Womenswear Archives


July 06, 2007

PARIS Women’s F/W 07 – JUNKO SHIMADA

Shimada’s Fall/Winter inspiration is a young and playful look, the seasons are getting hotter so the color palette dabbles into a spring color wheel. The opening section is all bright and vibrant colors. Shimada’s knits are a mix between cashmere and angora done vibrant multi-color South American prints. One best example of these sweaters is a wide neckline cashmere and angora blend sweater with the South American design done in black, yellow and brown on a white background. The look is finished with a powered blue silk satin top and a yellow knee-length skirt with a white lace shell that has been embroidered with black bubbles. This combination look was shown in several different color combinations. Another great combination is the south America design done in red/purple/green and blue on a pink background. The powder blue skirt is shorter and done in pencil skirt silhouette with a white lace shell and black embroidered bubbles.

The second section is all about texture and print, Shimada showed a series of knee-length skirt and dress looks. She even included more prints in to the collection, from paisley and gradient prints paired with feather top or detailing. The third section moves back to knits and the knits get heavier. The skirt is shorter and shockingly enough the designer pops out two leather looks. First a bellow the knee leather trench coat with a wide lapel and collar. The other look is a wide lapel and collar bomber jacket worn with a honey yellow silk lame pencil skirt. Both leather jackets are done in very rich honey orange leather. For the evening section Shimada moves to a black and white palette. She experiments with showing several sexy black dresses with very little embellishments. One piece did stick out like a sore thumb, the Marcel Marceau diamond print jacket.

Some designers really jump out with one of the hottest accessories for the season. This season Junk Shimada showed a her looks with a new Japanese and 40’s inspired heel. I cannot rave enough about these heels. It’s a cross between the 40’s boxy open toed heels with a Japanese style platform heel. Shimada kept of the 40’s references and made them pop by doing all the heels in vibrant silk satin. My favorites are the two-tone heels with the matching fabric rosette on top. The key or hot colors are the vibrant and rich purple silk satin shoe and the emerald green version.

One of the must have looks is a cascading ruffle skirt worn with a feather covered collarless jacket. The skirt is done in a black and mauve gradient print, which matches the gray and mauve feathers on the jacket. The other must have looks is Shimada’s 40’s style polka-dot cocktail dress. A black sheer knit dress is covered in a sheer silk tulle fabric with white polka dots and the edges are scalloped and finished in white hem. Of coarse to complete the look you need Shimada’s emerald green silk satin heel. Shimada’s collection for Fall is a bright relief from all the black we’ve seen from New York to Paris. The collection is youthful and really sends a strong statement to Parisian women. Young and playful is not a look for Spring/Summer. Bravo Madame Shimada!

View complete collection at Wireimage

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PARIS Women’s F/W 07 – JEFEN

Sherlock Holmes meets Katherine Hepburn, masculine chic with a girly twist! To open the collection designer Frankie Xie focused on a literal translation of both Holmes and Hepburn. From the high waisted pant looks or the detective style cape coats and ponchos. The color palette is very earthy from brown to greens and dark grays. One of the literal looks was a tight Windsor check brown wool coat. The sleeves are cropped to half-length and the body of the jacket is tailored in a straight line. For the second section Xie starts to focus on more knit pieces in each look. One of my favorites knit pieces from this section is a powder blue cashmere cable knit poncho style sweater. The hem of the sweater is styled on a bias creating a bell shape to the poncho. The look is topped of long white cashmere scarf and a pair of Xie’s wide draped leg Windsor check pant.

This season Frankie Xie played with new draping and emphasized on volume on a few looks. One key piece in the second section is a cropped Windsor check wool jacket. The opening of the jacket is draped at the front and tied off with a waist belt. The third section has more of tailored look and in a very strict color palette of black/gray and white. One of the standout pieces in this section is a gray silk taffeta mini dress. He pairs a box shape neckline with the box shape mini sleeves on the shoulder. The bottom of the dress has black silkscreen print of a garden silhouette. For the evening section Frankie chose to move away from natural color and gives us rich black velvet and purple satin pieces. The first half of the collection is very strong and clearly defined. Xie tried to experiment with several looks and styles through out the collection. The closing section was a big miss with the metallic baby doll dresses. There was a little color in the collection with purple in the evening and emerald green in the opening section. If the designer had incorporated these great colors in more of the collection the collection would have really popped out at the buyers and editors.

