In New York the dance world was a strong inspiration in several collection. Designer Mariella Burani carried the theme into her Spring/Summer collection. The emphasis this season was on the ballet ‘Swan Lake’. The result is a collection that produced a series of unique and couture quality looks. The color palette for the collection is very muted and very simple, a key theme for the ballet inspiration. The heart of the collection is then focused on the quality of the design and the overly structure of the looks. Burani only showed a handful of print looks in the collection. One of the strongest prints is a ‘pond of swans’ two-tone print. One of the standout looks in the first section was the print on a white silk taffeta mandarin collar jacket. The jacket is worn with a mauve chiffon button-front top with embroidery detail on the bottom of the shirt. To finish the look is mauve silk taffeta mini skirt, synched on the sides to create a layered look. Another great print look is the strapless printed silk dress with a bubble hem. The cascading wisteria print on the bodice of the dress is embroidered and detailed with beading. A crowning achievement for the collection!

Post show everyone is still muttering the couture quality of the collection. With a lot of couture fabrics throughout the collection, layered in several dresses and embroidered and detail beading on tops. In the second section and evening section Burani showed a series of standout soft tops embroidered and beaded with floral and architecture design. One of the standout pieces was a sheer cream organza sleeveless top with embroidered floral design on front and back. The top is worn with a short mauve chiffon skirt. The chiffon is layered in a vertical ruffle with clusters of crystal beading as flower sepal. Another strong look is the pleated black chiffon cape dress. The bodice of the dress is beaded in a architecture design.

This being Mariella Burani second Amuleti J collection, it is evident that she has the ability to create and construct outside of the box. Some editors post show commented and argued that he certainly is falling outside of the design element you will find in Milan. While his roots are in Milan, the quality and vision that Mariella Burani inhabits and produces really belongs in Paris. The outerwear pieces through out the collection were also another strong statement in the collection. One of the must have pieces form the collection is the kimono style cream silk jacket. The length of the jacket is cropped and the sleeves are embroidered with a floral design. Another must have piece from the collection is one of the numerous standout tops from the collection. A long-sleeve cream silk chiffon collared blouse. The shoulders of the blouse are open with a large drape in the shape of flower over on shoulder. The look is finished with a pair of cream tuxedo pant; one pant leg is silk crepe while the other is silk brocade. Overall the collection is a parade of pieces and looks that are of museum quality and yet can be worn everyday or every night. Bravo Madame Burani!

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Sometime the theme of the collection is not so evident, designer Valentin Yudashkin obvious inspiration for Spring/Summer is a youthful woman with emphasis on a little sophistication in the design. Her focus on a younger more sophisticated woman is evident in his key piece for the collection, the little black dress. A trend that is slowly picking up in Milan fresh from the shores of Australia Fashion Week. One of the standout looks in the opening section is a printed black silk chiffon dress with the seams of the dress detailed with a black chiffon ruffle. Yudashkin opened the collection with a dark palette of black but added some of this seasons big trends of beading, embroidery and ruffles. Another standout look in the opening section was a black silk chiffon skirt printed with a floral and butterfly print and detailed with beading. The hem of the skirt plated and finished with a bubble hem.

While Yudashkin played with some of this season new trends he also repeated some from last season. He continues to show a skinny leg pant but she made sure to give her clients varied length from piece to piece, from the mini cocktail dress to the floor length evening gown. Another highlight to the collection was the large number of prints in the collection. For evening she showed a handful of printed silk gowns. The standout gown is a printed black silk halter-top floor length gown. The silk is printed with a floral and butterfly print and Yudashkin subtly beaded the print to give it a slight sparkle for evening. Valentin seemed to be keeping the flash and pomp down in the collection but he did have a few pieces that were very showy and eye catching. In the third section one cocktail dress really went beyond the restraint. The result a beautiful sequin cocktail dress, a two-tone silk crepe shell of pale nude and dusty rose covered in clear sequins. The neckline and straps of the dress is finished with a strip of crystal-beaded flowers. A great couture style piece and dress you can easily wear more than once. All of his cocktail dresses are really young and playful with an accent of sophistication, a powerful look for women of any age.

Combinations, the strongest statement taken from the collection. Mixing and matching pieces like long flowey tops and dresses worn over denim pants. Yudashkin really understands that women today need validation for the 20-30 pairs of jeans they have in their closet. One of the must have looks from the collection is one of these looks. A pale blue silk and ecru chiffon wrap dress worn over a pair of denim pats. On the other side of the spectrum of the collection is another must have look. A pale cream trench coat worn with a pale cream silk chiffon summer dress with a soft flora print on the chiffon. The hem of the dress is finished with a small channel ruffle. Both looks really stand for the collection that Yudashkin created a young everyday and every night collection. The options are endless and the classics were just paraded down the runway. Valentin’s detailed eye for the woman today is evident in this collection. Bravo Monsieur Yudashkin!

