Maria Cornejo modern New Yorker is very literal this season at Zero+. The silhouette is draped and loose on the body. The opening section is a mix of day look with bundled up evening looks with a little leather popping out here and there and even some plaid prints. Another strong statement at Zero+ is Cornejo;s draped knit pieces. One of the standout pieces is smock style gray cashmere knit dress. The dress has slits in the front allowing a belt to peak out in the front. There is very little color in the collection with only three-color pieces in red and purple. A lot of the looks in the opening section are very masculine while the closing section is more feminine with prints and softer fabrics that are loosely tailored. On of the best print pieces is a simple silk satin dress worn with a cropped waist black cashmere sweater. The print is an abstract design similar to a wrinkled metallic material.

The must have look from the collection is one of Cornejo’s pant looks. A high waist black and gray tweed pant. The pant is tailored with a straight leg that is oversized on the leg. To finish the look is a black silk crepe blouse which Maria twists the fabric emphasizing the bust line. I was very please to see Cornejo loosen up her strict aesthetic in the close of the collection, but I would like to have seen more prints from Cornejo. There is only two prints in whole collection, the second print reminds me of the smudge polka-dot print I saw at Lyn Devon. One great look that Cornejo used this look is a long aviator style jacket in black leather worn with a above the knee skirt with the smudge dot print on silk taffeta and highlight by gold tones.

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More Black, but designers Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi opts to focus on volume rather than skinny black. Right from the opening section Aquilano & Rimondi showed a series of heavy bulky knits. But, is frilly black really that attractive? The second section is a short look but the emphasis is on the knit pieces. She does show a series of tailored mens pin-stripe blazer looks. This masculine tailoring shifted into the closing with a series of masculine fabrics morphed into feminine styled looks. One of the key looks in the collection is the pant which Aquilano and Rimondi opts to keep the pant leg loose and baggy. All of a sudden in the closing section the duo comes alive. The early part of the collection very constrained and closed while the closing section plays with embellishment and printed fabrics and she finally rocks it out with two killer leather pieces. As the collection progressed Tommaso and Roberto started to really find a voice. Although the bulk of the collection is in all black the detailing at the end of the collection is the highlight. I would love to have seen more prints come out in the collection earlier on. However the richness of the black and heavy detailing of the knits and fur is striking.

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Black, Black, Black and more black! The look at Phi is biker rock woman chic. I have not seen so much black during NY fashion week since the 90’s and designer Andreas Melbostad drab mood is drenched all over the collection. Melbostad opted for the short silhouette this season, showing off sexy legs in thigh high black leather boots. Karl Lagerfeld eat your heart out! The fabric combination is really interesting in the collection, from the quilted silk satin jackets with leather sleeves to the tweed miniskirt with the seaming finished in leather. I was delighted to see such a great number of leather pieces in the collection, everything from jackets, mini skirts, vest and even accessories. The opening section is a series of very short with mini skirts and dresses worn under a long overcoat or jacket. One of the standout pieces in the opening section is a black wool trench coat with quilted black leather sleeves. The opening of the jacket, lapels and color are trimmed in black leather as well. Another key look in the opening section is the layering of knits. One of the key knit looks is a faux fur jacket with gray knit sleeve worn over a printed tank dress and sheer knit button front shirt.

Melbostad choose to keep the looks this season very sexy but highlight the heavy outerwear pieces with leather detailing. The second section is play with textured layering and highlighted by a few print pieces. One of the best looks that exhibited the textured layering is the long sleeveless black silhouette jacket look. The jacket is worn over a black cashmere turtleneck sweater along with a gray tweed mini skirt layered over a black silk satin mini skirt. The “It” piece is certainly pirate style crotch length black leather boot with platform heel. For the third section it’s more prints for Fall, prints used One of the great prints in the collection is a Japanese fan style print. One of the standout print looks is a black and red button front dress worn with a black suede jacket. Melbostad’s outwear pieces may be all black but the focus is on tailoring, the sleeves are tighter and the shoulder has more volume.

The must have looks for Fall/Winter incorporates Andreas Melbostad’s great knits, heavy textures and a short silhouette. The emphasis is the leather pieces incorporated into the looks. First is one of the opening looks a cropped waist bomber jacket with black faux fur on the wide collar and the sleeves done in quilted black leather. The look is finished with a black cashmere turtleneck sweater dress over a cropped tapered leg pant. The other must have look is one of the long black suede vest jacket worn with a black silk merino turtleneck sweater and a gray tweed mini-skirt. While many designers in New York are seeing black for Fall/Winter 07’, Melbostad’s prints give us some hope. I was crazy mad about all of the outerwear pieces with the heavy leather detailing. Bravo Monsieur Melbostad!