View complete collection at Wireimage

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July 05, 2007

PARIS Women’s F/W 07 – SONIA RYKIEL

Sonia Rykiel opened the collection with a lot of volume and knits. Cloud like silhouettes, draped lines and short as can be for Rykiel, right above the knee. In the second section Sonia toys between her cloud silhouette and her classic Parisian tailoring and keeps the color palette very muted in most of looks. She does introduce one print into the collection a black and tan peacock feather print similar to a moiré taffeta design. She used the print on a draped wool overcoat. The collar and sleeves are over draped creating a heavy look to the coat. Another great outerwear piece is on of Rykiel’s black wool cropped opera coat. The over draped body of the coat and wide set collar is new Parisian chic with a shorter length.

This season Rykiel did show a lot of black on the runway, a classic for Rykiel. The silhouette in the third section is all over the place; from the draped jackets to the sheer spider knit dresses or the loose print pieces. One of the best pieces in this section is one of the spider-knit dresses, which Rykiel covered with embroidery and beaded cartoon figures like Betty Boop. Simple smock dress the cartoon details and the shock of hot pink on the dress popped on the runway. For the evening section Sonia played with several wide leg pantsuit looks and even barrowed last seasons rosette and ruffles details. The last series of multi-color faux fur jackets are an “it” piece for the season. Rykiel touched on every color from mauve, hot pink, black and navy blue. My favorite is the sleeveless olive green faux fur jacket worn with a olive green cashmere turtleneck dress.

For must have pick at Rykiel I have chosen to very basic pieces but strong pieces. First is a pair of Sonia’s black silk crepe baggy leg pant with matching black crepe suspenders. The other must have piece is the stone white wool trench coat. The coat has a box shape shoulder and the bottom of the coat is flared from the hip. Some of the strongest pieces from Rykiel this season are not her signature Parisian bundled up looks, instead its her skimpier pieces in the collection. Overall the collection has endless number options for the Rykiel client, from her finely tailored outerwear pieces to her chic baggy leg pant suits or her new less is more pop print dresses. Bravo Madame Rykiel!

View complete collection at Wireimage

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PARIS Women’s F/W 07 – ATSURO TAYAMA

One of the shinning highlights of Paris fashion week is certainly Atsuro Tayama; the light is shining bright at Tayama because of his use of color. This season he takes 60’s tailoring in a shocking Mondrian color palette. The opening section really jumped into the whole Mondrian color palette with a series of outerwear pieces in vibrant shades of blue, red and yellow. This season Tayama gave his outerwear pieces a slight heavy silhouette but he keeps it very tailored to the body. The second section has more day pieces including a emphasis on prints and bold designs and prints. From mod prints to mod style striping or color blocking in diamond shapes. One of the standout pieces is a black and red zigzag and diamond silk merino knit dress with heavy cashmere knit collar. For the third section he gets a little more serious and a little flashy at the same time. Like the sequined jacket and a series of plaid wool jackets and skirts. One of the standout looks is a red-patent leather jacket with a Cardin wide collar worn with a short black and red tartan design wool skirt.

Tayama shifts back to a mod look with a series of solid color wool outerwear pieces tailored in Pierre Cardin silhouette. One of the standout outerwear pieces is a black and white plaid wool overcoat with a ¾ length sleeve and wide Cardin collar. For the fourth section Tayama switches again to a more playful silhouette with shorted dresses and showing more skin with halter-top dresses and plunging necklines. Atsuro also uses a reworked paisley print that is concentrated in one color after another. The closing section is a series of bubble shape pieces, from jackets to dresses and skirts. The tailoring earlier in the collection is such a strong statement, the bubble shape pieces really subtract from the whole vision of the collection. But Tayama closed with one of the strongest knit pieces from the Paris Fashion Week. Light gray cashmere knit dress with a high ribbed knit collar.

The must have pieces from the collection are two perfect editorial pieces. First is one of Tayama’s outerwear pieces in the opening section. A bright blue wool overcoat with rolled collar. The front of the coat is sculpted into layered shape that is reminiscent of Cardin styles from the 60’s. The other must have piece from the collection is one of the paisley print dresses. A sleeveless tunic dress done in a black/red/white paisley print on silk jersey. The plunging neckline and hem of the skirt are timed in wide ban black silk jersey. What I really took away from this collection is the first ¾ of the collection is such a strong statement and clear vision for Tayama. His eye for tailoring is clearly defined, focused and executed. Sadly the end of the collection was moving in a wrong direction. Overall Tayama gave us collection of endless bold looks and pieces. Thank you for no giving us a sea of black! Bravo Monsieur Tayama!