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One of the continuing trends season after season is fashion rewind. Last season designer Frida Giannini rewind the fashion clock at Gucci to the 70’s and this season she rolled back to the 60’s. The look and inspiration is a very monochromatic color palette with shocks of reds, purples, and silver here and there. Giannini’s focus in terms of inspiration this season is the prints used on several looks. While she kept to a skinny leg pant this season she did show a lot of short length dresses. One of the standout pieces in the opening section is one of the bold prints she used throughout the opening section. The key to this dress is the color combination, mixing red with burgundy and purple. The dress length is short and finished with a belt around the torso.

Most of the editors were raving about these bold color pieces and looks post-show. While I loved the color in the first section, one section I think will be overlooked by editors is the 60’s geometric print looks. The prints were a combination of a honeycomb design and geometric fan shapes. One of the standout looks in this section is mini a-line dress. The dress incorporates both prints, the fan print use for the bust line of the dress and the honeycomb print for the high waist skirt section. For evening Giannini goes long showing a series of floor length gowns. One of the standout looks in the evening section is a reworked classic paisley Gucci print on black silk. The dress has a full skirt and halter-top neckline. The dress is finished with bands of purple and red around the halter and waistline.

There were two must have looks from this collection. First is one of the 60’s geometric print looks. A classic a-line mini dress with a honeycomb design done in metallic silver. The other must have piece from the collection is one of Giannini’s leather jackets. The jacket is black suede with a black snakeskin detailing the jacket. The snakeskin is used to create a 60’s architecture line design on the bodice and sleeves. The jacket is tailored close to the waist and pinned with one of Giannini’s wide belts in purple. For her junior collection Gucci, Frida Giannini returned to the dark and masculine womenswear of the Tom Ford days but she adds her take on the Gucci woman. The key pieces to the collection are Frida’s print dresses and gowns. Her ability to re-master prints from the Gucci archives is amazing. Friday is proving to be the right fit for the house of Gucci. Not since Ford has the brand had such great understanding of the brand the look the customer depends on. Bravo Madame Giannini!

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For Spring/Summer 2007 designer Anna Molinari keeps her collection very young and very feminine, a classic theme for Molinari. While Molinari plays with a lot of last seasons big trends, the ruffle. She gave the trend a new life by giving it a new color palette. In the opening section one of the standout looks was a pale cream satin finish silk taffeta skirt. The skirt is trimmed with ruffles and drapes of ruffles around the waist and front of the skirt. The look is finished with pale cream silk taffeta long sleeve dress shirt. This look was a crowning moment in the opening of the collection, another trend that Molinari continued to use was the skinny leg pant.

In the second section Molinari focused on the detailing on several dresses. The detailing ranged from synching to embroider adding more movements and effects to each look. One of the standout looks in this section was a cream silk velvet dress. The waist and skirt of the dress is synched velvet and the velvet is draped below the breast line and up to the shoulder of the dress. To finish the dress Molinari use a pale taupe bustier and to finish the shoulder she used pale taupe chiffon. The hem of the dress is finished with frayed white chiffon that looks like feathers. Another great synched look in the second section is cream silk satin cocktail dress with the sides of the dress synched. The hem of the dress is finished with a tier of ruffled taupe silk chiffon over a tier of frayed silk cream chiffon.

The must have pieces from the collection are two of Molinari’s evening looks. First is the black silk chiffon cocktail dress; the dress is covered with a embroidered vine and flower design in black. The embroidery is detailed with appliqués giving the design a 3-D effect. The look finished with a cropped jacket made up of black silk taffeta rosettes. The other must have look from the collection is another Molinari’s rosette looks. An a-line dress covered with taupe silk crepe rosettes worn with a matching cropped jacket covered in matching rosettes. While the color pallet is very toned down, a lot of whites, taupe’s and creams. The overall look of the collection is soft and feminine and the absence of metallic and bold color was actually a breathe of fresh air this season. The result is a standout collection in a season of prints and color. Bravo Madame Molinari!