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Designer Antonio Berardi’s Fall collection for his Berardi line is a hint of Tokyo Mod. You can take that from either the all Asian models on the runway or his strict black and white color palette. This season Berardi keeps to the skinny leg pant strays away from the oversized outerwear trend and keep his outerwear pieces very tailored to the torso and arms. The only print that he used in the collection is Windsor check from last season. The details are in the skirt, they vary in length but the tailoring and styling very strict Berardi. From the opening section the close the looks slowly become more and more edgy. Shifting from the feminine silhouettes done in masculine prints like the Windsor check and finally coming severe androgyny with biker jackets and skinny leg pants worn with boots. One of the strongest pieces in the collection is a black cashmere/wool coat. The opening of the coat is trimmed in a stripe of dark gray wool and the coat sleeves and torso are tailored tight.

The key pieces from the collection are Berardi’s outerwear pieces. The must have piece from the collection is a cropped waist black biker jacket. The message is a little lost in this collection. While I understood the whole modern mod mixed with the downtown chic. The collection fell victim to the NY curse of “the sea of the same”. Missing is the adventure or experimentation Berardi is known for! While there are several classic pieces in the collection there was only a handful “wow” pieces. Certainly Berardi could have used more leather outerwear pieces in the collection.

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Minimalism meets decadent fabrics, the contrast of texture and firmness. Designer Lyn Devon’s looks for Fall/Winter are heavily structures with touch of softness, but the lines and seaming are literal. One trend that Devon emphasized this season is the print; which she styled after 60’s geometric art prints. The first section is styled with several boxy tailored pieces and looks in very muted color palette. The only color in the collection is in the print pieces. One of the standout looks in this section is was orange and white geometric art print silk chiffon blouse worn with a tailored tight tweed pant with the pocket openings trimmed in a orange silk satin ribbon. The outerwear silhouette is loose on the body, while the pants are tailored close to the hips and butt. Devon keeps the length of the pant long while the dresses and skirts are above or at the knee. In the second section Devon drapes tops and outerwear pieces over skirts and pants creating a contrast of heavy silhouette on top of a tight silhouette on the bottom. One of the standout pieces in this section is dark navy blue turtleneck top with a ¾ length sleeve. The top is detailed with a geometric T contrast seam.

In the second section Devon shows a few prints but one of the standout prints is a black and white polka-dot print on silk. The dots are smudged creating a print that is very similar to a cheetah print. One of the key looks that incorporate this print is a silk collarless zip front top worn with a brown linen jacket. The jacket is the key to the look with a draped ¾ length sleeve and a clean tailored torso paired with no lapel. The third section moves back to a loose silhouette with a series of smock dresses but Devon focuses on the combination of fabrics as the detail of the looks. Devon also makes sure her outerwear pieces are another highlight following the heavy outerwear trend seen on the runways. One of the strongest outerwear pieces in the collection is a knee-length black wool overcoat with offset opening. The collar is done in turtleneck style off set like the coat opening.

The must have piece from the collection are complete opposites. First is the embroidered geometric shape smock top with a bias hem. Another complete look and a must have look has several key statement pieces from the collection. It’s a layered look with a black silk gazar pencil skirt worn with a zip front smudged dot print silk top under Devon’s black wool jacket with a draped sleeve and torso. Lyn Deon’s style is certainly evident in this collection. With the whole modern silhouette attributed to greats as Issey Miyaki and Rei Kawakubo. Devon’s strongest statement from the collection is her colorful and eye please prints. The only thing I would like to have seen was a few more print pieces in the collection. Overall a strong collection and a very retail collection! Bravo Madame Devon!

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How can you ever go wrong with Anna Sui, every girl today needs a little Anna in their closet. Whether it’s a t-shirt, her classic baby doll dress or a killer pair of her boots. The opening section is dark with tones of black and classic Sui purple. The statement pieces in this section are the knits along with a few leather pieces. The “it” trend is Sui’s knee high black leather boots. Anna even draws from her decadent archive of prints and textiles. Bold is really not a word to describes Sui’s eye for creating decadent looks and pieces, its more like “Alive”. One of the standout looks in the opening section is a bright blue print dress with a velvet collar and sleeve cuffs. To complete the look Sui showed a brown tweed jacket with fringe trim and buttons matching the colors in the dress print. The second section is peppered with a few color pieces but Sui keeps the color with the blue/red-blue family, with a hint of green here and there. The prints are highlight of this section especially in her knit looks. One of the standout looks is a dark olive green paisley print cashmere/wool knit hooded cardigan and matching skirt. The look is finished with a spicy orange silk satin hooded blouse.

