The 70’s visit the Borbonese runway while designer Allesandro Dell’Acqua opts to show more metallic fabrics than one would expect on one runway. To open the collection the designer showed a series of giraffe print looks, from pants, bathing suits to blouses. One of the standout looks in this section is a giraffe print crepe blouse worn with a matching cream wool pencil skirt and overcoat. The lapels and opening of the coat are trimmed with brown leather. The look is topped off with a matching giraffe print platform heel. The heel giraffe heel was worn with several looks. One of those looks is a short sleeve cream knit polo top with the breast pockets finished with a olive green suede trim. The knit top is worn with a cream cotton gazar button front pencil skirt.

The second section is a series of silver goddess dresses which were a little over the top. Then Dell’Acqua moved into a more tailored look that is a mix of 70’s color palette with a 60’s modern tailoring. While there were a few skinny leg pants in the collection, is that Dell’Acqua loosened up his pants. One of the standout pant looks in this section is a full-leg red pant worn with tan button front long sleeve cardigan over a scooped neck tan sweater. Knitwear is another strong trend that Dell’Acqua showed this season. Giving his customers lighter knit pieces in light shades. Another strong look that he showed was a tan linen button front safari jacket worn with a white dress shirt. Moving into evening the designer showed a series of red silk dresses. The overall design of the gowns was very simple.

The highlights from the Borbonese collection are the outerwear pieces, from the trench coat to the reversible jackets. Alessandro's knitwear was also another showstopper, the must have piece from the collection is one his knit cardigans. A long button-front red merino cardigan with brown suede detailing the pocket flaps and matching belt. For Spring/Summer Borbonese is looking to give a cleaner twist to the 70’s and 60’s trend of the season. The result is a wearable everyday piece and looks. The short falls in the collection are some of metallic looks and the evening section. I would like to have seen the more sophisticate and everyday look morphed into the evening section.

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While many new young and innovative designers explode onto the runways each season. So few of them actually survive the trenches of fashion, mostly due to there lose of passion for the craft. Many say commercialism is the cause but in truth designers like Gianfranco Ferrè have created a commercial style for their brand and still find passion to create each season. This season Ferrè’s inspiration was all over the place. There is the signature Ferrè masculine woman mixed with several nautical theme looks as well as Spanish gypsies. The opening section was a series of shorts and short skirt looks in the classic Ferrè color palette of black and white. One of the standout pieces in the opening section is a collarless shirt with a black and white dot geometric design on the fabric. The sleeves are balloon shape with opening of the shirt wrapped in a kimono style. Another standout piece in the opening section is another black and white piece, a standing Cardin collar jacket that is worn with a white belt to close the jacket.

Moving into the second section Ferrè moved away from his classic modern shapes in favor of a loose and romantic silhouette. The key to these romantic looks is abundant use of lace. One of the standout looks in this section is multi-lace piece look, a black lace bustier with a matching black lace dress shirt. To finish off the look Ferrè added a tiered lace skirt with tassels detailing each tier. Another standout look in this section is a unique look for the collection. A pale cream silk lace on silk organdy skirt worn with a matching black top and cape detailed with the same cream silk.

While Ferrè experimented with lace in this collection, he also added some of last season’s trends. From the bubble shape being incorporated in small little detailing to an overall bubble look. One of the great trends that Ferrè embraced is the full leg pant. For the evening section Ferrè added some serious color to his romantic lace gowns. The shock of color at the end of the collection is crowning moment for Ferrè. One of the standout looks in the opening section is the lace and crochet gown. Ferrè combined several colors in this look, from lime green to yellow and taupe. The bodice of the gown is layered with yellow crocheted lace and taupe crocheted lace. The flared skirt of the gown is layered with sheer taupe chiffon over a black and white polka dot printed silk. To trim the gown Ferrè combined layers of lime green silk with cream silk lace.

The must have piece from the collection is a combination look. A classic Ferrè white dress shirt worn with one the it accessories Spring/Summer the layered necklace. This look is a classic look for Ferrè, but its timelessness is the key for any wardrobe. It’s sexy, sophisticated and ageless. Ferrè is one of those designers who is not only dedicated to his clientèl but also dedicated to his craft and vision. Season after season he continues to build on his classic look and playing with trends here and there without going overboard. The miss that Ferrè had this season is repeating last season bubble trend for Spring/Summer, although the highlight of the collections is Ferrè’s use of lace. Bravo Monsieur Ferrè!

