New York Fashion Week cuts designers

Designers usually showing at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, may not make the final schedule this season. In a letter obtained by WWD, Fern Mallis , IMG Fashion's senior vice president, is notifying those designers who will not be able to show at Bryant Park. "While we would have loved to present your collection in the tents this season, we have had an overwhelming number of requests for time slots and spaces."With only three venues this season, and a holiday which has completely confused and restricted the schedule, we unfortunately will only be able to accommodate approximately 60 shows as opposed to last season's 80-plus shows," Mallis said.

The list of those not making the schedule has not been released, but the letter is sure to send designers into a frenzy since they are now faced with having to find last-minute alternative venues for their runway presentations. IMG Fashion and the Bryant Park Corp. continue to negotiate to find a solution for the future of New York Fashion Week in the park. "Please give us another try next season (Feb. 1-8) when we hope we can be more flexible and accommodating," Mallis concluded in the letter.

2 July 2007

Runway must-have bag

The New York shows had one thing in common – bold accessories. Next season is all about the bag, and the hot new bag is bigger, more structured and dare we say better.

The trend for gold, chains and other accoutrements that are emerging this season has been tweaked by making it bigger and adding more distinctive hardware, from brass locks and chains to jewellery. Exotic skins were a plenty on the runway as were belts. For autumn/winter the silhouette is all about the waist.

New York Fashion Week

The fashion season is busily underway with New York Fashion Week. The shows were opened with catwalk appearances by singers Sheryl, Lindsay Lohan and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, among others. The musical beauties sashayed down the catwalk in red dresses created by America's top designers. The event is part of the annual Red Dress Collection, organized by The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to raise awareness of women and heart disease.

From Monday onward audiences crowded to witness shows by the likes of Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta and Monique Lhuillier. Jacobs, the darling of the fashion set, had chosen a muted palette and a voluminous silhouette. He had his models parade down the runway in legwarmers – which we had hoped would never make it back from the eighties – and wrinkled hosiery, ankle and calf length skirts and tulip skirts, sloped shoulders and bulky coats cinched and belted at the waist. Voluptuous women can look forward to skirts worn over pants – another look that should be banned – with which Jacobs is greeting the next fall season. Meanwhile some evening pieces seemed to channel the silhouette of Jackie O, with an elegant city coat with three-quarter sleeves and a fur border along the bottom. An obvious trend to emerge form Jacobs' collection is the metallic look, which appeared in skirts, dresses and jackets in bronze, black, silver and gold.

Oscar de la Renta also went for the metallic look, with cigarette pants, boat-neck jackets, pantsuits and evening dresses in brocade. The ever elegant De la Renta has been dressing Park Avenue Princesses for years and his attraction for ladies-who-lunch was once more in evidence. His creations are timeless, ultra-feminine and chic, and often appear to be directly inspired by elegant Hitchcock thrillers such as “To catch a thief”. The woman who wears his clothes appears to borrow the drama and glamour from those productions. Unfortunately, this collection included many creations that appeared stiff and old-fashioned, and lacked the harmony that he is known for.

Monique Lhuillier is a relative newcomer to the scene, but has earned her stripes creating elegant, red-carpet pieces worthy of De La Renta and Carolina Herrera. Her fall/winter 2006/7 collection did not disappoint. The dresses and suits were ultra-feminine and harked back to the controlled elegance of the 1950s. Lhuillier chose predominantly grey and petrol hues, lace and tulle detailing and an accent on a tiny waist. She too appeared to be inspired by Jackie O in her First Lady days. Sleeveless dresses with bell skirts and super chic city coats with three-quarter length sleeves and beaded detailing were the order of the day.

The week continues with shows from Ralph Lauren, Catherine Malandrino and Calvin Klein, to name just a few.

New York Fashion Week started last week, launching the first of the four major international collections. The week began with shows by Nicole Miller, Naum and Verrier.

Nicole Miller presented her version of spring 2006 with empire-waisted dresses in luscious materials and pretty prints. Meanwhile Ashleigh Verrier, a former Proenza Schouler intern and Parsons School of Design graduate, debuted with a collection that recalled Matisse and the Twenties. Naum, a duo that has only just hit the catwalks, presented a vision of whites and natural earth tones in structured, minimalist silhouettes for easy, casual dressing.

The shows continued with collections from Lacoste – think bountiful tennis whites and greens, sporty princess dresses and preppy shorts and poloshirts - Kenneth Cole, Brian Reyes, United Bamboo, Tommy Hilfiger and Rodarte.

www.newyorkfashionweek.com
12 September 2005