The must have looks from the collection are from the third section. Sui moves away from the blue and into more reds and oranges. The looks were a combination of printed pieces matching with complimentary outerwear pieces in heavy velvet, taffeta or faux fur fabrics. The first must have look is the black and white news print blouse worn with a pin stripe black skirt trimmed with lace. To complete the look is a black and white wool sweater. The other must have look is the orange/blue/brown striped velvet coat worn with a brown and orange paisley print dress. To top the look off Sui had showed a boot in the same striped velvet fabric used for the coat. There are countless options in this collection, in every look. Whether it’s the gold beaded baby doll dresses or the embroidered biker boots or the matching taffeta dresses and capes. Sui’s philosophy of adding more is how to really create her look for everyday. More being the accessories, from tassel jewelry, brocade accents or even a sequined cap. This collection is most certainly one of the best outerwear collections Sui has shown in recent seasons. The pieces to watch out for are the taffeta trench coats or the ponchos and capes. Bravo Madame Sui!

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A muted and toned down flirty girl, that’s Jenni Kayne’s direction for Fall/Winter 07. Kayne focused on keeping the collection young and youthful by keeping the skirts and dress looks short. She keeps the tailoring very simple and clean and the color palette safe with a lot of muted or dark shades. The opening section is a mix of natural tones of white and brown with black and gray pieces. Jenni incorporates several big trends of the season in her collection from her prints; lightweight knits and slightly oversized outerwear pieces. The second section is all black and white with more pant and leggings looks and stronger outerwear pieces. One of the standout outerwear pieces in the second section is a black and white plaid cropped waist jacket. The jacket has a cropped short sleeve and wide collar, to finish the look Kayne showed a black pencil skirt and black cashmere cardigan. The color for evening is black, and Jenni plays with length and embellishments on long dramatic gowns. One of the standout looks was the floor-length Grecian column style black silk crepe gown. The gown is a halter-top style with the neckline done in a gold brocade fabric.

The must have pieces from the collection are two contrast pieces for Kayne. First is the empire waist dress in a brown and tan moiré taffeta print. The other must have piece from the collection is Kayne’s reworked collegiate coat into 60’s tube silhouette style. The coat is done in black-brushed wool with straight-line silhouette and short sleeves. I love how she paired the strict modern coat with a sheer embroidered and beaded long sleeve top. There were only a few leather pieces in the collection and it would have been nice to see more. The highlight of the collection is youthfulness of the design. The outerwear is another strong point to the collection. Although the trend this season is heavy outerwear, she keeps the tailoring loose, which is just enough. Bravo Mademoiselle Kayne!

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For his second ready to wear collection, Jason Wu warms up his classic glamor woman and gives her countless options. The opening section is a series of all black looks, from the outerwear piece to the cocktail dresses. One of the standout outerwear pieces in the opening section is a black wool coat with ¾ length sleeves and worn with a mustard yellow leather belt. The collar of the coat is encrusted with pearled beads. Wu touched on a few of last season’s trends like brocade fabrics and 50’s style cape jackets. The second section is a highlight of a little color, mainly red and yellow with a lot of metallic silver. The silhouettes from the opening to second sections are all over the place. No clear defined silhouette statement in the whole collection. For evening Wu only showed 6 gowns, all floor length and all draped with a romantic full silhouette. One of the standout gowns is the red silk taffeta empire waist gown. The fabrics drapes to the floor with a slight slope in the front showing off the red silk satin fabric underskirt.

The two must have pieces are from the opening section. First is a wide neck silk jacquard dress with an elbow length sleeve and pencil skirt shape with a flare at the hem. The other must have piece is a silver brocade fabric jacket. The tailoring is very simple but the silver brocade as an unique look. The look of the collection is still reminiscent of his passion in designing clothes for doll collections. Absent is his sense of adventure in creating unique pieces and looks. While the whole collection is easily a commercial success, editorially this collection might hurt Wu with very few eye please pieces.

