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Carolina Herrera
Inspired by real women, Carolina Herrera presented a ladylike collection of cowl-neck dresses, tweed caplets and gorgeous silk gowns.
The look: Effortlessly polished
Silhouette: Feminine and streamlined
Key items: Herrera created the ideal wardrobe for a woman, with classics such as a wool-felt coat dress, black cashmere turtleneck, mélange wool coat and a slim herringbone trouser. The caplet jackets, seen with pencil skirts and wool pants, had a relaxed sensibility, as did the mohair bouclé jacket with fox sleeves, and the sheared mink coat. For evening, Herrera showed an iridescent liquid-stripe bustier dress and a silk and wool organdy trench dress over a simple crepe blouse and skirt.
Colour: Understated neutrals of dark grey, black, cocoa, gunmetal and bone, with infusions of amethyst, rust, sapphire, turquoise, primrose, clay and red
Fabric & knit: Wool felt, flannel, velvet, mohair and cashmere, with luxurious mink, bouclé, jacquard, silk chiffon, fox fur and shiny organza
Print and pattern: Organic abstract prints of feathers and waterfalls
Details & trims: Architectural fold-over collars create cape-like shapes on trenches. Fur trims on boat-neck collars and wrists made coat dresses regal. Surprise gunmetal sparkle embellishment on shoulders, low backs and waistlines add a touch of sex appeal
Footwear: Manolo Blahnik for Carolina Herrera’s velvet two-toned Mary Janes
Accessories: Suede gauntlet gloves and velvet belts
Donna Karan
Graceful and confident, Donna Karan’s autumn/winter collection is entitled Pearls of Wisdom and is all about embracing a woman’s femininity with conviction.
The look: Urban sophisticate
Silhouette: Lean and architecturally draped and structured to the body
Key items: Chiffon and jersey blouses were worn with high-waisted tailored skirts or a bias-cut draped pant. Moleskin jackets and chiffon-edged tweed cardigans layer over double-knit jersey skirts and flowing satin skirts. Long-hair or shaved shearling coats with oversized portrait collars are strong and confident
Colour: The palette evokes the glow of pearls on the skin and includes ocean pearl, ice, face powder, blush, autumn haze, lunaraine and silver shadow
Fabric & knit: Iridescent chiffon, glossy silks, stretch viscose satin, wool jersey, felt, tweed, suede moleskin and mohair
rint & pattern: The collection consisted of completely monochromatic looks with no prints, just texture
Details & trims: Pearl and silver sequin embroidery
Footwear: High-heeled pumps and booties in polished calf, alligator, soft-grain calf and liquid satin
Accessories: Pearl and sequin embellished on head scarves and wraps, elbow-length suede gloves with shearling cuffs, slim belts, pearl necklaces, silk ribbed tights and plush shearling satchels
Chris Benz
Doing what he does best, Chris Benz gave a surge of energy to granny chic with a tonal colour story of pale golds, pinks, blues and yellows.
The look: Layered vintage cool
Silhouette: Slouchy and relaxed
Key items: With strong vintage references, Benz layered a washed-out floral chiffon dress with a fitted leather jacket and black sequined chiffon pants with a smoke-print shell and nude sequined-embellished blazer. Gold tapestry-print pants were styled with a matching zip-up cardigan and blush chiffon undershirt. For dressing up, a tiered ruffle dress was worn under a multi-sequined shrug, and a grey tweed skirt suit featured a feminine ruffle peplum and a fur collar
Colour: Gold, sunshine, lemon, raspberry, rust red, flat blue, black, navy, grey and camel
Fabric & knit: Metallic jacquards, felted wool, tweed, soft cotton, chiffon, satin and canvas
Print & pattern: Benz seamlessly mixes an array of prints including washed-out pink and blue plaid, gold tapestry prints, an abstract camouflage print and an eerie smoke-inspired print
Details & trims: Faux-fur trims on jackets and coats, bow ties on blouses, gold and black sequin embellishment, ribbon trims on smart jackets and cardigans, and utilitarian exposed black zippers
Footwear: Smoke-print booties, floral-print round-toe booties and basket-weave suede wedges
Accessories: Fishnets, ribbon belts, layered beads and felt witch hats
Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs likes to keep us guessing, and like those other great trend leaders - Miuccia Prada and Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga – he moves seamlessly from one mood to another, season after season. For autumn/winter 2011 he left behind the seminal flowing 70s looks he promoted for spring/summer and gave us strict, structured silhouettes with a sharp 40s/50s bent.
