(So called) Notes From New York Fashion Week 2008

The fashion week season is back on full swing once more. As retailers are busy selling their must have fall/winter bags, shoes, and furs to the fashion hungry crowd, fashionistas and fashion medias from around the world are all busy hounding the tents of Bryant Park. The reason? It is the much anticipated unveiling of what’s hot for upcoming spring/summer.

Brimming with grandeur as ever, this year’s New York Fashion Week (now known as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York) has a little bit of political humour inside its promotional campaign.

Seen on its official website were images of cute badges screaming ‘vote for fashion’. But whatever it is, looks like there has been a continuous dry spell on the fashion world with recurrence of same old stuff that we saw last year.

BCBG Max Azria

Kicking off the fashion week last two weeks was Max Azria with his fashion brainchild BCBG. Revelling in chic innovation and healthy dose of femininity, the spring/summer collection is all about expressing a woman’s desire and passion.

Unafraid to flaunt her sexuality and sensuality, Azria incorporates meticulous sculpting and draping techniques into most of the dresses, evoking the timeless spirit of Olympian goddesses.

Fine ruches and knots aside, the collection is doused in plethora of colours starting from the earthy tones of copper and brown to the most electrifying of all (think hot orange).

Besides the sexy dresses that I bet will top every discerning BCBG fans’ list this upcoming spring and summer, one more thing one should watch out from BCBG would definitely be the footwear. Retaining the mood of gladiator sandals, they are the perfect match for Azria’s sexy and sensual nuances and drapery.

DKNY

Moving on to DKNY. Being a New Yorker heart and soul, celebrated American designer Donna Karan has always incorporated the vibrations and lively mood of her hometown, a city that never sleeps. Graphic is the best word to describe the entire ready-to-wear collection.

For her, the silhouettes are young and fresh with lots of graphic prints and vintage images (as in vintage t-shirts) in bold colours are thrown in. Dominating the working colour palette for Karan’s diffusion line next spring/summer are the classic contrasting hues of dark blue (close to indigo) and yellow.

In the men’s selection, the styles are likely to be recurrence of what we have seen in store for this autumn/winter. Smartly tailored suits sports modern and urban elegance, as well as buttery soft leather jackets are paired with simple t-shirts in subtle graphic prints.

Also predicted to make a possible comeback into your spring/summer wardrobe next season is no other than the skinny ties in solid plain colours. So if you had thrown them away then don’t worry, you can get them at DKNY soon!

Diane Von Furstenberg

At Diane Von Furstenberg show, besides being attended by all the stars you could think of and making beelines to have their photos snapped together with Diane, the other attraction also lies on her spring garden-inspired collection.

And if there is a sequel to Sex and the City the Movie next year, I could easily imagine that there will be one scene where Carrie Bradshaw, now living inside a luxurious penthouse overseeing Manhattan, would raid everything inside her store with just one plastic swipe!

Laidback and resort-inclined, the collection saw von Furstenberg brought back the Victorian art of Damask into the collection. This can be seen on one of the mini dresses bearing cool black and white prints of fluttering butterflies.

Apart from layers of soft chiffon swathed with colourful prints that are one world away from her last season “island vacation” theme, von Furstenberg also played with jewel tones and lots of draping. After all, spring/summer is always the right time to experiment with new looks.

Halston

Looks like renowned entertainment mogul Harvey Weinstein’s effort in reviving Halston from its hundred years sleep has paid off handsomely.

After creating success with its sell-out and pricey (approx. £4000 for a jersey long dress!) autumn/winter ready-to-wear collection, the legendary label shot to fame for Jackie O’s pillbox hat is back with a second round. Still retaining Halston’s aesthetics by ditching all the glitters and extravagant prints, the collection is all about simplicity chic.