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Millicent Roger’s American sportswear meets working woman chic is the inspiration for Julies Chaiken’s Fall collection. For the opening sections the palette is gray and white and slowly Chaiken added some color. She kept the silhouette long this season, the skirts and dresses are hemmed below the knee. One of the standout pieces in the opening section is a blue-gray wool/jersey blend dress. The tailoring of the dress is a tight silhouette, which compliments the modern minimalist look Chaiken was achieving. Unfortunately Chaiken took this tight tailoring and used it in the outerwear pieces of the collection. Although she made sure that the pant pieces were more relaxed. A lot of the pant had a baggy leg and another standout look in the opening section is a pant look, a light gray wool pant with a baggy leg pant worn with a pale gray blouse. In the second section Chaiken adds more color and continues with a long silhouette. Then in the third section she moves into a black and white palette showing various looks for evening. From oversized and draped white cashmere sweaters to the long flowee jersey gowns in yellow, red, green and the crowd favorite purple.

In the middle of the evening section Chaiken showed 4 looks that had Indian embroidery and beaded details. These looks were interesting and the detailing was beautiful, but they stood out like a sore thumb. The major statement pieces form the collection are the modern silhouette pieces which you can attribute the inspiration from even Donna Karan. The first must have look from the collection is a oversized and draped sleeve white cashmere sweater worn with heavy baggy leg black wool pant. The other must have look is gray cashmere knit sweater dress. The body of the dress is tight on the body and the sleeves are flared from the elbow. The looks for Fall are some of the most toned down looks we’ve seen Chaiken do to date. While the collection has been commented as being safe, the androgyny style of the collection is very prominent and is strong statement. I am not sure if I really grasped the idea of Millicent Rogers in the collection, rather I see more Katherine Hepburn and Donna Karan through out. The collection is very warm and full of life were as Rogers is colder and brasher. Overall this collection has an abundant number of strong pieces and looks. Bravo Madame Chaiken!

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For Fall designer Doo Ri takes on the outerwear trend of the season with a focus on complimenting her short and feminine silhouette. The opening section is probably one of the most out of the Doo Ri box moments you can get! The decadent knit pieces paired with delicate embroidery or her signature draping paired with embellishment. One of the standout looks in the opening section is a cropped gray knit jacket with short sleeves and beaded stripped color collar. The jacket is worn with a short empire waist black silk organza dress with black satin bows layered on the bodice of the dress. Another strong look from the opening section is gray cashmere knit sweater trimmed with a black lace style knit on the hem. The look is finished with a black velvet bubble shape skirt and a small fur shrug jacket.

Doo Ri used the bubble hem on several pieces which is another repeat trend. For the second section she moved back to her signature draped dresses and tops. She played with tops giving them a plunging necklines and framing the bust line with heavy beading. One of the standout pieces is a burgundy silk draped top with the bust line covered with burgundy fish scales palettes. For evening Ri kept the selection very limited. She opted to only show a handful of looks the crowning looks were two of the beaded cocktail dresses. The dress is almost reminiscent of Alexander McQueen’s empire waist holster strap dresses. Ri keeps the look toned down and focuses on her modern draping as the highlight. One of the standout looks in the evening section is a burgundy silk jersey dress with a bubble hem and the waistline moved above the breast. Ri does a contrast strap of burgundy beading and crystals.

The two must have pieces from the collection are two great editorial pieces. First is a deep purple silk satin blouse with the bust line detailed with matching purple fish scale palettes. The other must have piece is the printed burgundy and teal stripe halter-top dress. The hem of the skirt is detailed with beading and a holster beaded strap worn on top of the dress. This collection is another great chapter in the Doo Ri saga. A chapter that is moving fast and moving forward. She continues to respect the style she crafted over the past couple of years while continuing to evolve it. From her new structured outerwear pieces to the emphasis of embellishment on her classic pieces. Doo Ri’s choice to slowly evolve in the industry is evident in this collection and a wise decision. Bravo Madame Ri!

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John Galliano gave us a glimpse of what’s to come for S/S 08’ with his recent resort collection for the House of Dior. Highly styled 60’s bouffant hairstyles paired with early 60’s style couture. The result, we could possibly be see the return of Hubert de Givenchy inspired collections to the runway! Say hello to Holly Golightly, Hellen Lawson and Mrs. Robinson. Givenchy turned 80 earlier this year and we so need more beauty in the world that has become so ugly.

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Amy Smilovic’s inspiration for Fall/Winter 07’ is the 30’s and 40’s. A lot of the prints and a lot of the color-blocked looks really define these inspirations. The opening section is a variation of short and long looks. Smilovic kept the pants tailored with a baggy but straight leg. The highlight of the opening section is the printed silk dresses, skirts and jackets. One of the standout pieces in the opening section is the black and white peony print coat. The coat loosely tailored and the sleeves are cropped to a ¾ length. The look was completed with Versace style print silk blouse and short black skirt with sailor buttons. I did not like the Versace print used on several pieces in the opening section. For the second section Smilovic added more prints, some of the prints are very simple plaids and polka dots. The strongest prints in this section are the inspired prints like the Aztec Zigzag or the Art Nouveau on two dresses. Amy even took the prints to another level creating embroidered prints on several pieces. One of the standout pieces is a black cotton twill skirt with Dorothy Draper style floral embroidery on scalloped hem of the skirt. The embroidery is emphasized by the huge eye-lets around the bottom of the skirt.