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Designer Ermanno Scervino searched for the young and playful spirit of the sophisticated woman of today. From the opening section to the close Scervino presented a collection of perfectly detailed and crafted looks. First you can easily note the obvious misses like the skinny leg pants and the overused balloon shapes. Then you have to just gush over all the perfect pieces! In the opening section Scervino just served up a plate of you must have this or this or that. Starting off with a palette of natural browns and blushing hews of white. One of the standout looks in the opening section is a khaki brown silk satin skirt. The fabric is laser cut with a lace design and the skirt is worn with a white chiffon petticoat and the look is finished of with a white silk organza v-neck blouse with white floral embroidery detailing the neckline and torso of the blouse. From the brown palette Ermanno moved into a dark palette of black. In this section the standout look is a black balloon shape Capri pant worn with one of Scervino’s must have leather pieces. A cropped waist black leather jacket, the jacket seams and edges are finished with military green suede. The jacket is a mix of the 80’s with military.

From the second section Scervino started to use more lace and played with varying lengths. He also started to add volume to the shapes of each look and mixing in prints to some of the pieces. One of the standout pieces in this section is a white organdy flared skirt with a black floral print screened onto the fabric. Another great skirt look out of this section is the matching brown plaid tweed skirt and overcoat. The skirt is flared with a frayed edge and worn with a white petticoat. The coat adds to the long list of great outwear pieces in this collection. From the trench coats to the biker jackets in leather and suede.

From the black section Scervino moved back into color adding reds and mixing in some whites. Another detail used in this section is more lace while keeping the looks clean. One of the standout pieces form this section is the red tank top dress with a flared skirt. The skirt of the dress is a layering of lace and small ruffles and belted around the waist with a red leather belt. To tone down the vibrant red looks Scervino added in some simple print looks. One of the standout pieces is the small floral print white organdy summer dress, the dress is detailed with beaded and embroidered around the torso of the dress and a white petticoat.

The must have pieces from the collection incorporate two big trends for Spring/Summer. The first must have look is one of the white organdy flared skirt dresses with a black floral print screened onto the skirt of the dress. To top the look off Scervino added a black leather biker jacket; the jacket is laser cut with a diamond design. The other must have piece from the collection is another flared skirt look. This time Scervino incorporated the Spring/Summer trend of the trench coat and morphed it into a dress. The skirt is detailed with laser cut floral design and worn with a white petticoat. The petticoat is certainly another growing trend for Spring/Summer; I expect this new trend will carry us into Fall/Winter. The opening section of the collection is certainly the powerhouse of the collection. Scervino showed a series of strong pieces in some of the prominent looks in the collection. While he used this seasons it color of Gold, for some reason the gold accent pieces were not to brash. A problem that several designers had this season! Overall the collection is a non-stop parade of editorial and retail must haves. Bravo Monsieur Scervino!

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Variety reported yesterday that Christy Turlington and her husband Ed Burns are attached with Steve Spielberg to write a new TV series set in the fashion industry. The show is based on an idea Spielberg came up with.

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Just this once I am moving off the fashion grid and on to the political rant! I was doing my regular political blog roll and ran across a recent posting over at Wonkette. The piece was on how President Bush has been using his time this holiday season. Referring to the recent oval office web fairytale of "Barney's Whitehouse Extravaganza". The disturbing part of this story is not that the oval office's need to take time away from the unsettling problems in the middle east to drum and waist "our" money on a ridiculous fairytale such as this. No, rather the disturbing part is the photo Wonkette posted with the entry! President Bush sitting a the oval office desk! Let me show you:

Notice in the current photo of President Bush, that nothing appears to be sitting on the desk besides the phone and empty in box. Of coarse Barney makes the photo but not that important report of issue in the Middle East! Now granted I did search the web for a photo with the President Bush's desk covered in papers, but alas there was none, only one with two binders with the seal of the Vice President.

One last observation - Check out this photo of President Clinton sitting at his desk, notice the bookshelves.......All Books!!!!

