Oscar de la Renta Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2012

A star studded front row (with Justin Timberlake, Ashley Olsen, Valentino and Nicki Minaj) enjoyed a remarkable fresh spring collection at Oscar de la Renta’s 42^nd Street showroom. Frizzy haired models sported De la Renta’s beautifully handcrafted design, which felt younger than we’ve seen before in his over forty years in fashion.

Extravagant ball gowns were mixed with tiny couture lace T-shirts, the cutest spring dresses were worn with wide belts and loose pants were perfectly matched with elegant short jackets.

A black tight dress with dozens of white tassels seemed perfect for a night out, a yellow ball gown with puffy sleeves looked like it belonged in a fairytale.

The color palette ranging from yellow to grass green, nudes, pink and red felt perfect for spring. The models looked natural and confident. The overall vibe was easy-going, wearable, ladylike and fresh.

It was a collection that might have some younger girls hitting the stores for their own piece of ODLR. And for the loyal ODLR- customers, there will be lots of great designs to choose from as well.

Victoria Beckham Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2012

Though the press seemed to like her intimate presentations in the past Victoria Beckham has moved on. On Sunday she held her first big runway show at which she sat front row herself.

Halfway the show it became clear Posh had turned into Sporty Spice showing structured hoodies and loose fitting shiny vests. Her light-colored summer dresses seemed fit for a game of tennis and even the Louboutin shoes looked comfortable.

But apart from the sporty designs there were also still a lot of elegant dresses VB’s celebrity friends would love to wear to some fancy party. A body accentuating navy and orange dress, worn by Dutchie Daphne Groeneveld, will look swell on both Eva Longoria and Katie Holmes. And a black tanktop dress could be great for Kate Winslet or Oprah.

Victoria’s collection is not only great on it’s own, it also fits in with the overall sporty vibe we’re getting from New York Fashion Week so far. We’re curious what Victoria’s second line Victoria by Vitocria Beckham will do this week, but it seems she can do no wrong.

Prabal Gurung Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2012

For his sumer collection Prabal Gurung brought sweetness and bondage together. Inspired by Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki he came up with a gorgeous sensual flower print that he used in most of his designs. It was there on his dresses, shorts, skirts and pants finished off by dark lines and edges.

Apart from the vivid print there was a lot of sheerness too. Dresses had cut-outs in all imaginable places and transparent fabrics were used to cover up arms and legs. Gurung used sequins, lace, latex in shades like turquoise, purple, white and black.

His models looked confident, sexy and tough, just like he intended to. Yet it felt like there was a little too much going on at once. He might have pushed the boundaries a little too far with the dark edges, the sheer fabric ánd the cutouts.

But that surely won’t stop front row Nicki Minaj from wearing his designs; she is all about taking her outfits to the next level and not giving a damn.

 

Jason Wu Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2012

He is known for his glamorous red carpet looks, but for summer 2012 Jason Wu gave his collection some extra street credibility. He combined fully buttoned shirts with sexy high waisted shorts, airy skirts (short in the front, long in the back) and ultra-thin parka’s.

The designs looked young, but still very sophisticated. Attention was paid to details and every look was right from head to toe. Wu used some black, white, grey, blue, pink and yellow and managed to get the most stunning color combinations out of those shades. He came up with a print too; a flower-petal print (for which he collaborated with artist KAWS) which could be seen throughout the whole show.

The shirts had all kinds of different beaded collars, which added an extra touch of luxury and are of course very on trend. Small belts, long earrings, colorful satchel bags, bold sandals, red lips and nails completed the picture.

On our NYFW wishlist so far:
one lightweight parka (grey)
one transparent shirt with beaded collar
Thank you.

 

 

Zeeman / Frank Catwalk Fashion Show AIFWSS2012

Saterday afternoon the Zuiveringshal at the Amsterdam Fashion Week was filled with fashion people. Everyone was anxious to see the very first collection of this ‘new fashion label’ named Frank. Some people heard it was a mix between ready to wear and haute couture, others didn’t have a clue.

As the first looks came up on the runway we saw some very wearable designs. A shirt dress, a leather jacket, a pleated skirt, a trenchcoat, a pair of leather pants (with lots of zippers); easy to wear we would call it.

In between those items there were a few shiny evening dresses in shades like turquoise and ochre or gray and pink. And the last look of the collection was a bridal gown with the name Frank on it.

After that blue and yellow lights were projected on to the backdrop. Some items were highlighted with texts like “Now low priced” and we then started to get a feeling….

As the letters ZEEMAN appeared everyone reacted surprised.

Frank was actually ZEEMAN and nobody knew. The people from ZEEMAN kept everything a secret, only five people of the organization knew they were going to hold a show. What a surprise and what a guerrilla move! ZEEMAN rocks Amsterdam Fashion Week!

