It is always with a mixture of trepidation and dread that I begin covering New York Fashion Week. Where's the joy, the excitement, you ask? Somewhere under a cheetah Yves Saint Laurent dress. On the heels of a lazy Labor Day and an August virtually devoid of a spike heel, comes mayhem that starts at 8 a.m and ends at 1 a.m. -- if you're behaved, that is. So, away go the blowy boho dresses and Grecian flats. Enter the perfectly fluid Dries, the sharp blazers, and the new tough shootie.
Between the meticulous outfit organizing, show scheduling, party planning, the caravaning to and fro and well, just plain ol' work, it's enough to drive a girl to drink. And thankfully, there are always plenty of cocktails to be had after hours--my personal favorites are the Peronis at the Tents. How else to endure the endless air kissing and hobnobbing with the fashion flock at its most narcissistic and self-important?
Anyway, enough grousing. Let's talk about the clothes. Newbie designer Prabal Gurung, who hails from Nepal, became the hot new thing last season after debuting a striking, beautifully tailored collection of razor sharp cocktail dresses. He garnered not only rave critical reviews, but A-list lookers Demi Moore and Rachel Weisz both stepped out in his frocks--on the same evening, too, if memory serves.
At his presentation on Thursday in Chelsea, Gurung served up the same mix of evening dresses, but infused the collection with some additional yet equally elegant separates like beautifully cut jackets and trousers. Inspired by the iconic cobalt, black and silver Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche eau de toilette bottle (my signature scent, imagine), the color palette was specific, so too was the tailoring. He loves a bow and a sculptural flourish.
Jason Wu, a designer who two seasons ago would merely have been characterized as up-and-coming has now officially arrived, and at the St. Regis, no less. Thank you, Michelle Obama. Her penchant for Wu's ladylike looks put his name on the proverbial fashion map and he's working hard to keep it. This time around, he skewed a touch younger and edgier with modern pieces like a romper and a relaxed pantsuit but in luxe fabrics. He punctuated the looks with sexy, hard Guiseppe Zanotti heels for some toughness. But the collection was still rich, rich, rich, and rife with cocktail dresses galore.
Lest you worry that this means next spring is a season for uber-feminine dressing, just wait. The tough chic look that's been kicking around for the last couple of seasons is still in high gear. Lesser designers who didn't get it the first or third time around are now espousing it, which means that this look will go on and on. Thankfully, there are some sure hands around that stick to what they know.
The boys over at Rag & Bone, David Neville, and Marcus Wainwright kept to their hip English roots. They are down with a menswear-inspired jacket for women, and so are we. Lots of pants, some thermal, scores of minis, and an overriding cool downtown vibe. Right on point.
Now am off to It-boy Alexander Wang's show. Backstage is likely to be a circus. Details tomorrow.