Now look at President Bush's Bookshelves.........Almost All China (Plates) - I am sorry is this George's office or Laura's?

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At Iceberg designer Paolo Gerani molded the 70’s glitz and glam with the sexy 80’s lengths and colors. Gerani opened the collection with this seasons gold trend with gold tones moving into shocking prints of orange and yellow. While gold may be an “it” shade for the season, the hit looks for Iceberg are all of the bold and vibrant prints, another top trend for Spring/Summer. One of the standout pieces in the opening section is a strapless orange and print swirl print on silk chiffon. The dress is draped and pinned on a bias with a satin and gold chain wrapped around the torso. Another great print from the second section is a yellow and fuscia tropical fern print on silk crepe. The dress is a plunging v-neck cocktail dress worn with a matching belt. Another trend that Gerani kept to this season is the short length dresses and skirts.

In the second section Gerani showed several neutral color looks and then moving back into more gold tones. The standout pieces in the second section were the brown and white tropical print used on chiffon, crepe and satin. One of the key uses of the print is on one of the few outerwear pieces from the collection, a silk satin parka style jacket with balloon shape sleeve. In the third section Gerani again shifts the color palette of all white and then back to yellows and oranges. One of the standout pieces of the white section is another great outwear piece. Another parka style jacket in white silk satin with the sleeves and front panel of the jacket detailed with balloon shapes. While this jacket may be just a little over the top, the key to the Iceberg collection is the unique and salient pieces and looks.

The must have piece of the collection is one of Gerani’s notable print looks, a brown and white tropical print on silk chiffon strapless cocktail dress. The chiffon is draped on a bias with a white satin ribbon and gold chain wrapped around the torso. While Paolo played with the 70’s and 80’s theme in this collection, the result is a modern take on these trends. Gerani’s sexy silhouette is evident in this collection giving the Iceberg customer a reason to dress up but not too audacious. The key looks for Iceberg are the abundant use of color and sexy silhouettes. The only really misses in this collection are the monotone dresses and the some of excessive use of the bubble shape on some of the dresses. Overall for Spring/Summer Iceberg delivers us a vibrant and energetic collection, absent of the drab black many designers are choosing for warm season. Bravo Monsieur Gerani!

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Gentucca Bini’s drew inspiration for Spring/Summer from the lines and shapes of deco design along with a loose form and earthy texture fabrics. An odd combination but the result is a collection of unique and bold Americana style pieces and looks. The color palette is a mixture of greens, browns to oranges and rust. While Bini did use several of last seasons big trends like the bubble shape and hem and even leggings and skinny leg pants. She made sure to move the trend away from the standard design shapes that other designers played with. Bini achieved this fete by draping the shapes on the bias and played with textured fabrics and even shinny fabrics. One of the standout looks in the opening section really exemplifies this idea, a strapless silver/green silk taffeta dress. The dress is loosely tailored around the waist and the hem of the dress is draped with a ruffle on the bias. The look is finished off with a cropped waist brown cashmere cable knit cardigan with a ¾ length sleeve. Another strong piece in the opening section is a brown silk taffeta collarless top with a balloon hem. The piece is worn with a purple silk merino cable knit cardigan that is cropped above the waist.

In the second section Bini showed more knitwear pieces, the emphasis is on the rich knits and rich colors. One of the standout knit pieces from the section is a orange wool and angora blend collarless cardigan. The waist is cropped and cardigan look is finished with a scooped neck brown wool crepe dress. While bundling up last Spring/Summer was a must in many places, Bini seems to have take heart the need for strong color pieces to warm up to. The result is a number of warm pieces that could easily move into the Fall/Winter season. One of the standout outerwear pieces in the collection is a black/gray wool tweed jacket that is trimmed in black wool on the collar and seaming. Giving the jacket a real strong structured look, unfortunately a lot of the design was very unstructured and loose.

One of the must have pieces from the collection is one of Bini’s outerwear pieces, a brown and olive green jacket. The detailing on the waist and lapels of the jacket are the key. Another must have piece or pieces from the collection are the few knit pieces in the collection. Bini choose to show several cropped waist cardigans with ¾ length sleeves. The cardigans were shown in several colors, from chartreuse, orange, pink and two shapes of green. While Bini was really focused on a cleaner palette this season, the direction of the collection was still conscious of her design style. I would like to have seen more shape in the looks while being dedicated to the loose form she strives to create. One of the highlights out of the collection is her outwear and knitwear pieces. While I was on the fence with this collection Bini really gave us a series of non-stop strong pieces. Bravo Madame Bini!