Impressions of AIFW SS2012 Day 2

This was Day 2 of Amsterdam International Fashion Week  edition SS2012. Highlights – despite the rain and wind and rain and wind – of yesterday were Pauline van Dongen and Lichting 2011 with winner Sanne Schepers from Artez.

This was Boutyq SS2012

Before the AIFW takes over our blog, we would love to share the BOUTYQ-event with you. The fifth edition of BOUTYQ gave a reason to celebrate this great fashionevent. Despite the rain fashion-pro’s and -lovers arrived at the Dylan Hotel to watch the collections of Francisco van Benthum, Jeroen van Tuyl and Unconditional.

The collection of Van Benthum was inspired by Cuba and the tropics, which resulted in a modern/classic design in light fabrics and colors. The British label Unconditional presented mens- and womenswear with a street chic character. Jeroen van Tuyls clsed the evening with his tough yet classic menswear.

Preview AIFW – SIS by Spijkers en Spijkers SS2012

This upcoming edition of the Amsterdam International Fashion Week the twins sisters Riet en Truus Spijkers will be the first to show their  SIS collection. We spoke to the sisters about this new collection and what kind of story they will be telling during the opening event.

“We’re very excited to be part of the opening show this season. For us that’s even better than just doing a regular fashion show. It results in a lot of media attention, which is one of the reasons we decided to show during Amsterdam Fashion Week. More media coverage results in more requests for our collection and that’s always good.”

It’s only one year ago that Spijkers en Spijkers launched it’s little sister SIS, yet so far the new line is doing great. “We are getting applications for the collections from abroad as well. SIS is now being sold in countries like Italy, Japan and Australia.”

As for the new summer collection we can expect nothing but summery/sunny clothing. “The collection is sunny, optimistic and a little naughty. The theme is Bain du Soleil. Again it will have some twenties references, which we also used in our music. The soundtrack will be modern but with a definite twenties twist.”

Like in every collection the sisters chose a certain woman as their female muse for the collection. “This time Olympic swimmer Zus Braun gave the designers their inspiration. Due to that the collection has some slightly sporty details in it, but mostly done in a very feminine way.”

“The clothes will have a tight fit and come in colors like rose, pistachio, amber and nautical blue. There are some bright Au Bain de Soleil prints as well. We used cotton, crêpe de chine and some very comfy jerseys. It’s just a fun collection, so we’re very much looking forward to the show.”

SIS by Spijkers en Spijkers will be shown on Wednesday evening 13 July at 6.30 p.m.

Preview AIFW – Sage & Ivy SS2012

The Sage & Ivy fashion show is part of the official Amsterdam International Fashion Week program for the first time this season. Yet, as designer Alexia van Engelen tells us, the label is still giving the audience something different…

“When we were approached by the AIFW if we wanted to join the official schedule, we had one condition: we still wanted to be able to create our own little Sage & Ivy world around the show. We didn’t want to use just an ordinary, plain, white catwalk. We discussed all possibilities and are now showing the new Sage & Ivy collection near the pond of the Westergasterrein. This means the models are going to be walking on a catwalk build over water. We’re very excited”

And though the concept alone is already interesting, water has a special meaning in Alexia’s new collection too. “The collection is called hemisphere and is inspired by water. Yet not in an too obvious matter. You’ll see the water in reflections, the golden color it creates when the sun sets, the many colors that appear when the sun shines at it and the transparency of water.”

These diverse sides of water are brought to live in a two sided collection. “On one side it shows Greek influences like draping, braiding and lots of volume. On the other side you’ll see day wear with a seventies vibe (high pants and accentuated shoulders). Bianca Jagger really was the inspiration for this since she used to mix those two styles together in her impeccable looks.”

The whole Sage & Ivy collection consists of 24 looks, all handcrafted in small studios in Belgium and Germany (no longer in Morocco, like before). The fabrics as well as the colors of the collection breath femininity. “We used shades like light pink, light green, grey, gold and some degrade. All looks were made from materials like jersey, lace, chiffon, organza, satin, cotton and a special wool melange. There are many feminine pieces in the collection but in the show we will always combine a very feminine, elaborating item with a more simple and cool (almost manly) piece. Just wait and see…”

The Sage & Ivy show will be held on Friday 15 July at 8 p.m.

Menswear Trend Report SS2011: Checks Please!

Checks are always present in the new menswear collections and this season was no exception. From D&G to Hermes, Dries van Noten, Kenzo, Viktor & Rolf and Versace; all used checks in their spring/summer 2011 collections.

D&G placed them on their summer blouses, Dsquared, Hermes and John Richmond opted for a checked shirt and Versace, Zegna and Dries van Noten presented checked tailored suit jackets.

Though the completely checked look can be too much for anyone who doesn’t work in fashion, you certainly can’t go wrong with just one checked item. Go for some large checks (this seems to be the trend this season) and complete your look by adding clean one-colored items.

Check out our gallery above for some inspiration.

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