This season Amy Smilovic didn’t go to short with the skirts, keeping them tailored right above the knee. For the closing section she got a little lost. While come of the 30’s and 40’s references are hinted here and there, Smilovic opted to repeat some of the last season’s trends like the ruffle and 70’s smocks. The key looks from this collection are all of the print pieces. While the solid color pieces and looks are feminine, Smilovic’s prints are the show stoppers. The two must have pieces from the collection are print looks. First is two toned tree print on a silk gazar dress. The other is an art nouveau print on a long sleeve silk organza dress. The floral print is used on the hem of the skirt and on the bottom the sleeves. There are several editorial worthy pieces in the collection, especially the print pieces. The only thing I would like to have seen is Smilovic abandon the whole romantic wispy look the closed the collection. Overall there are a lot of unique and strong statement piece in the collection. Bravo Smilovic!

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Modern construction with references of military detailing and of coarse a feminine silhouette here and there. At Vena Cava the opening section is a series of misguided looks, from the sleeveless pocket front dress to the bubble shape dress worn over a bell-bottom pant. The opening section is overworked and over stylized, the looks don’t compliment each other and the pieces get lost in the abundance of layering. One of the highlights from the collection is Maycock and Buhai’s choice to keep the pant leg full or baggy. On of the great pant looks is a black full leg wool pant worn with a matching black wool jacket. The second section is a little more toned down and a little more focused. The designer duo opted to stick to this season trend of short skirts and dresses but kept the evening section long. One of the standout evening pieces is a floor length silk organdy gown. The skirt is printed with a lace designer trimmed with a print of feathers.

This season Maycock and Buhai opted to only show one leather for the entire collection. This leather piece is my must have piece from the collection, a cropped collarless leather jacket, the leather-dyed honey brown. The stand out feature of this jacket is the opening that draped over the chest. This season the duo took too many trends from the last two seasons, from bubbles shapes, plaids and denim. Overall one the strongest sections in the collection is the evening section. This evening section is small and the duo moved back to some military references, but the long sleek and the long flowey silhouette fell out of the vision they painted through out the collection. Bottom line what really hurt the collection was the over styling of the looks.

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A junior collection is always the hardest because you want to catch the editor and buyers eye while still staying true to yourself and inspiration. This season Lika Volkova & Alessandro DeVito took the workingwoman dresses and focused on a draped silhouette accented by pinning. The collection was laid out in a mix match look; there was no fluid theme or inspiration in the collection. The bulk of the collection is done in a black/gray/white color palette. The only color piece in the whole collection is the last look, a yellow and gray cape and matching yellow dress. The look Volkova & DeVito tried to achieve in the collection is a soft but masculine style for women. Soft and feminine fabrics soften modern structured and tailored looks. The duo did adopt some of this season trends like a heavy outerwear piece and a full leg pant. The must have piece from the collection is a white silk organza blouse. The top is structure and pinned into layers. Being his first collection during NY fashion week, Volkova & DeVito showed he has some potential and he certainly is moving towards his own vision in this collection.

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For her Fall/Winter collection Alice Temperley hinted on androgyny mixed with feminine fabrics. The collection color palette has a modern Mondrian spectrum. The colors are blocked in each piece and the colors are clear and defined. For the opening section Temperley kept the skirt lengths short, but not too short, just above the knee. One of the standout looks in the opening section is a black-cropped tuxedo jacket worn with a really short black skirt. To finish the look Alice did a blue top with the opening and lapel of the shirt in black. The second section we see more length and more detailing. The gowns and dresses had detailing reminiscent of deco architecture style. One of the standout pieces in this section is a black silk crepe floor length gown. The bodice of the gown is done with the straps criss-crossing in a deco print.

Th is season Alice Temperley continues her use of print to really make her collection standout. This season in the third section she showed a few prints on dresses and skirts. The prints reference a deco and art Nuevo period prints. One of the strongest pieces in this section is a white silk organza short skirt with a brocade floral print in black. For the closing section Alice kept the look very dressed up but played with skirt lengths and opted to show a baggy leg pant for evening. A great trend that we will hopefully see more of in the weeks. One of the strongest evening looks was the orange silk crepe gown with the top of the gown overlaid with strands of gold ribbon and beading.