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Designer Angelo Marani’s theme this season was more glitz, more color and more glam. Marani also took a lot of inspiration from the 70’s using gold lame and leopard and tiger prints, a trend that we are seeing very often in NY and London. One of the strongest trends that Marani took to heart this season were prints. The playful theme of his prints this season is games, from crossword puzzles to card games. One of the standout looks in the opening section was a cards and joker print on pale green silk dress. To finish off the look Marani showed a gray wool jacket with a metallic weave in the fabric. The jacket is tightly tailored with a square off shoulder. Another great piece from the opening section is a crossword puzzle print on silk chiffon blouse. The neckline of the blouse is finished with a band of yellow/gold sequins and the sleeves are draped with a wide opening. The look is finished with a pair of the skinny leg pants that Marani used through out the collection. I would like to have seen more looser fit pants.

In the second section turned up his use of prints and started to add more beading and more sheer fabrics. One of the standout pieces from this section is a black sheer organdy top draped over one shoulder. The top the playing cards and joker print is silk-screened onto the organdy and beading is used to detail the print and on the trim of the piece. The look is finished with one of this seasons big trends the mini skirt. Marani continued to use this print and beading into the evening section. One of the standout pieces was a floor length gown with a plunging v-neckline. The beading trims the neckline and straps of the gown.

The must have pieces form the collection are actually two animal print looks. First is the black silk chiffon blouse with a cheetah print done in gold. While I have frowned on the whole cheetah and leopard prints this season. These pieces just proved to me you could really make a cheetah print sexy and classy. The other must have piece is floor length over one should gown of black silk organdy. The organdy is has a tiger print design on the fabric. The print is a combination of gold and black paint and gold sequins. Color, color, color, lots of colors in this collection! The mixing and matching of color is very careful, although I found there to be too many gold pieces in the collection. One of the over the top pieces throughout the collection were the gold leggings. The shape seems to be all over the place, from loosely tailored dresses and tops to skinny leg pants and mini skirts. Although Marani did keep true to his sexy shape and detailing he kept true to the fundamental look of Milan Fashion Week. Bravo Monsieur Marani!

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Sitting at the G.V.G.V. show was like being at Valentino collection in Paris. Designer MUG’s vision and skill is very close to the man who has defined refined clothing for over 40 years. For Spring/Summer MUG adopted everything Valentino from the red lips to the feminine silhouettes accented by layers of ruffles. In opening section there were several 70’s halter-top inspired looks with a ruffle trim. Then all of a sudden he switched to a series of 50’s gamine dresses and then to an 80’s blue leather matching jacket and skirt look. One of this season growing trends appeared in a handful of pieces, lace, which MUG really created several feminine looks. One of the best looks was a floor length lace and chiffon gown. The top of the gown is off the shoulder and a single layer of ruffled lace. Reminds me of the 70’s prom dresses seen in “Footloose”. Another great trend that MUG played with was prints. He showed a series of floral printed crepe summer dresses. One dress that really stood out was navy blue floral print crepe dress with a burgundy floral print on chiffon used as a ruffle trim around the halter-top and the hem of dress.

In the second section MUG played with a tailoring in his looks along with trends of ruffles and the bubble. One of the most striking pieces in this section was a gray moiré dress that is tailored with a masculine silhouette with feminine accents. MUG trimmed the shoulders of the dress and strip on top of the hip with ruffles. The ruffle is done in gray moiré and lined with a floral printed silk. This look along was a crowning moment for MUG. His level of tailoring and constraint is evident in this piece. A stunning piece! A great accessory idea from the collection is all the little red or gold heart pendants. Reminds me of the little ceramics hearts that used to be sent with the “Care Bear” dolls during the 80’s.

The must have piece from the collection is one of MUG’s lace looks. A white lace dress with a fanned lace used on the bodice of the dress and two tiers of ruffles cascading from the waist. The top is worn with a two layer skirt of cream linen over a layer of white chiffon. One of the great things about this collection is that MUG exhibits a lot restraint in his creative process. Giving each look just enough but not too little. Bravo Monsieur MUG!

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For Spring/Summer designer Aksu looks to Paris couture for inspiration, everything from Safari to Fairies and even ‘Blade Runner’. The emphasis this season is on a shorter look that is built with structure. This focus can easily fall towards a modern and minimal look, but Aksu steered away from that path. The opening section was a play on the safari look with a focus on a lighter and shorter look. The results are some of the best pieces from London fashion week. In the opening section the standout pieces were the outerwear pieces. One the best pieces were a white canvas safari jacket that cropped above the waist. The jacket lapels are wide and drape over the shoulder. Detailing the jacket he used the shell of a Converse high top as the opening of the jacket. Another great look from the opening section another piece that incorporated Aksu’s Converse shell. The dress is a white sheer chiffon tank dress with Converse shell used on the front of the dress and the laces are crisscrossed in the front.

