New York Fashion Week has just come to a close, and made way for London Fashion Week. I do look forward to (especially) the S/S shows, cause I've never been particularly good at getting dressed for the summer and desperately seek inspiration. It's been a pretty good season for the New Yorkers, and so I've decided to sum up my favourite few collections for the season in this post. Surprisingly though, not many of my favourite designers made it on the list.
First of all, Helmut Lang is at the top of my list. Upon having heard great things from this promising young label since a few collections back, I decided that it was time to finally give Hemut Lang its deserved attention, and either hate it or love it.Fortunately for me, I absolutely fell in love with the collection!! Never tiring of the phrase "One can never have too much of a good thing," and in this case, this good thing is monochrome. Whites, tonal grays and gradual fades to black is the key pallette for this collection, made up of light cotton shirts and skirts and light almost sheer knits paired with cotton jackets or silk print tanks. organic, flowing textures were chosen over the label's previous work with structured tailoring and fit, and this embodies the relaxed vibe of spring/summer perfectly. Spring and summer might be the seasons associated with florals, ruffles, pastels - but its just so overdone. Helmut Lang's use of a monochrome pallette is a fresh view on the hotter seasons of the year, and if a woman can be dressed in the last look in the first photo, and be cruising on a yacht with the wind in her face - then, hell, why not.
Continuing with the idea of a monochrome pallette over bright florals, is Jen Kao's s/s 2011 collection. Khaki green and white infused into soft chiffon-like materials were the main attraction of the show - very ethereal themed collection, many floaty dresses were in the collection, with their see-through quality which seemed goddess-like and the shift dresses were reminiscent of a high-fashion Tinkerbell. Absolutely beautiful pieces were in this collection, and they certainly deserve some red-carpet quality time! That very last olive coloured dress, I can see Maggie Gyllenhaal in. It would look absolutely gorgeous against her porcelain skin, and besides, what can't that woman pull off?
Vera Wang. The renowned gown designer, can never put a foot wrong with any dress she designs, but in this season's collections, I thought the pants/shorts were more of a standout than the sakura-print pencil dresses. The cuffed shorts in the collections were the standouts to me. Repeated in many colours, Vera has paired them with office-friendly Japanese kimono inspired sheer tops and creates an overall polished but youthful look, shown by the asymmetrical drapery on some pieces. The draped collection uses a mostly monochromatic pallette - which is then broken by the brightly coloured shift dresses (as worn by Abbey Lee and Freja Beha Erichsen) which appeared after about every 5 looks in the collection - playing with the use of colour for the warmer seasons.
Another collection which caught my attention this time round was Christian Siriano SS2011. The central theme of his collection was quite apparent really, Safari. Leather versions of safari suits were put out there, as well as loud animal print splayed accross the collection in all kinds of dreses, screaming out not to be ignored. There was nothing subtle about this collection, and well, is the world subtle even associated with Christian Siriano? Given his lovable 'Fierce' nature and his magnificent workmanship, I guess not - he's just unavoidable. The bright animalesque print dresses towards the end of his collection may have been veering on the edge of over-the-top, but you can't deny this man the fact that you admire his talent for making show-stopping, beautiful dresses. The shapes of the garments many not have been ground breaking, but, where it was applicable, the use of drapery and detail on the garments have made this collection unforgettable and certainly cemented his place in the fashion industry.
And last, but not least, and summing up my list of top 5 favourite NYFW SS2011 collections is that of Jason Wu. Starting the show with those wonderful bow-collar sheer white tops, Jason Wu had already caught the attention of his audience. The use of nude colours that slowly transitioned to shockingly bright colours like cobalt blue, hot pinks and oranges made sure that there was something in store for everyone - for the brave and the less brave. From the collection, I've sensed a Parisienne flair as seen in the sophisticated simple silhouettes of the garments which are form-fitting, flattering on a woman, and all about cut. Not to mention the focus on detail within the collection, a few ruffles here and there, which added to the sophisticated elegance of the entire collection. Also, that striped top and white ruffle skirt concoction just screams Carey Mulligan, don't you think?
Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang are my fashion favourites but I think they failed to impress this season. :(
Which are your NYFW faves?