The look: Strictly retro with a futuristic twist
Silhouette: Angular, tailored and covered up
Key items: The emphasis was on shape and simplicity, with the slick below-knee pencil skirt and shell top worked in different manifestations of spots, plasticised discs like fishscales, paillettes and faux fur. Tailoring was sharply waisted, with strict tailleurs focusing on a rounded shoulder and padded hipline (a recurring theme in New York this week), often with rounded Peter Pan collars and contrast cuffs in cartoonish spotted faux furs. Dress shapes followed the rigorous formula, with high necklines, mini ruffles and long sleeves adding a demure ladylike look, while casually styled blouson jackets - maybe in shaggy faux furs with duffel closures - had a cocooning feel, topping cropped metallic jeans or full wide-legged pants. And for PM dressing, long A-line floor-sweeping skirts with strict flat-front blouses
Colour: The palette was as strict as the silhouette, playing a riff on rich winter darks such as inky midnight blue, teal, poison green, damson and black, shot with flashes of vivid red and a soft dusky amethyst
Fabric & knit: Jacobs expanded on the futuristic feel of the fabrics used for his last autumn/winter Louis Vuitton collection, with bonded moulded wools and tweeds helping create his rounded structured silhouettes. Plasticised finishes, space-age paillettes and metallic lamés added to the futuristic look creating matt-shine effects, with the more decorative appeal of faux furs, cloqués, satin, lace and flocking added into the mix
Print & pattern: Spots and more spots
Details & trims: Exaggerated Peter Pan collars, myriad small ruffles, rounded pockets at the hip
Footwear: Vampy high sandals, ¾ platform-heeled boots with striped platforms, laced ankle boots, heeled ski boots
Accessories: Pill-box hats, pouchy clutch bags, spotted hosiery and ankle socks, Gladstone-style bags, double-handle flat-bottom hand-held bags in leathers or patent
Theyskens’ Theory
Olivier Theyskens has found his niche at Theory, elevating the brand into hot designer status as he managed to chime an American sportswear vibe with those elusive casualwear looks that shout luxurious minimalism and upmarket dressing.
The look: Casual minimalism
Silhouette: Fluid and languid
Key items: Pants in every shape dominated, from sassy thigh-high hotpants to flared boot-cuts and full-legged pleat-front pants or tailored pantsuits. Aran-knit sweaters were bang on next season’s trend button, looking cool with frothy minis or floor-sweeping maxis. Outerwear too was a strong suit, with ankle-skimming coats or easy ¾ tie-belt silhouettes rendering a timeless appeal. Long shirt dresses were another strong item, confirming a trend seen elsewhere this week and looking quietly seductive in the finest Chantilly lace
Colour: A concise palette of shaded greys and black, with intense inky blue, espresso, olive and teal, as well as an electrifying flash of poppy red and the cool contrast of winter white
Fabric & knit: Luxe leathers, double-faced qualities, flannel, soft checks combined with the more decorative edge of fine lace, georgette sheers, velvet and panne and the casual grounding of marled jersey, denim and washed corduroy
Print & pattern: A faded abstracted scribble print worked on pale opaque grounds
Details & trims: A minimal collection, without detailing
Footwear: Over-the-knee boots, high platform courts, ankle-strap platforms
Accessories: Contrast velvet belts, chain-handled purse bags, leather belts
Zero + Maria Cornejo
With a heavy emphasis on leather this season, Maria Cornejo continued with her signature play on hard and soft contrasts, whether it was the textural interplay between leather and silk, or tailored silhouette versus blouson volume.