Sophisticated and charming, the spring/summer collection is drenched in exciting yet pulsating hues with lots of body-accentuating silhouettes.
From sleeveless jumpsuit with strapless balloon bodice in silky aubergine to 70’s-inspired caftan in traffic stopping orange with dangerously plunging neckline, Marco Zannini once again took the fashion critics’ breathe away. Sadly, news has it that Marco was recently sacked from Halston and this is his last offering to both his and late Halston fans.

Herve Leger by Max Azria

When I first heard of bandage dress and bodycon, I almost burst into laughter thinking it to be a bunch of bandages wrapped around your body as a dress.

Well, those were days before the name Herve Leger being inducted into my fashion lexicon black book and bodycon stands for body conscious and not a Japanese anime or perhaps body convention (gasp!). But now things have changed and Max Azria’s decision to buy and revive the legendary fashion brand has produced fruitful return.

Like Halston, Azria also retained the aesthetics of Leger designs, which always flatters a woman’s body. For spring/summer, boldness rules Herve Leger catwalk and everything is made to accentuate that sexy curves of yours.

While metallic jacket and striped dress on the first quarter of the show seemed normal, all thumbs go up for the sexy bandage dresses with curve-flaunting silhouettes, and gorgeous swimwear and eveningwear with sizzling graphic cutouts at strategic places.

Marc Jacobs

Overheard from a friend: “There is only one reason why I am going to the fashion week and that would be Marc Jacobs!”

Oh dear, Marc Jacobs’s vibe is so infectious. Be it Louis Vuitton or his labels (Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, bla … bla … bla …), nobody wants to miss them for the world and if necessary, they are willing to part their limbs from the body. God, I wish I knew his secret!

For the next spring/summer, Marc drew his influence from the wardrobe of classic fictional governess by the name of Mary Poppins but with a given twist. Instead of seeing models parading long gowns with extensive ruched trains and holding parasol, Marc’s version is all about edginess.

Hot on the runway is that Mary Poppins’ hat, checked sleeveless shirts worn with waist corset, embroidered (or brocade) pencil skirts, one-shoulder dress with ruffled tiered hem, and off-shoulder dress with chain-belt details. Oh, don’t forget those delicious array of bags as well!

Victoria Beckham

The word ‘stop’ never exists in Mrs. Beckham dictionary. After driving her Japanese fans fashionably insane with her handbag line for Samantha Thavasa, and retro-inspired sunglasses range under her DVB label, Victoria is marching one step further with a full clothing line.

Best described as the ‘spitting image of her style’, Victoria Beckham clothing line is more of couture than mass-market. Inspired by, what else, her celebrated personal style, the dresses and ensembles are tightly cinched to the waist and accentuates your body shape. And there are no pants or suits at all. Drenched in monotonous colours of black and off-white, the x-ray print reminds me of Versace Resort 2008, more or less.

While the black pencil skirt and white shirt ensemble is hers truly, the entire collection could be best considered as safe. And of course, as the whole world knows, whatever that bears the name Victoria Beckham on it, would always sell. So paging my sisters at Maizen, TriBeCa, Aseana, and Lush Icon … bring Victoria in and start gold digging!

The spring/summer 2009 collection by designers mentioned above will be available at their respective stores and selected multi-brand retailers/departmental stores starting early next year. Halston collection is available at Net-a-Porter.com.

*Photos by Marcio Madeira for Style.com/VOGUE

BCBG Max Azria – Second Floor, Couture Pavilion, Pavilion KL, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur

DKNY – First Floor, Pavilion KL, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100, Kuala Lumpur; Adorn Floor, Starhill Gallery, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur; First Floor, Isetan KLCC, Jalan Ampang, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.

Diane Von Furstenberg at TriBeCa – First Floor, Suria KLCC, Jalan Ampang, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.

Herve Leger at Aseana – Ground Floor, Melium Galleria, Suria KLCC, Jalan Ampang, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.

Marc Jacobs – Ground Floor, Suria KLCC, Jalan Ampang, 50088 Kuala Lumpur