In the second section played a little with the deconstruction design that many Parisian designers have mastered. One of the standout pieces in this section is a sleeveless leather jacket that has been built with single straps for the collar and bodice of the jacket. The waistline of the jacket is a leather corset that connects the bodice of the jacket. Moving into the evening section Aksu started add some color to the collection with some rosy reds, purples and burgundy’s. One of the standout looks in the evening section is knee length cocktail dress. The dress is made up of a muted purple silk satin shell draped with dark burgundy and blood red silk crepe on either side of the dress. The straps and below the neckline are detailed with beading.

The two must have pieces from the collection are from the closing and second collection. First is the white silk organdy jacket with a band of silk taffeta hemming the sleeve and hem of the jacket. The collar and opening of the jacket are lined with the cream taffeta and the collar drapes down to the hem of the jacket. The other must have look is one of Aksu’s beaded evening dresses. The dress is a silk knit shell that is layered with strands of braids around waist. The skirt of the dress is embellished with silver and gray beading. The absence of a strong evening section was felt by many editors but he showed several strong pieces through out the collection. You can easily pick and choose from the entire collection. By the end of the show the Converse shells seamed to be over used. I was really moved by Aksu’s ability to craft and build each look. The lacking part of this collection is structure of the whole look Bora Aksu is trying to convey on the runway.

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Designer Hamish Morrow’s color palette for Spring/Summer is very dark and very earthy. The focus and inspiration is the Japanese shape and structure. The opening section was a series of pale burgundy and brown looks. The shape in the opening section is very short and emphasis on a plunging or open neckline. Unfortunately this combination of short and bare really gave the looks a knock down on the taste level. In the second section Morrow started to really play with outerwear and the masculine look. One of the standout pieces in the second section is a matching skirt suit. The jacket is collarless and has a skinny arm fit and the opening is clean with no detailing. The font of the matching skirt detailed with fabric draped and overlapped creating a large ruffle shape on the front. Another strong look from the second section is one of the few lace pieces I n this collection. While most of the collection is very minimal and modern, Morrow showed a few very delicate lace pieces in the collection. The standout piece is the burgundy floral lace top with a bubble shape shoulder and the lace is detailed with beading and purple satin ribbon.

The must have pieces from the collection are two outerwear pieces from the collection, Morrow showed several strong outerwear pieces, these two really defined the statement and look that Hamish was creating for Spring/Summer. The first must have piece is cream color collarless jacket with detailed ribbing that really gives the jacket a safari look. A strip of fabric is used to pull up the sleeves. The other must have piece is a olive/brown jacket. The jacket is constructed with several drapes of fabric run from sleeve to sleeve around the collar of the jacket. The draped fabric then runs down the front of the jacket. What is really out there in this collection is Morrow’s venture into the modern world of structured design. One of the highlights of this collection is there are certainly some strong outerwear pieces in the collection. Unfortunately I would like to have seen more adventure or risk in the collection outside of the lace pieces.

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Harlequins and Gymnastics were the inspiration but it’s the playful prints and soft pieces that really jumped around at Tata Naka. While twin sisters Tamara & Natasha Surguladze focus was on geometric shapes of the harlequin costumes in the opening section. What is more distracting is the simplicity of the design and construction. In the second section Tamara & Natasha started to really breakaway from the opening look and start adding more playful prints and started to soften the design of the looks to tone down the bold prints. One of the standout looks in the opening section is a black and white prints knee length dress with short bell-shape sleeves. The neckline of the dress wide and scooped, the wide neckline really compliments the print. Another great wide-neckline look was the rhythmic gymnast print dress with a geometric aqua print sleeves. The look is finished a pair of geometric aqua print leggings.

In the second section Surguladze sisters started to use more prints and showed sever all prints looks. The prints are creative; several of the all print looks were just too loud. There were two real standout looks in the second section. First is the aqua geometric print on silk chiffon halter strap summer dress. The dress is finished with a pair white baby shorts and aqua knee-high stockings. The other look is a standing gymnast print on white silk satin sleeveless dress. The look finished with a white crepe jacket with tiers of ruffles and white embroidery detailing the sleeves and bodice. As the second section progressed the looks became more soft and flow-y. This lightness was focused on the tops and outerwear. From the short sleeve tops finished with ruffles to the printed bubble shape shoulder jackets.

