I utilised to love Nicky Hilton until she would not stop to take a picture with our denim reviewers, Jenn, although we had been in NY together final NYFW. Now that’s off my chest….

Stylish snobby socialite, Nicky Hilton stepped out for a small shopping spree at Barney’s in Beverly Hills. Wearing a bold, vibrant sweater with James Jeans Twiggy Leggings in Slate, Nicky stepped out of the luxury department store carrying a fresh buy in her shopping bag.

With designers just beginning to release their spring/summer styles, I wonder if Nicky picked up any chic new duds for the warmer months ahead.

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Denimology

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Fashionista

With what seems like a ridiculously short amount of time at their disposal (five weeks to make a ten-look collection worthy of showing at New York Fashion Week), the final four designers get sent on their merry — if somewhat dazed — way home. Of course, they’ll be back in the city a few days before the shows begin to present the judges with a flavor of their full lines in hopes of avoiding one last elimination. (At this point, it’s like just have them make a dress blindfolded or using only their left foot, as they’re all too spent to care.) Heidi sternly reminds them that only three lucky folk will get to present their collections at Lincoln Center.

So Kimberly and Anya get swish rides to the airport in town cars, poor NYC-dwellers Viktor and Joshua have to lug their suitcases home via the subway. That’s never fun.

After visiting Kimberly in Maryland and liking the authenticity of her collection, Tim jets off to Trinidad for his midpoint crit with Anya. (Even on a free vacation, he’s wearing a full suit to the beach.) Unfortunately, Anya’s way behind on her work, and only has a bunch of beachy fabrics to show him. It seems she has designer’s block, unable to draw any new shapes — and even if she could, it would probably be a challenge to construct them as she’s only been sewing for four months (remember?). Then it’s back to NYC for Tim to meet with Viktor and Joshua, and his evaluations follow a familiar good cop, bad cop pattern, respectively (an act for which we encourage Tim to a policeman’s cap in the future — it would suit him). Viktor is, of course, on track and sewing everything just perfectly, while Joshua fares much worse, presenting a gimmicky pile of headache-inducing neons and a print so homely it makes Tim want to weep. “Where’s the sex?” he asks, nonplussed.

During these visits with the designers, in what is now Project Runway tradition, Tim also meets, and no doubt charms, all four finalists’ family and friends. (Let’s just say a love of tanning seems to run in Joshua’s family.) In each of these segments, each contestant explains in a solo interview that they’re motivated to succeed in the industry because of deceased relatives, which raises the awkward prospect that next week three dead mothers/brothers aren’t going to prove sufficient motivators. Sob stories: not always necessary — even when they’re milked with the best intentions.

With NYFW actually happening midway through the season’s airing, the designers reunite for the final judging still not entirely aware of all the late-game nastiness they threw at each other on-screen. (We miss those early days where the likes of Wendy Pepper had to come back for the finale with the full extent of her evil behavior on the workroom table.) So they’re still playing nice, and not even criticizing each other’s collections too much — though of course there are critical eyes all around when garment bags get unzipped for the first time in their new workroom. There’s another round of crits from Tim as they choose and prep the three looks they’re presenting to the judges — it’s progress all around, but many of the same overriding problems are still evident, most clearly in Anya’s lackluster line. She has a cry about it. And there’s lots of last-minute fitting and flailing, just because.

Judging commenced, but that’s it for next week’s finale because (SHOCKER) Heidi et al. decided to let all four show their collections after all. Basically, they couldn’t bring themselves to cut pretty little Anya, but can she pull things around in time to bring the win back her way?

The Cut

September 22nd, 2011 by kpriss | Trends

StyleFrizz

The term “mullet” is rarely used in a positive light. Generally it conjures up images of bad haircuts, but this fashion week the mullet has a new life—and a chic one at that. The “mullet” skirt has been seen on runways from BCBG to Diane von Furstenberg to Jason Wu. The term is used to describe a skirt that is short in the front and long in the back. These skirts actually remind me more of Toulouse-Lautrec’s cancan dancers from France. Sounds much more elegant than a mullet, no?