The two must have pieces from the collection are two of Temperley’s print dresses. The first dress is wide neckline dress with long sleeves. A woman arch type print covers the skirt of the dress, the sleeves and bodice. The other must have piece is poncho dress which Alice ties the waist with a black leather belt. The dress is printed with a Nuveau stripe print, which defines the fan of the fabric. Another strong point of the collection is Temperley’s great bags. Sadly she only showed only a handful of leather pieces in the collection, I would love to have seen more. Season after season Alice Temperley has really been able to continue to evolve her vision and style into a new chapter. The result is another strong collection giving us great pieces for editorial and sale. Bravo Madame Temperley!

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WWD announced that the Valentino Group has frozen trading on VG Shares. Rumors are already spinning, from Valentino's retirement announcement which has been rumored for the past two years to even a possible sale to Pinault or the Gucci Group. The end of an era is coming closer and closer.

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The mixing of the workingwoman from the 40’s with the eccentric details from the 20’s. Karen Walkers Fall/Winter collection opened with a series of day looks mixed with a lot of accessories. The tailoring is structure but Walker keeps the silhouette loose, from the baggy pant legs to the draped outerwear. Her accessories incorporated this season big trend of hats and gloves but she also showed several prints. A lot of the prints were shown in the second section. One of the standout pieces in this section is a 70’s geometric style print dress. The dress is tailored to the body with a wing shape on the shoulder. Walker also begins to layer the looks in the second section. Another standout piece in this section is a brown tweed jacket with winged shoulder and worn with a indigo blue wool pant.

For the closing section Walker repeated a few looks but focused on her outerwear pieces. One the must have pieces from the collection is the brown wool cropped cape coat. Another great outerwear pieces from the closing section are the chocolate brown organza trench coat. One of the strongest statements from this collection is how Walker barrows from the 20’s and 40’s and reshape them into modern pieces. Overall the collection is period driven but takes these pieces by themselves and they really do jump out as modern and feminine pieces. The only thing missing was a few leather pieces and it would have been great to see more prints.

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Toni Maticevski made the jump to NY fashion week after being one of the prized fighters at Sydney Fashion Week. My first impression is Toni focused on details this season, from the trim detailing on seams and delicate draping and pinning on dresses. The first section is very feminine and very short with an emphasis on a black and white color palette. The standout pieces from the opening section are jackets, jacket and more jackets. One of the strongest looks is a black twill blazer worn with black crepe pant with a draped full leg. Another strong look from the opening section is a cropped black wool jacket with fox fur draped on the collar and lapel. The look is finished with a black wool pencil skirt. The roughness of the fur pieces really pops out on the overall look.

In the second section Toni went a little crazy with emphasizing volume and structure. The peach and yellow puff dress and coat was a little crazy. The material looked like a bedspread was draped and sewn to look like a dress and jacket. For the third section Maticevski added more length and mixed a lot of sheer fabrics with heavy structured detailing. The two must have piece are from the closing section. First is a black silk crepe dress with a structured silhouette worn over a white embroidered sheer organza top. The sleeves of the top are tailored with a loose volume. The romantic shape of the sleeve is a sharp contrast to the modern silhouette of the dress. The other must have look is a floor length gown with a plunging neckline to the belly button. The skirt of the gown is a floral printed silk and the bodice is a black crepe trimmed with black leather along the neckline. The move from Sydney to New York has opened a new chapter for Maticevski. While his modern aesthetic is still alive, his selection of delicate fabrics and emphasis on detailing is what really took Toni into a new direction. Some of the best pieces from the collection are a new look for him including his new dress jackets. Bravo Monsieur Maticevski!

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Delicate, adorable and very Italian! That’s how most would describe Olivia Palermo; her collection is a whole other story. Italian modern chic in New York, does it really work! The opening section is a series of dark looks, mostly in black with a splash of blue and red. Palermo opened with several leather pieces but kept the leather pant leg tapered. The leather pieces were shown with silk tops and taffeta skirts. I loved all of the indigo blue silk taffeta pieces in this section. One of the standout pieces is a high waist indigo blue taffeta skirt worn with a gray silk dress shirt. The second section is a series of pant looks and more knee length skirt looks. Palermo keeps her pant leg loose this season and I loved the gray and black silk satin pants with the high waist, no more low-rise pants! The evening section is darker with an emphasis on a full silhouette complemented by sheen fabrics, beading and more ruffles. One of the standout color looks in the collection is red top and skirt. The top is short sleeve mock neck shirt with sleeves and mock neck done in red lyrex and the body of the shirt done in a red synthetic taffeta. The skirt is another red high waist skirt done in read silk taffeta.

