Bauhaus was Carolina Herrera's Calling for Spring/Summer 2012



This is a collection that was extremely potent with elegance and sophistication and a wonderful modernity that Carolina Herrera designed for Spring/Summer 2012. She was inspired by Bauhaus and it's influence in art, fashion, interiors, lifestyle, colors and shapes. The clothes were delivered in lines, blocks and stripes and various geometric renderings. The beautiful bird prints on her dresses and separates were quite charming. The colors are inspired by Bakelite bracelets. Her signature staples are present in this collection which, of course, can not do without. Her evening wear in a splendor that is to die for or to live for. Her vision for evening all constructed and fluid was a treat and I could not have taken my eyes off of it as the elegance of it captured my attention.
Carolina Herrera is truly a master of classic style and constantly keeps designing collections that are modern and fresh.

Carolina Herrera

Spring/Summer 2012

Haiti inspires Donna Karan for Spring/Summer 2012



Donna Karan loves Haiti. She spends a great deal of time there and channels her philanthropic efforts there. For this season she was inspired by Haiti. According to her notes she is constantly inspired by her passions.
Her passions were indeed expressed. The collection had well made clothes that had tribal motifs, some graphic configurations that some had studs outlining them, and some prints. The colors in this collection were muddy and drab in the sense that white, black and mud brown were dominant. There were a citrus green and tangerine dresses for evening that did not do the trick to add some life to the color pallet of the collection. Again, this collection was well made and had the commercial clout, but the colors did not do the trick.

Donna Karan

Spring/Summer 2012

Thakoon is an Ace at making a Cocktail of a Spring/Summer 2012 Collection.

The Plaza Hotel was where Thakoon Panichgul's Spring/Summer Collection show took place. This was a wonderful presentation that showed a mixture of references and cultures mixed together brilliantly. It was India mixed with Marie Antoinette in colors that were bright, and there were prints and paisleys that were mixed with some lace and embroideries. Thakoon mixed Indian looks with American sportswear ideas and his mission was accomplished. This colliding of different worlds was effortless for Thakoon to make into a brilliant fashion cocktail of looks.

Thakoon

Spring/Summer 2012

Zac Posen Made a Point with his Spring/Summer 2012 Collection.



After showing a couple of times in Paris, Zac Posen came back home to New York and showed an extremely modern, sophisticated, glamorous collection that one cannot resist. There was no gimmick and there was no forcing in making any kind of statement. In fact the statement that Posen made was effortless.

For this season there is a focus on construction and an experimentation in color and shapes. Embroidery and cording is present throughout and the clever details were on point. One spectacular dress after another came out and they all certainly caught the attention of everyone in the room.

A feast of potential red carpet gowns are imminent. Stylists! Get cracking for the next award season!!

Zac Posen, congratulations and welcome home! You made a great point with your collection and did an amazing job!

Zac Posen

Spring/Summer 2012

These New York Designers Are Not Afraid To Take A Risk for Spring/Summer 2012

Just seeing the collection by Thom Browne, it kept me wondering what will come up after the first garment came out. The show was set up in the Edna Barnes Salomon Room of the New York Public Library, looking much like the Twenties with some nice furniture. A gray haired lady hosted a party that took place in the set up. Models wore a silhouette that was lean and long, broad and wide shouldered, with layerings of jackets, textures and fabrics. A really weird show and interesting at the same time.

Thom Browne

Spring/Summer 2012

Drawing inspiration from the Baja Californian desert and Luis Barraga's poetic use of color such as rust, sand, dusty rose and light blue, Rebecca Minkoff showed a collection that has a lot to offer. Shorts, flyaway handkerchief hems, flowing dresses and skirts with uneven hems, were present. The collection was heavy on abstract prints layered in flowing chiffon pieces. If Minkoff edited her collection a bit, it would have been a more focused one.

Rebecca Minkoff

Spring/Summer 2012

Chritian Siriano is the most successful "Project Runway" winner by far. This collection was focused entirely on cocktail and evening wear. He went from T-shirts worn with ball skirts to big poufs that were kind of silly. He did go a bit more commercial with his collection. He just has to make clothes that are a bit more wearable and move away from some of the way things are made on reality TV.

Christian Siriano

Spring/Summer 2012

Although there is such a variety of talent in New York, these designers are all doing what they do best at daring to create new silhouettes and textures. This is what is keeping New York designers interesting because they are not afraid to take a risk. 

Inspirations for New York Designers Come From Wonderful Places....

Designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi chose Virginia Woolf as their muse and inspiration. It certainly did not make anyone afraid of her in this case. Beautiful sorbet colors, great crochet lace dresses with frilly collars layered over slips, cutaway jackets,  pixilated floral prints blown out to resemble a grid on pencil skirts, all were included to make Preen a pretty lady like lineup.

