Madonna at Marc Jacobs Catwalk Fashion Show SS10

Life is a theater. And so is fashion. Look at the front row at Marc Jacobs, with Madonna, Juergen Teller and Rachel Zoe amongst others. But that was not the message at Marc Jacobs, he is  tired of seeing young girls wearing only black.  They don’t express their individual style, he thinks. And that’s what Jacobs want to change next season. If last season was a trip back in time to the eighties, his new collection is a trip to the theater, the ballet, the opera.  The references, as usual, came at fast speed: touches of Zandra Rhodes, a nod to Rei Kawakubo and the all-Americanisms like sportswear.  The show opened with a conventional raincoat belted above the waist. Later, Jacobs teamed trim military jackets with long, full skirts. There were also lamé dresses, lace openwork coats and suits in white and black sequins and sparkly, leg-baring eveningwear.

Tony Cohen Catwalk Fashion Show

Amsterdam based designer Tony Cohen showed his signature flowing, asymmetric dresses and tunics. Colors shifted from silvery white to greys, blacks and bolder colors like green and red. Graphic black&white animal-like and smokey prints added some excitement.

Donna Karan Catwalk fashion Show SS10

Donna Karan knows what she’s good at. She sent out a wearable collection of soft skirtsuits and body-loving draped dresses. She explained that she was “inspired by the power of the elements”. It could be the wind, as a hem of the opening stretch linen jacket, for example, was molded as if the model  had just encountered a stiff breeze on the runway. The effect was a sense of movement and a pretty femininity. Twisting around the body, Karan’s dresses had a weightless, easy appeal. There were stretch matte jerseys in blush, and wrap styles with more volume in gray and white. Among the many pale neutrals , the bold reds stood out.

Zac Posen Catwalk Fashion Show SS10

Zac Posen’s collection looked youtful and a fun to wear. The designer seemed to be inspired by the late seventies New York woman and the clothes had the attitude of a partygoing good-time girl.  Posen pushed a color story and did so with colorblocking for day:  chalky pink, yellow and purple on structured dresses, some with cutouts at the waist, and see-through raincoats worn over Pop Art geometric prints. That Mod-ish flavor and kitsch factor was quite charming, but some will not be easy to sell. Posen’s prints were beautiful, the bold florals were custom designed by NYC artist Rosson Crow. Posen put them on kicky pleated skirts and sexy cocktail dresses draped and cut to show skin at the shoulders and back.

Marc Jacobs Catwalk Fashion Show SS10

Donna Karan Catwalk Fashion Show SS10

Zac Posen Catwalk Fashion Show SS10

Y-3 Catwalk Fashion Show SS10

At the end of the Y-3 show a net dropped from the ceiling and Yohji Yamamoto—accompanied by Zinedine Zidane, one of the world’s most famous soccer players—came out to take a shot at a goal.  Does that mean Yamamoto is a football fanatic? Not exactly. What inspired Yamamoto’s World Cup-themed collection was something more poetic: the movement of the net after a goal. Netting was integrated into the collection with lots of airy (and body-exposing) pieces. These worked best when worn under tailored separates, like pants and jackets. The combination of structure and flow, as in a blazer over a long dress, or the draped jersey tunics and stiffer cotton pants, was effective.

Y-3 Catwalk Fashion Play SS10

DKNY Catwalk Fashion Show SS10

« Previous Page — Next Page »