For the third section Natasha & Tamara transitioned the fabrics from bold printed fabrics to couture fabrics with very matte design and colors. From the crisp white organza to the delicates laces and silk satins. One of the strongest looks in this section is a gray silk jersey top with white organza long sleeves with embroidery detail on the outside of the sleeve. The look is finished with an orange print pleated taffeta mini-skirt and a park of the aqua geometric print leggings. Another great look from this section uses the standing gymnast print on both the jacket and dress. The dress is a white organza shell with tiered lace spaced down the dress and the print used for the bust line. The print is used for the bodice of the jacket while the sleeves are white organza with lace ruffle finishing off the short sleeve and a lace panel draped over the shoulder.

For evening the sisters loosened the shape of the looks. Two of the must have looks from the collection. First is the white organza A-line baby doll dress with bubble shape sleeves. The other must have look is the white silk organdy dress with long white organza sleeves with ruffle detailing running the length of the sleeve. Both looks are very soft and a stark contrast to the bold prints they showed. The emphasis this season at Tata Naka is color and bold prints. What is great about this collection there are so many unique pieces that one can keep and wear any season. The key look from the collection is absent of color. The closing looks of white organza and organdy really took this collection to another level. Bravo Mademoiselle Surguladze & Mademoiselle Surguladze!

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Designer Garen Demedijan’s distinctive eye for structure and definition is mixed with modern concepts for his Spring/Summer collection. In the opening section Demedijan showed a series of all white and all black looks. Each look incorporating shiny and soft fabrics likes crepes, lace and satin. With trends like ruffles and lace hitting all the capital runways, Gardem embraced these trends and mixed and reworked classic trends like ruffles on different angles and uncommon placement. In the opening section there were only a few strong pieces. One the most daring pieces in this section is the all black silk satin wrap dress over a matching pair of black silk satin pants. One of weakest looks in the opening was a tiered ruffle look.

In the second section Demedijan really started to let loose on reworking trends. One of the strongest trends he played was the bubble shape. In which he played with the bubble shape and the bubble hem, the detail of the bubble is toned down in some looks. On of the strongest looks that incorporated the bubble was a black silk satin dress with a pleated waistline and an organ-pleated bodice. The hem of the skirt is deflated bubble hem and the waist of the dress is covered with a fan design waist corset with beading. The look is finished with a silk knit cardigan with a lace and embroidery appliqué around the collar. Another strong look from the second section is a new trend for Gardem, the Corset. The look is a soft brown silk satin and silk chiffon dress. The chiffon and satin are pieced together on a modern bias with the bodice of the dress constructed with a satin bodice. A very modern piece, but the busyness of the construction is toned down by the soft brown fabrics.

In the third section Demedijan’s focus was on outerwear looks. Showing a series of short dress and skirt looks with a matching jacket or coat. One of the standout pieces in this section is white long sleeve jacket with lace detailing. The seaming of the jacket is detailed with two black laces and black sheer silk ribbon is laid on the jacket to create more lines. A unique piece from the collection and one of my favorites! Another great outerwear piece is a black leather version of the white jacket. The black leather seaming is detailed with black silk lace and ribbon.

There is one must have look and one must have piece from the collection. The must have piece is a white silk crepe knee length skirt overlaid with a black paisley design lace fabric. The hem of skirt is trimmed with a black silk satin. The must have look from the collection is pale peach silk satin skirt with the hem of skirt pinned along the sides creating a modern shape. The skirt is detailed with tiers of 3 different black laces and the waist of the skirt is synched creating ripple on the fabric. The look is finished with one of Demedijan’s black fan waist corsets and black silk satin blouse. The blouse is detailed with panels of synched and wrinkled fabric the drapes over the corset. For Spring and Summer designer Garen Demedijan looks to move forward with his detailed eye creating one of the stronger collection at London Fashion Week. Bravo Monsieur Demedijan!

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Draping, balloon shapes, ruffles and Mylar wrapped shoes, how off the wall can a Japanese show get? Designer Tetsuya Yamamotos’ all white collection for Spring/Summer 07’ took a leap into the playing with draping and creating sexy weightless shapes. Tetsuya’s focus of the draped structure was constructed with knots, synching and pinning. One look that really stood out in the opening section that incorporated this focus. Was the white silk charmeuse dress that is knotted on one shoulder and draped and pinned into balloon shapes on the other shoulder.

The must have piece from the collection is one of few lace pieces in the collection. The piece is a white lace camisole top with a balloon shape hem. The top is long in the back and worn with a full leg pant that was shaped more like a bell-bottom. A lot of the collection was a series of looks that were just fabric draped on the model with a lot of flattering shapes and intriguing linings. The wearable factor of the whole collection is a little low. Although there are a few individual pieces that are great finds like the lace pieces.

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