Tory Burch, Spring 2012

Rag&Bone, Spring 2012

Jason Wu, Spring 2012

Diane von Furstenberg, Spring 2012

DKNY, Spring 2012

BCBG, Spring 2012

The Budget Fashionista

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Kristen Stewart, Emma Hill & Kate Moss at Mulberry’s SS12 show. Photo: Mulberry

It’s not that New York Fashion Week was boring, but in three days London’s already started to show us up.  This weekend’s biggest news was Mulberry‘s front row.  After throwing one of NYFW’s best parties—and opening a flagship store in Soho—Emma Hill and the gang headed home to stage a beach carnival themed runway show at Claridge’s on Sunday morning.  Hill snagged a handful of not-seen-everywhere starlets like Kristen Stewart (with newly long locks for her role as Snow White) and Hayley Atwell.  Kate Moss was there, too, in denim on denim, while Erin O’Connor blended into the animal-print background.

The collection itself was quite sporty, with the best rainwear we’ve seen so far, brightly colored bags and platform shoes, as well as the floor length tulle skirts that picked up speed in New York.  There were layered prints, sequins and—in case you thought pastel highlights had gone out of style—it looks like they’re here to stay.

Click through to see front row pics!

ELLE Dispatch

Hermès Scores Victory in Battle With LVMH (NY Times)
“Hermès won a major victory Thursday in its battle to torpedo a potential takeover by its larger rival LVMH after a court cleared the French luxury group’s plans to create a holding company that will lock in descendants of the founding family for 20 years.”

Ungaro Departure (Vogue UK)
“Giles Deacon has left his position as creative director of Emanuel Ungaro… Deacon’s successor at Ungaro has not yet been named, but he or she will be the sixth designer in as many years to take the helm of the brand – after high-profile departures by Giambattista Valli, Vincent Darré,  Peter Dundas, Esteban Cortazar and Estrella Archs.”

Luxury brands must wake up to ethical and environmental responsibilities (Guardian)
“While high street brands such as Gap and Primark have long been the target of anti-sweat shop campaigners, luxury brands from Armani to Valentino have largely managed to evade the ethical spotlight and have yet to be inconvenienced by reputation-damaging sweatshop scandals.”

For a Day, It’s All Good (NY Times)
“Wednesday was a double-bonus day with outstanding shows from Ralph Rucci and Proenza Schouler. The next morning, Ralph Lauren concocted one of his romances out of straw picnic purses and robin’s egg blue, ending it with a gown as triumphant as the Chrysler Building.”

Fashion bloggers to spur online luxury sales (Reuters)
“Fashion bloggers will help propel online sales of designer clothes, jewels and luxury cars to more than 11 billion euros ($ 15 billion) in 2015. The exclusive fashion world has embraced the Internet later than other industries but is catching up quickly… Blogs and social media are setting trends more than fashion critics, with one out of two customers turning to Facebook or Twitter for advice before buying, the study said.”

Read more here:
BoF Daily Digest | Hermès’ victory, Giles and Ungaro part ways, Responsible luxury, NYFW standouts, Social media drives sales

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Over the top is what Jeremy Scott is famous for. You just never know what to expect! This season Scott turned out a freckled, farm friendly faces rocking cheeky, questionable outfits. The collection was notably inspired by Elly May Clampett of The Beverly Hillbillies.

I simply adore the high waisted skirts and the striped denim. Definitely a blast from the past. In the 90′s I would have done anything for a pair of striped denim shorts. I completely dig Jeremy Scott! This collection was so fun.

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Denimology

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Written by Adele Booth
15.09.2011

There’s something endearingly optimistic about using such shades of blue in a fashion collection. These ones squark, tend to pierce and jar synapses; and used on silks with just orange and yellow for company can be a bit intimidating really. More than that in fact..together they make up CYAN- last seen on overly-enthusiastic school baking sale posters.

So you must applaud Rodarte‘s Mulleavy girls for bombing into this section of the colour wheel; flitting between detailed dresses and streamlined tunic/trouser combos (a New York S/S favourite), apparently imagining what Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora would do if she had to actually get up, multi-task a closet wardrobe, and had an aching penchant for Van Gogh works. You know, all the references you can really get on board with!

Fashion For Lunch

Written by Adele Booth
15.09.2011

Proenza Schouler‘s Spring/Summer offering could have been an average affair; I mean technically probably very interesting for critics (who knows), but for the fans who love Proenza Schouler’s extravagant modernism, we almost missed out this time. But then Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez- one of them at least- added bits of a chintzy Seventies Formica kitchen to their utility dresses and short suits, and all was well with the world again.

Fashion For Lunch