View complete collection at Wireimage

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PARIS Women’s F/W 07 – GIAMBATTISTA VALLI

This season Valli’s inspiration is a cross between American Prairie and Parisian decadence. A heavy constructed silhouette! But first I have to get this out, “Carol Ann walk to the light”, those hats, come on! The opening section is a series of black looks with a few prints pieces here and there. The lengths of the dresses are short while the outerwear pieces are long and the pant leg is straight to the floor. One of the strongest outerwear statements in the opening section is the print pieces. One great piece is black/white/yellow modern print on a heavy wool fabric. The coat is collarless and has a ¾ length sleeve with a bubble shape cuff. Another great look from the opening section is Valli’s bell-bottom pantsuit. The pants have slim tailored leg down to the knee and then Valli flares the fabric to the floor in a bell bottom shape. The matching jacket is tightly tailored in the sleeve and torso.

In the second section Valli shifts to a black and white color palette and the emphasis is on blacking the black and white pieces or incorporating more prints. The inspiration for the prints is certainly taken from St. Laurent’s animal and pop prints from the 80’s. While the color blocking is derived from Mondrian’s artwork. The third section is more of the same shapes but the designer gets frilly and girly. Adding tight layers of ruffles or bundles of feathers on top or the hem of dresses. While I find these pieces are take inspiration from past seasons, Valli’s craftsmanship and choice of fabrics really make the pieces and looks standout. One of the best examples is Valli’s black and white contrast bubble print silk cocktail dress. The top of the dress is covered in black and white quail feathers down to the bottom of the bust line. The bust line of the dress is trimmed with a black velvet ribbon and bow, which then connects to the black/white print skirt. Another strong cocktail dress in the evening section is a short length empire waist cocktail dress in black silk taffeta. The top of the dress is covered in large black crystals. Valli gives the dress small caps on the shoulder, reminiscent of the shoulder cap at Lagerfeld’s last collection for Chanel.

Valli’s must have outerwear piece from the collection is his wide set collar overcoat. The coat is done in a black and purple version of the contrast bubble print on silk taffeta. The other must have piece from the collection is his white strapless silk crepe cocktail dress worn with a side black belt around the waist. The bust line of the dress is covered in layers of tight white ruffles and pleats. The only color piece in the collection was a red silk taffeta dress. The statement for this collection is to bring back the little dress and give us a girly and playful looks. While I loved the constraint of the black and white color palette, I could only imagine how much more powerful the collection would have been with more color. In the end the collection is a great féte! Bravo Monsieur Valli!

View complete collection at Wireimage

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July 04, 2007

Dior Welcomes Back Mulder and Boscono

Galliano’s recent Fall/Winter Couture collection was not a show stopping parade of devastating design and vision. Instead Galliano distracted the attendee’s with some seldom seen faces on the catwalk. Naomi and Shalom are not models to write home about, they’ll show up at the drop of an invitation from Galliano. Instead it was two other former supermodels, one took to old tactics and the other reemerged from seclusion. First up was the infamous chameleon taking another swing at being a red-head! Linda Evangelista dyed her hair red prior to show; some gossiped that she jumped back to red to stand out over the shocking return of Karen Mulder to the runway.

Mulder, one of the blond bombshells of the late 80’s supermodel wave which carried into the 90’s, she abandoned the runway and fashion world after a long battle with depression, a suicide attempt that put her in a coma and failed attempt at music career. In late 2006 Mulder gave birth to her daughter Anna and after her almost 10 year hiatus she reemerged on the couture runways. Now as much as I love Linda for attempting to bring back the red, it’s such a desperate attempt to one-up Karen. Karen Mulder takes the crown for best entrance for the new season of shows. Now I would love to see Karen at Chanel.

Another big return to the runway at the Dior Couture show was the triumphant return of the black hair vixen Mariacarla Boscono. She’s has been absent from the runways for the last two seasons. Although Galliano continues is excessive need to reinvent Dior’s new look, this season the collection was a dud. The show stopping parade of supermodels was the only card he could play. Galliano seemed to have phoned it in this season. While I adore the trumpet return of Mulder and Boscono, the collection lacked drive or direction. Even the models makeup made this point. Galliano is known for visionary partnership with Pat McGrath but this season only regular models had some sort of paint on their faces. While their mentors appeared fresh faced for the perfect photo ops! Some have even blamed the blasé collection on the recent passing of Galliano’s right hand man Steven Robinson. There might be some truth to this notion as Galliano has always been the personality of the design team while Robinson gave it energy and life. We miss you Steven Robinson, we really do!