Preen

Spring/Summer 2012

Chris Benz piled on prints together with with color blocks and stripes. Sixties and Seventies come into play with some of the motifs and having jackets in photographic images of flower buds and slouchy pants in an oversized graphic are all a lot to take in and it was Benz's intention and it was fun and made some people become fans. 

Chris Benz

Spring/Summer 2012

A lightness of a collection from Flora Gill and Alexa Adams. At Ohne Titel here were soft shapes and volumes with a wonderful feminine sportswear flair. Knit herringbone and graphic patterns were quite the detail as for the bright colors that were mixed with pale neutrals. Gill and Adams intend to grow their business and are serious about it. Looks were commercial from sexy to easy. Their first shoe collection comes out in spring. Wonderful!

Ohne Titel

Spring/Summer 2012

Chris Peters and Shane Gabier of Creatures of the Wind did an amazing job in presenting a wonderful lineup that never bored the eye of fashion. The pieces are all unique because they had a modern psychedelic view in details and the patchwork of fabrics. Just watch the video and listen to them and you will understand more of their point of view which totally can be seen and heard.

Creatures in the Wind

Spring/Summer 2012

Such amazing creativity is to be had at these presentations. What wonderful results. And all from the inspirations that come from wonderful places for these designers.

Spring/Summer 2012 begins in New York!

One of the first shows in New York were impressive. Kimberly Ovits set the tone for beautiful fluid and wearable clothing that is perfect for any body type for any woman. The inspiration came after the Japanese earthquake which mixed with the idea of disaster versus relief and man versus nature. Paper thin knits, drapery and assemetry play a part in this collection which was truly wonderful.

Kimberly Ovits

Spring/Summer 2012



There were some wonderful looks at Cushnie et Ochs. The collection was just well executed throughout. I loved seeing the sheaths in wonderful colors like lemon, pink, peach, white and black. There were some some flared skirts that were playful as well as sexy and some of them were pared with blazers over shirts. One thing that was distracting were those clunky, shiny peplums that distracted from the strong looks. For the rest I thought this was one clean and sexy collection with great ideas and great lengths

Cushnie et Ochs

Spring/Summer 2012.

With five seasons in Richard Chai Love is a collection that looks like it was turning more towards streetwear. For Spring he showed both men's and women's together for the first time. A lot of mixing and matching and layering that added a playful energy to the collection.

Richard Chai Love

Spring/Summer 2012

The "active glamour" as the show notes professed seemed to have been channeled. BCBG Max Azaria was a fluid collection that was relaxing and quite a breeze. Max and Lubov Azaria played with color blocking and neons. The dresses were intricate and complicated by splicing, panels, piping and cutouts all done in contrasting colors and tribal patterns. Just having at least one or more of these outfits would be worth having in your closet for Spring/Summer next year...2012.

BCBG Max Azaria

Spring/Summer 2012



The beginning of Spring/Summer 2012. New York Fashion Week Blogs are coming up!

OK. So I have not been writing about fashion for the past month or so because I was enjoying the summer so much. I took advantage of the sun, the weather and the magnificent out doors. A highlight for me was that I rode my bike from Christopher Street all the way to the George Washington bridge and it was so enjoyable. It was a wonderful ride along the Hudson River Park and the sunset could not have been more beautiful!

So here I am now, back in the mix of the energy of everything fashion and I am constantly diving into the presentations of the collections for Spring/Summer 2012.
Fashion's Night Out kicked off on September 8th and it could not have been more alive. The night was full with people running and walking around to their fashion destinations to part take in the fashion festivities. So, for any of you who missed this wonderful event just come around next year. You will have a fun time! Here is the link if you want to see what will be going on next time. http://fashionsnightout.com/

Finally, this year there seems to be so much going on here during New York Fashion Week. And as far as collections, there are 20  or more presentations a day. Some collections were absolutely sublime and there were others that were totally boring or just bad. I am glad to see a lot of new young designers showing. Some of them are really promising. Other designers who did not well as far as creativity and cohesiveness last season, did much better this season. And then, of course there are the designers who have been around for quite some time, who knocked the ball out of the park and I am sure you know which designers I mean.

For this Spring/Summer 2012 season, since there are so many presentations a day (again, twenty or more), I will be writing about the ones that really stood out for the day. Down the line I will write about those new young talents whose collections were really a delight and who I am looking forward to their next collection.

So there you have it. I am now on a roll, ready to do my thing and to give you my thoughts and information of the best of New York. I trust all of you have had a wonderful summer this year and I hope you are still enjoying the warm days we have left over before the fall temperatures really start kicking in.

Stay tuned! Big Hugs.

Karl