The look: Easy, wearable, covetable
Silhouette: Soft cocoon-shaped volume
Key items: Bias-cut silk dresses twisted around the body to create a soft volume, with leather pieces such as cap-sleeved tees, below-the-knee pencil skirts and skinny treggings hugging the body in contrast. Oversized cardigans in elongated proportions had an easy throw-on appeal, as did the drop-shouldered camel coat. Leather skirts and shorts featured a fold-over tab detail at the front, and leather jackets were collarless and zip-through. Outerwear highlights included a shaved shearling cape and minimal coat with detachable snood hood, and a long fly-fronted commuter coat with spliced leather sleeves. A deconstructed single-sleeved tuxedo arrived for evening, featuring a cutaway rever on one side and a bugle-beaded wide lapel on the other
Colour: Rich tan, classic camel, hints of old gold and warm sunshine yellow, ash and putty greys, black and white, single pops of electric blue and bright lipstick red
Fabric & knit: Vegetable-dyed leather, shorn shearling, fringed loop wool, ribbed knits, llama wool, geometric jacquard, printed silk, watery silks, gold lacquered tweed
Print & pattern: An overblown digital fur print, a photoreal bookshelf repeat, diffused degradé in burnt shades of yellow gold
Details & trims: Off-centre closures, contrast leather coat sleeves, feather trim at the bust of a silk dress
Footwear: Ankle or mid-calf length boots with wide top lines
Accessories: Snood hoods, satchels, a circular flat disc bag, a triangular pieced construction bag, hair and wire collar necklaces, hair fringe cuff
Thom Browne
The synergies between Thom Browne’s menswear and womenswear collections are clear this season, as the designer went all out for colour-clashing checks and proportional layering, while moulded ovoid and hourglass silhouettes exaggerated the female form.
The look: Hourglass ladies with a preppy twist
Silhouette: Sculpted ovoid and hourglass versus long, lean and layered
Key items: Signature cropped pants and short blazers in mismatched checks, worn with traditional shirts and ties and neat striped cardigans. Shrunken tailored jackets featured flared peplums and were layered over columnar button-through midi-length skirts. Cropped capes with gold military buttons or long A-line zip-through coats were outerwear highlights, while ovoid cocoon coats, hourglass-shaped zip-through dresses and puff-sleeved tops worn with moulded tulip skirts were playfully satirical
Colour: Trademark red, white, blue and green, with traditional camel, navy, grey and black
Fabric & knit: A plethora of plaid checks, brushed mohair, wool, flannel, fine wool suiting, slubby tweed, striped cotton shirting, PVC, broadtail and glossy beaver in natural brown and dyed stripes
Print & pattern: Sporty and collegiate stripes, colour clashing checks, Argyle diamonds
Details & trims: Red, white and blue ribbon-tape trims, exaggerated zip-up funnel necks, appliqué bows, beaver-fur collars and trims, gold military buttons, preppy contrast blazer trims
Footwear: Lace-up heeled brogues, classic Mary Janes
Accessories: Collegiate striped ties, formal handbags, ribbed hosiery, striped resin bangles, cable-knit legwarmers, hoods
Inspired by real women, Carolina Herrera presented a ladylike collection of cowl-neck dresses, tweed caplets and gorgeous silk gowns.
The look: Effortlessly polished
Silhouette: Feminine and streamlined
Key items: Herrera created the ideal wardrobe for a woman, with classics such as a wool-felt coat dress, black cashmere turtleneck, mélange wool coat and a slim herringbone trouser. The caplet jackets, seen with pencil skirts and wool pants, had a relaxed sensibility, as did the mohair bouclé jacket with fox sleeves, and the sheared mink coat. For evening, Herrera showed an iridescent liquid-stripe bustier dress and a silk and wool organdy trench dress over a simple crepe blouse and skirt.
Colour: Understated neutrals of dark grey, black, cocoa, gunmetal and bone, with infusions of amethyst, rust, sapphire, turquoise, primrose, clay and red
Fabric & knit: Wool felt, flannel, velvet, mohair and cashmere, with luxurious mink, bouclé, jacquard, silk chiffon, fox fur and shiny organza
Print and pattern: Organic abstract prints of feathers and waterfalls
Details & trims: Architectural fold-over collars create cape-like shapes on trenches. Fur trims on boat-neck collars and wrists made coat dresses regal. Surprise gunmetal sparkle embellishment on shoulders, low backs and waistlines add a touch of sex appeal
Footwear: Manolo Blahnik for Carolina Herrera’s velvet two-toned Mary Janes
Accessories: Suede gauntlet gloves and velvet belts
Donna Karan
Graceful and confident, Donna Karan’s autumn/winter collection is entitled Pearls of Wisdom and is all about embracing a woman’s femininity with conviction.
