crisp white shirts and tailored black trousers.) She was born in 1939 to a family of Venezuelan aristocrats and, with her second husband, Reinaldo Herrera, partied with a coterie of 1970’s jet-setters that included Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol. Herrera landed on the International Best-Dressed List time and again during those years, and was named to its Hall of Fame in 1980. The same yearHerrera designed her first line of ready-to-wear as a “test.” She aced it.

Herrera was named the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2004, and in 2008 the organization gave her the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dutch models: Patricia van der Vliet

Dutch models were well-represented at the catwalk this year. One of the ‘new faces’ we saw in many big shows was  Patricia van der Vliet. The blond girl popped up in shows from Prada, Balenciaga, Nina Ricci and Yves Saint Laurent. She even had the honor to open the Louis Vuitton show (the only time we saw her with black (afro) hair).

Patricia once participated in the Dutch tv-show Holland’s Next Top Model. Although she did not win, she ultimately made her way into the modelling business.

Her diverse appearances in shows of the largest brands in the world showed us how versatile Patricia is as a model. In some shows she was hardly recognizable.

Style.com already discussed Patricia as one of the ten new faces on the catwalk. Hopefully we will be seing a lot more of this girl. If you ask us, we already consider her as a Top Model.

Tess van Daelen

Trends ss2010: pastel perfection

When it comes to color,  next season will be very tame. There’s the nude trend and there will be lots of black & white. Yet there’s a third trend that we need to discuss colorwise: pastels.

The trend fits perfectly with the overall vibe we’re getting for spring/summer, in which everything seems very romantic and feminine. Yellow, purple, blue, pink, green, orange: all these colors came in a pastel version in any kind of material.

When comparing all collections we can consider Donatella Versace as the queen of the pastels. Her Barbiedoll models wore tight sexy pastel outfits. She even had a few printed pastels. The color in this case added to the Barbie doll feeling.

Michael Kors used some elegant blue, purple and green pastels for his feminine outfits. Other brands that made the pastel look work are Burberry, Matthew Williamson, Tommy Hilfiger, Mila Schon, Blumarine and of course our very own Viktor & Rolf. V&R’s multiple layered designs mainly were a combination of black and pastels.

If you want to go for that summery, romantic and feminine touch, add a little pastel.

Tess van Daelen

Trends ss2010: Eyecatching sportswear

Next spring will be great fun for the sporty types. A number of brands introduced some remarkable sportswear. Eyecatching were the pieces Asish showed during London Fashion Week. Most of the sportswear he came up with was sequined from the bottom to the top. What a great way to distract your opponents at the footballfield! The sequins formed the image of a football and that of Mona Lisa. The Nike slogan ‘Just do it’ also appeared  in sequins. At the fashion show for Hermès the runway was changed into a tenniscourt. The models wore classic sportswear in blue or red with white lines. Those lines seemed to be the new element in sportswear since Marc Jacobs, Bottega Veneta and Lacoste used them too. Alexander Wang showed some great (‘timeless’, as he calls it himself) sportswear. His grey sweater with brown suede shoulders looked refreshing. Most designers completed their looks with a sporty headband or a cap. Playing sports was never this much fun! (Tess van Daelen)

Ralph Lauren Catwalk Fashion Show SS10

The Great Recession we’re all living through got Ralph Lauren thinking about the American power to deal with problems. He was inspired by the character of the worker, the farmer, the cowboy, the pioneer women of the prairies.  Models in newsboy caps wore faded and torn oversized jeans with blue work shirts, patchwork overalls, and nightshirts in  stripes, or sweet flowerprint dresses with white ankle socks and  heels. It was cinematic, like most of Lauren’s collections. And it goes without saying that his vision is a romanticized one.

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