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Yes trends come and go but some designers seem to play it safe by focusing on the crowning moment or subtle trends that emerge the prior season. If Etienne Aigner was alive today he might be a just a little bit proud that his namesake is charging full steam onto the international market. This season the design team took to heart the 70’s inspiration that Frida Giannini at Gucci paraded for last Fall/Winter. While Gucci was bold and a strong vision, Aigner took the 70’s and showed its softer side. The models did sport Afro’s and the ironed flat hair with the ends teased into volume. The key to the collection is the softness of the fabrics, colors and shapes.

In the opening section, Aigner showed several print looks, a key trend for Spring/Summer. One of the standout prints was a paisley design encased in a heart shape print. The stand out look was the print used on sheer white chiffon blouse with cape sleeve and plunging v-neck line. While Aigner showed several strong trends in this collection there were a few repeat trends that were too many step backwards. Like the skinny leg pants, baby doll dresses and even the hints of arts & crafts. Although there was one piece in the second section that really jumped outside of the arts & crafts trend. A cream crochet mini skirt, the short skirt is certainly a play on the mini trend we are seeing all over the runways.

In the closing section there is one standout piece for day. A cropped safari style jacket in creamy yellow tweed with bone white ribbing and hemming. The jacket is cropped above the waist and the color is done with a wide mandarin shape collar. The only must have piece from the collection is one of the few silk printed chiffon dresses in the collection, a white silk chiffon mini dress with long sleeves and plunging v-neckline. The chiffon is printed with the paisley design in heart shapes. It’s hard for designers to really make sure the overall look and theme of their collection is toned down and the clothes become the focus. This season Aigner really took the whole 70’s look too far with the hair and makeup. The makeup and hair become to much of a distracting rather than a compliment. While there were a few standout pieces in the collection the overall look and statement is lost.

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Monochromatic sophisticate with twist of denim! Designer Hidehiko Yamane’s inspiration this season is all over the place. From this season’s big trend, the print to a lot of denim and even last season’s trench coat. Right from the opening section Yamane jumped into a series of denim looks. While some of the denim looks and pieces were borderline ordinary, there were a few standout denim looks. One of the standout looks is the armless black denim jumpsuit. The bodice of the suit is similar to a tube top. From the denim looks Yamane mixed in several wool suit fabric’s looks; which he plays with draping and structure. One of the key wool looks is a gray wool dress with a plunging neckline. The shoulder straps are finished differently, one with the fabric synched the other lays flat on the shoulder.

In the second section Yamane showed a series of printed silks and satin pieces. Unfortunately, only a few tops rather than dresses. One of the strongest looks in this section was a dragon print on a silk kimono shape wrap jacket. I would like to have seen more printed looks, especially a few cocktail dresses. One of the weak points of the collection is the lack of design continuity. Hidehiko moves from piece to piece with different design theme in each piece. From the kimono style jackets to the 20’s style slip dresses to off the shoulder bias cut dresses from the 70’s. Moving into evening Yamane moved to a black and white palette and focused on a few very loosely tailored silhouettes with emphasis on textile use. One of the standout cocktail dresses form the collection is a reworked 20’s off white silk slip dress with a satin nouveau design on the front of the dress.

The highlight of the collection is not the eveningwear dresses or gowns. Rather the Yamane‘s snowy white outerwear pieces for evening. One of the standout looks was a snow-white wool overcoat with a Peter Pan collar and low riding belt around the hip. The other must have look is one of this season’s must have pieces, the trench for Spring/Summer, a white wool crepe safari style trench coat. The look created both of these outwear looks is a twist on masculine but the overall feel from the collection is very simple and clean. The emphasis is on creating a feminine shell over the masculine pieces. The result is a collection that you can easily over look key pieces. I would like to have seen the collection a little more mixed up, the parade of well manicured looks lacked some personality.

View complete collection at Wireimage

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