Preen, already one of Britain’s hippest labels, has made its way to New York. The duo behind the label, Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi, started designing in 1996, and now, more than a decade later, American fashion enthusiasts are learning one of Britain’s best-kept secrets.
Preen’s main line is strong yet feminine, and of course effortlessly cool. The hot pink column dress exudes confidence in both its bright color and daring silhouette. It’s a perfect fit for a stylish night out in any city. The taupe pleated dress, slightly different in structure and entirely different in color, has the same powerful effect. In 2008, the pair launched a more affordable diffusion line, Preen Line. The pieces are available at www.net-a-porter.com. This line is young and fun with its accessible and flexible cotton dresses, but keeps the same British elegance as the high-end line. .
Based in downtown Manhattan, up-and-coming label Dolce Vita is already gaining notoriety: cast members of Sex and the City and Gossip Girl have been spotted wearing the company’s pieces, they have been featured in Lucky Magazine and on Vogue.com, and the store was featured on an episode of What Not To Wear.
Dolce Vita’s dresses are available at shopbop.com, and can go almost anywhere at almost anytime: night or day, work or play, New York or L.A.. The designs are girly without being too soft and hip without trying too hard. Dolce Vita’s gracefully chic looks are perfect for the nonchalant yet discerning consumer.
Jason Wu is stepping out of his comfort zone – and the modern woman loves him for it. Wu’s RTW Spring 2010 retains the same accessible elegance that launched his career, but his new line adds a touch of drama and whimsy to his typical sportswear sensibility. From a swinging belted skirt to a plunging neckline of purple and pink swirling designs, the day dresses in the collection are wearable and current. Wu told Style.com that he “wants to keep challenging himself technically,” and the collection shows that his customers are reaping the benefits of his hard work.
Narciso Rodriguez stepped back from his usual structured and molded forms to more relaxed silhouettes in his RTW Spring 2010 collection. The highlights of the show were Rodriguez’s final three pieces. The three dresses were short in front, billowy and long in back, and truly epitomized classic evening women’s wear with a modern twist. The runway was full of energy as the fabulous looks cascaded around the tents at Bryant Park. The effect was a line that anyone from Courtney Love to Anna Wintour could look fabulous in, both of whom sat in the front row for the show.
Rebecca Taylor and her label are the epitome of femininity. Her ability to continuously make floral prints, ruffles, and girlish silhouettes look modern and city girl friendly is what keeps her a favorite amongst trendy women of any age. In her RTW Fall 2009 collection, Taylor incorporated all of her usual favorites and added a few embellishments, like leopard prints and jewels, to make the line what Taylor says is “just about what women want to wear right now”. Her fall collection was on holiday wish lists all over the country, but for those of us who did not receive everything we asked for, there are many online retailers who carry Rebecca Taylor’s Fall Collection.
The Yigal Azrouël RTW Spring 2010 collection combined signature Yigal knits, like the oversized parka and the tailored zipper jacket, and new elements he describes as “slashed with scalpel precision”. The garments look as though they had been attacked with a pair of scissors and yet the harshness of the geometric cuts are softened with the light material and neutral colors. Eruptions of bright hews came down the runway ever so often, but overall, the collection remained neutral with black, white, tan, and grey. After the show, Yigal explained, “The collection is more feminine than before but also has a strong masculine way. It’s how I see women this season, more strong, but feminine, architectural.”
KNOT IT, BELT IT, PIN IT, WRAP IT, DRAPE IT – the slogan for the new DKNY Cozy puts it simply for a sweater whose options are never ending. The Cozy is stylish and refined for the modern woman at any age attending any occasion. The Cozy comes in a number of colors and different fabrics that range from the simplicity of a classic black or white to the lively hews of hot pink and fire red, and from the lightness of linen to the soft warmth of cashmere with every weight of fabric in between.
With over a dozen different ways to wear the Cozy, DKNY has recently launched an iPhone application that features twelve short videos to show you how to fashion your sweater with the push of a button. It is your own personal fashion stylist that goes everywhere with you. You can leave for work wearing the Cozy one way and with the help of your cell phone or iPod, you can go out afterwards for drinks with a whole other sleek look. The hi-definition, well constructed, easy to understand, and forward thinking instructional videos are sure to be copied by many more designers in the future, but for now, we can thank DKNY for this chic wardrobe solution.
Who needs another little black dress when you can wow a crowd with one of Mara Hoffman’s jaw dropping silk print designs? With a style that can only be attributed to Hoffman, every dress that came down the runway this past New York Fashion Week in her RTW Spring 2010 collection was flirty, energetic, and original. The draping, braiding, and twisting techniques she used only serves to further accentuate a woman’s body in all the right ways. From Los Angeles to New York, her looks have been worn by Kate Hudson, Naomi Campbell, and the women of Sex in the City. The youthful vibe, the bright colors, and the fantastical prints make Mara Hoffman’s dresses the ones to watch for in the upcoming spring and summer seasons.
A day before Marc Jacobs revealed his RTW Spring 2010 collection, he said, “It’s not just about selling clothes, it’s about giving people things to dream and romanticize about.” He did just that with his fearless attempt to combine elements and styles that many would say are unimaginable together. New York Girl Style covered this past New York Fashion Week and the Marc Jacobs show was one of our favorites. The models, with their tight ballerina buns and Kabuki styled make-up, glided down the runway with each look more daring than the one that preceded it. The show started with a raincoat and quickly transgressed to layers and layers of chiffon, brocade, cutouts, satin lingerie as outerwear, pearls, pearls, and pearls, and an omnipresence of ruffles. Marc Jacobs succeeded in giving us something to dream about, what he could possibly come up with next.
And another preview that we attended: Tommy Hilfiger invited us to take a closer look at the new spring/summer 2010 collection. We were totally captured by the pastel and safari colorscheme that gave us an instant summer feeling.
The styles carried the typical, uncomplicated Hilfiger signature. American understatement style meets global Jet-Set. The pastel colors and art-deco handbags reminded me of chic ancient times. Pleasant beige and khaki colored shirtdresses took us on a mind-safari. Some of these pieces will definetely join me for some nice sunny days out.
Safari colors and the (literally) BIG trend - male watches
Red Carpet Ready Soft summer pastel
     
     
      
     
     
    
    
Red Carpet Ready Soft summer pastel
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