The look: Urban sophisticate
Silhouette: Lean and architecturally draped and structured to the body
Key items: Chiffon and jersey blouses were worn with high-waisted tailored skirts or a bias-cut draped pant. Moleskin jackets and chiffon-edged tweed cardigans layer over double-knit jersey skirts and flowing satin skirts. Long-hair or shaved shearling coats with oversized portrait collars are strong and confident
Colour: The palette evokes the glow of pearls on the skin and includes ocean pearl, ice, face powder, blush, autumn haze, lunaraine and silver shadow
Fabric & knit: Iridescent chiffon, glossy silks, stretch viscose satin, wool jersey, felt, tweed, suede moleskin and mohair
rint & pattern: The collection consisted of completely monochromatic looks with no prints, just texture
Details & trims: Pearl and silver sequin embroidery
Footwear: High-heeled pumps and booties in polished calf, alligator, soft-grain calf and liquid satin
Accessories: Pearl and sequin embellished on head scarves and wraps, elbow-length suede gloves with shearling cuffs, slim belts, pearl necklaces, silk ribbed tights and plush shearling satchels
Chris Benz
Doing what he does best, Chris Benz gave a surge of energy to granny chic with a tonal colour story of pale golds, pinks, blues and yellows.
The look: Layered vintage cool
Silhouette: Slouchy and relaxed
Key items: With strong vintage references, Benz layered a washed-out floral chiffon dress with a fitted leather jacket and black sequined chiffon pants with a smoke-print shell and nude sequined-embellished blazer. Gold tapestry-print pants were styled with a matching zip-up cardigan and blush chiffon undershirt. For dressing up, a tiered ruffle dress was worn under a multi-sequined shrug, and a grey tweed skirt suit featured a feminine ruffle peplum and a fur collar
Colour: Gold, sunshine, lemon, raspberry, rust red, flat blue, black, navy, grey and camel
Fabric & knit: Metallic jacquards, felted wool, tweed, soft cotton, chiffon, satin and canvas
Print & pattern: Benz seamlessly mixes an array of prints including washed-out pink and blue plaid, gold tapestry prints, an abstract camouflage print and an eerie smoke-inspired print
Details & trims: Faux-fur trims on jackets and coats, bow ties on blouses, gold and black sequin embellishment, ribbon trims on smart jackets and cardigans, and utilitarian exposed black zippers
Footwear: Smoke-print booties, floral-print round-toe booties and basket-weave suede wedges
Accessories: Fishnets, ribbon belts, layered beads and felt witch hats
Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs likes to keep us guessing, and like those other great trend leaders - Miuccia Prada and Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga – he moves seamlessly from one mood to another, season after season. For autumn/winter 2011 he left behind the seminal flowing 70s looks he promoted for spring/summer and gave us strict, structured silhouettes with a sharp 40s/50s bent.
The look: Strictly retro with a futuristic twist
Silhouette: Angular, tailored and covered up
Key items: The emphasis was on shape and simplicity, with the slick below-knee pencil skirt and shell top worked in different manifestations of spots, plasticised discs like fishscales, paillettes and faux fur. Tailoring was sharply waisted, with strict tailleurs focusing on a rounded shoulder and padded hipline (a recurring theme in New York this week), often with rounded Peter Pan collars and contrast cuffs in cartoonish spotted faux furs. Dress shapes followed the rigorous formula, with high necklines, mini ruffles and long sleeves adding a demure ladylike look, while casually styled blouson jackets - maybe in shaggy faux furs with duffel closures - had a cocooning feel, topping cropped metallic jeans or full wide-legged pants. And for PM dressing, long A-line floor-sweeping skirts with strict flat-front blouses
Colour: The palette was as strict as the silhouette, playing a riff on rich winter darks such as inky midnight blue, teal, poison green, damson and black, shot with flashes of vivid red and a soft dusky amethyst
Fabric & knit: Jacobs expanded on the futuristic feel of the fabrics used for his last autumn/winter Louis Vuitton collection, with bonded moulded wools and tweeds helping create his rounded structured silhouettes. Plasticised finishes, space-age paillettes and metallic lamés added to the futuristic look creating matt-shine effects, with the more decorative appeal of faux furs, cloqués, satin, lace and flocking added into the mix
Print & pattern: Spots and more spots
Details & trims: Exaggerated Peter Pan collars, myriad small ruffles, rounded pockets at the hip
Footwear: Vampy high sandals, ¾ platform-heeled boots with striped platforms, laced ankle boots, heeled ski boots
Accessories: Pill-box hats, pouchy clutch bags, spotted hosiery and ankle socks, Gladstone-style bags, double-handle flat-bottom hand-held bags in leathers or patent
Theyskens’ Theory
Olivier Theyskens has found his niche at Theory, elevating the brand into hot designer status as he managed to chime an American sportswear vibe with those elusive casualwear looks that shout luxurious minimalism and upmarket dressing.