The must have pieces are two skirts; first is one of the closing skirts. A black crepe skirt with vertical lines in black sequins and beading and brown satin ribbon. The other must have skirt is one of the black leather skirts from the opening of the collection. It’s a high waisted skirt with an a-line silhouette worn with a lyrex and silk satin top. The key looks from the collection are all the leather pieces paired with strong pieces like taffeta tops or wool outerwear pieces. While Palermo’s use of last seasons ruffle is the only downside to the collection. Palermo presented a strong collection of key pieces for a woman today and tomorrow. Bravo Madame Palermo!

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Erik Hart’s inspiration this season melting black with a number sculpted pieces on the body. He did make the mistake of trying to throw in a few repeat trendy pieces like bubble shape sleeve jackets and dresses. He did show several outerwear pieces but tailored tightly on the arm and body. His womens collection is small this season and only a few standout pieces jumped out of the collection. He fluctuated the skirt length and kept pant legs loose. One of the standout pant looks is black wool baggy leg pant worn with an off-white dress shirt and suspenders. Another key piece from the collection is a gray wool “member’s only” jacket, which he reworked. Compared to its male counterpart, the womens collection certainly falls short this season. It would have been nice to see Goot play with his silhouette, loosen it up and relax the tailoring.

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Structured minimalism with an emphasis on the body! In short, body hugging and black, more black and a lot more black! What really jumped out is the abundant number of leather pieces in the collection. The opening section is a series of stretch wool pieces. The emphasis is on sexy silhouette and emphasized by little details like leather trim on dresses and jackets. One of the standout pieces in this section is a black knee length tank dress with strips of the black leather running horizontally down the dress. The second section has more leather pieces including jackets, shirts and tank tops. One of the standout pieces in this section is a cropped waist bomber jacket. Goot used a textured black leather for the jacket and the trim is done is black suede.

For the closing section Goot moved back to all black knit pieces. Everything is done in a light knit fabric, from the jackets to the tanks and dresses. One of the key dresses from the collection is the black jersey knit dress. The fabric around the bodice is treated creating a sheen on the fabric. Another key combination from the collection is Goot’s black knit tank worn with a black wool jacket. You can see some references from Donna Karan and even Azzadiene Aliah. The simplicity of the collection is one of the high points. The whole collection is done in all black with the texture of the fabrics the key design feature throughout the collection.

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Fashion Icon, Stylist, Editor, Visionary and Muse, Isabella Delves Broughton Blow died yesterday, May 6th, 2007 of cancer, according to her husband Detmar Blow’s spokesperson. Last year Isabella suffered injuries from a fall and was absent from the fashion world briefly. Blow’s husband has commented in the past that she had suffered from depression, but this cancer news makes more sense. The passing of Isabella Blow is a great loss for the Fashion World! She was one of the greatest fashion visionaries of the last 30 years. We don’t have to mention the names of the countless number of today’s designers that were blessed with the friendship or the creative mentorship of Isabella Blow. There will be a big bruise on the Spring/Summer 2008 runways of London, Paris and Milan. With love for Isabella Blow

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Designer Atil Kutoglu revisits some of top trends from the last 4 seasons for Fall 07. Starting with electric blue, brocades, metallic and even velvet fabrics. In the opening section she opened with 3 electric blue leather pieces. The operable word being leather, which is a big trend from Fall mens and hopefully for womenswear. One of my favorite pieces was a leather pencil skirt in black. Length is a key theme in the collection; Kutoglu plays with length from the opening section a little longer and shorter in the second section. With the short length Atil focuses on draping velvet and metallic fabrics. One of the standout pieces in this section is a floor length strapless gown done in a geometric shape and line velvet fabric. For the third section Kutoglu crosses sophisticate silhouettes with bold and sexy fabrics. Some looks are gold or silver but the standout looks were done in sheer black fabrics. One of the standout pieces in this section is the floor length black organza gown with a black silk taffeta sachet around the waist.