The look: Casual minimalism
Silhouette: Fluid and languid
Key items: Pants in every shape dominated, from sassy thigh-high hotpants to flared boot-cuts and full-legged pleat-front pants or tailored pantsuits. Aran-knit sweaters were bang on next season’s trend button, looking cool with frothy minis or floor-sweeping maxis. Outerwear too was a strong suit, with ankle-skimming coats or easy ¾ tie-belt silhouettes rendering a timeless appeal. Long shirt dresses were another strong item, confirming a trend seen elsewhere this week and looking quietly seductive in the finest Chantilly lace
Colour: A concise palette of shaded greys and black, with intense inky blue, espresso, olive and teal, as well as an electrifying flash of poppy red and the cool contrast of winter white
Fabric & knit: Luxe leathers, double-faced qualities, flannel, soft checks combined with the more decorative edge of fine lace, georgette sheers, velvet and panne and the casual grounding of marled jersey, denim and washed corduroy
Print & pattern: A faded abstracted scribble print worked on pale opaque grounds
Details & trims: A minimal collection, without detailing
Footwear: Over-the-knee boots, high platform courts, ankle-strap platforms
Accessories: Contrast velvet belts, chain-handled purse bags, leather belts
Zero + Maria Cornejo
With a heavy emphasis on leather this season, Maria Cornejo continued with her signature play on hard and soft contrasts, whether it was the textural interplay between leather and silk, or tailored silhouette versus blouson volume.
The look: Easy, wearable, covetable
Silhouette: Soft cocoon-shaped volume
Key items: Bias-cut silk dresses twisted around the body to create a soft volume, with leather pieces such as cap-sleeved tees, below-the-knee pencil skirts and skinny treggings hugging the body in contrast. Oversized cardigans in elongated proportions had an easy throw-on appeal, as did the drop-shouldered camel coat. Leather skirts and shorts featured a fold-over tab detail at the front, and leather jackets were collarless and zip-through. Outerwear highlights included a shaved shearling cape and minimal coat with detachable snood hood, and a long fly-fronted commuter coat with spliced leather sleeves. A deconstructed single-sleeved tuxedo arrived for evening, featuring a cutaway rever on one side and a bugle-beaded wide lapel on the other
Colour: Rich tan, classic camel, hints of old gold and warm sunshine yellow, ash and putty greys, black and white, single pops of electric blue and bright lipstick red
Fabric & knit: Vegetable-dyed leather, shorn shearling, fringed loop wool, ribbed knits, llama wool, geometric jacquard, printed silk, watery silks, gold lacquered tweed
Print & pattern: An overblown digital fur print, a photoreal bookshelf repeat, diffused degradé in burnt shades of yellow gold
Details & trims: Off-centre closures, contrast leather coat sleeves, feather trim at the bust of a silk dress
Footwear: Ankle or mid-calf length boots with wide top lines
Accessories: Snood hoods, satchels, a circular flat disc bag, a triangular pieced construction bag, hair and wire collar necklaces, hair fringe cuff
Thom Browne
The synergies between Thom Browne’s menswear and womenswear collections are clear this season, as the designer went all out for colour-clashing checks and proportional layering, while moulded ovoid and hourglass silhouettes exaggerated the female form.
The look: Hourglass ladies with a preppy twist
Silhouette: Sculpted ovoid and hourglass versus long, lean and layered
Key items: Signature cropped pants and short blazers in mismatched checks, worn with traditional shirts and ties and neat striped cardigans. Shrunken tailored jackets featured flared peplums and were layered over columnar button-through midi-length skirts. Cropped capes with gold military buttons or long A-line zip-through coats were outerwear highlights, while ovoid cocoon coats, hourglass-shaped zip-through dresses and puff-sleeved tops worn with moulded tulip skirts were playfully satirical
Colour: Trademark red, white, blue and green, with traditional camel, navy, grey and black
Fabric & knit: A plethora of plaid checks, brushed mohair, wool, flannel, fine wool suiting, slubby tweed, striped cotton shirting, PVC, broadtail and glossy beaver in natural brown and dyed stripes
Print & pattern: Sporty and collegiate stripes, colour clashing checks, Argyle diamonds
Details & trims: Red, white and blue ribbon-tape trims, exaggerated zip-up funnel necks, appliqué bows, beaver-fur collars and trims, gold military buttons, preppy contrast blazer trims
Footwear: Lace-up heeled brogues, classic Mary Janes
Accessories: Collegiate striped ties, formal handbags, ribbed hosiery, striped resin bangles, cable-knit legwarmers, hoods