One of the show stopping pieces in the collection is not a dress or gown. It’s a fur coat, now I am not a big fan of fur, but this coat is flawless. Tailored in 30’s broad shoulder shape and done in black mink. The coat has broad shoulder and sleeve while the body of the coat is tailored close. To top the look off Kutoglu tied the waist off with a wide black leather belt and a pair of red patent leather high heel. Missing in the collection is a sense of adventure outside of the whole Herrera and De la Renta style. There were a handful of striking pieces in the collection but the repetitive pieces from past season were too distracting. Kutoglu has an eye for a styled woman but he really needs to experiment outside of the standard pieces people expect from a collection.

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For the design team at G-Star, the G-Star man is very strict with an edgy side to him. This aesthetic is combined with a long series of dark looks that move from biker modern to denim crazy. Each look gave us everything from strong outerwear pieces to great knit pieces. The opening section moved between two groupings, from all black looks to all denim. One of the top pieces in this section is a tailored black leather bomber jacket. A lot of the pants in the opening of the collection are tapered but design team did keep to a skinny leg pant for most of the collection. Another great outerwear piece in the opening section is a tailored navy blue jacket. The body of the jacket has a trench coat silhouette while the details are more military inspired.

The only non-black or gray pieces in the collection were in the middle of the collection. Those pieces actually made it to my top pick list. For the second section of the collection, they choose to do several denim looks. The stiffness of the fabric added great lines on the pieces. The looks were to out there to fit into the street chic look that G-Star was creating. Another crazy mix was the Edwardian style jackets and coats in the close of the collection. The must have pieces from the collection are the only two white pieces in the collection. First is the white linen vest that is double-faced with denim. The must have piece is the oversized bleached white denim overcoat with a wide lapel and collar. It was a little discerning that many New York designers lean towards the dark darker palettes for Fall/Winter. They tend to forget there is another side of the equator. What G-Star lacks is light in the collection, whether it is white period or some sort of color.

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Kim Jones opened his Fall/Winter collection in the new color trend this season, a lot of black, gray and white. For the second he used more blue, my favorite is his aqua blue pieces but then showed last season techno blue. One of the strongest pieces in the opening section is the color blocked jersey jacket. The jacket is done in a indigo blue and white jersey thick knit fabric. For the second section Jones adds more outerwear pieces. I was not a fan of the Barney Fief hats or the faux fur ball caps. On a positive note Jones did keep the pant leg this season tailored straight. Another great outerwear pieces in the second section is one of the most silly pieces in the collection. A black wool jumpsuit but Jones played with the classic jumpsuit and keeps the pant leg and sleeve short. The collar and opening as well as the sleeve and short cuff are lined in black faux fur. Yes it’s a silly piece but its playful and more importantly it unique and could be a great editorial piece.

The closing section is a move back to a dark color palette of black and navy blue. The strongest pieces from the collection are the outerwear pieces. One of the strongest pieces from the closing section is a black wool jacket. The sleeve and body of jacket is tailored with volume and the opening of the jacket is offset. A modern piece but Jones makes a statement by keeping the number of buttons limited and its mix between modern and volume make a statement. The must have piece from the collection is one of the unique pieces in the color. An all white look which Jones shows a white wool overcoat cropped bellow the waist. A modern piece but certainly a strong statement that dark sophistication and colorful sportswear do have a gray area. A lot of the pieces are oversized but Jones focused on color blocking them and heavy textured fabrics to tone down the volume. Some of the looks in the collection were just a little too bulky. Overall Jones gave us several strong pieces, not to mention great pants for Fall/Winter. Bravo Monsieur Jones!

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A modern twist on the New York nightlife with an emphasis on darkness and a sleek silhouette. Designer Erik Hart’s Fall/Winter collection really looks away from the colorfulness of life and towards seriousness. He takes on this season’s big trend of heavy outerwear. He keeps the sleeves of the coats and jackets very tailored to the arm. Hart also choose to show a lot of hats and gloves in the collection. He unfortunately keeps the pants tapered to the leg. One of the standout pieces in the opening section is a below the waist military coat done in a black brushed wool fabric. Another favorite look is the black thinly knit tank worn over a collarless short sleeve shirt. There were we no strong suit looks in the collection. Instead Hart focused on his outerwear and knit pieces.

The must have pieces from the collection are two dark pieces. First is the dark charcoal gray brushed-wool bomber jacket with the ribbed elastic done in black. The other must have piece is the dark charcoal cashmere/wool knit cardigan. The cardigan has a wide collar that drapes on the pieces and the front is done with a double-breasted style. The mens collection is certainly stronger compared to the womens. Almost every look had a strong piece incorporated into it. The focus is on a cleaner well-tailored look. There was no obvious definition from section to section, although the designer pointed out key images. The whole mens line really just melted into one modern Euro meets New York. Bravo Monsieur Hart!

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