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July 02, 2007

PARIS Women’s F/W 07 – NINA RICCI

A long awaited collection; the first collection for Olivier Theyskens was a combined inspiration of the swan lake ballet with Theyskens aesthetic of a relaxed silhouette with an American sportswear feel. The opening section is a series of heavy knit pieces and then moving into sculpted pant and skirt looks. One of the strong knit pieces in the opening section is a pale gray cashmere/angora ribbed knit dress with long sleeve. The hem of the skit is finished with scalloped knit shape. The color palette is soft shades of white, pale grays moving into black and darker grays. Theyskens opted for a skinny leg pant for the season. Another great pieces from the opening section are the white bias zip front jersey jacket worn with a matching light knit bias neckline top.

In the second section Theyskens moves away from a structured silhouette into a series of draped dress’s/gowns and oversized sweaters/coats. One of the key knit pieces in this section is a thick weave gray angora poncho. The poncho is knit with a scalloped hem and worn with an ankle length gray jersey dress. In the third section Theyskens shifts back to a structure look and focuses on matching pieces like skirt and blazer combinations. One of these combination looks is in the evening section a floor length gray silk crepe gown embellished with stripes of silver crystals and stripes of crepe-covered buttons. .

What is really lacking in the first three sections is a strong statement or looks that Theyskens is known for. Its not until the evening section that we start to see Theyskens really start to loosen up. The evening section is his classic floor length Theyskens silhouettes and the emphasis is on draping fabrics and emphasizing different parts of the body, like a draped bust line. One of the show stopping gowns the exhibit this is one of Theyskens origami style gowns at the close of the collection. A white silk chiffon and crepe gown with stiff swirls of fabric draped around the bus line and arm. The seaming and stiff swirls are embellished with white ostrich feathers. Another great evening look are Theyskens floor length stripe silk chiffon gowns. The gowns are constructed with strips of chiffon draped on a bias. One of the standout gowns is a white and yellow silk chiffon gown that he pieces the strips of white chiffon with yellow chiffon.

The two must have pieces from the evening section are two contrast looks for Theyskens. First is one of Theyskens bias opening leather jackets. The leather is oil treated and the opening is places on side of the hip and zips up to the opposite shoulder. The other must have piece is one of stiff swirl gowns. The gown is a strapless floor length gown that Theyskens drapes with tiers of cascading colored silk chiffon. The tiers move from a pale yellow at the bust line to lime green at the hem of the gown. This collection is certainly more of a Theyskens collection rather than a Nina Ricci collection. For the past decade the House of Ricci has struggled to really get a designer to come in and really define the Ricci woman for today. Finally the House has realized that they just need a designer who can come in with their own image and build the house back up and slowly start to reference Madame Ricci later on. Even Lagerfeld didn’t start at the House of Chanel by mimicking the classic tweed suits. Bravo Monsieur Theyskens!

View complete collection at Wireimage

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PARIS Women’s F/W 07 – SYBILLA

This season Sybilla Sorondo focused on a draped silhouette with hints of the 30’s in the looks. The opening section looks are emphasized on a structured suit look with a draped knit or fur piece. The color palette moves from olive green to black and even burgundy. One the highlight pieces in the opening section is a olive chenille and cashmere knit poncho. The poncho is shaped on a bias like a cape. Sorondo shows the piece with draped leg pant. The second section is the introduction of leather pieces and more structured silhouette pieces. One of the misses is the use of ruffles and giving dresses a bubble hem. One trendy accessory that just seems to continue to look hot season after season is the crotch length leather boots. For the third section Sybilla Sorondo keeps to black and contrast it with textured fabrics and treatments. For the evening section she goes skimpy with sheer fabrics paired with black fur pieces or ruffles covered cropped pants. Then finally the designer adds some color in the evening dresses and gowns. Although I didn’t like how the Sonondo cropped the length of the gowns to show off the matching leather boots. One of the standout evening gowns is a olive green silk organza gown with little circle cutouts of the same organza fabric covering the top of the dress and lightly scattered on the skirt of the gown.

The must have piece from the collection is Sybilla Sorondo black faux fur jacket. The sleeves have a bell bottom drape from the shoulder and the collar is an oversized Mao collar. Sorondo adds more structure to the piece by putting gray pinstripes on the fur. One statement you can really take from this collection is that Sorondo is really focused on a luxurious look for the collection. There are endless options for the little black dress in this collection. What really stood out are the very sculpted pieces to the looser silhouette pieces.

View complete collection at Wireimage

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July 01, 2007

PARIS Women’s F/W 07 – ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

This season McQueen’s inspiration was taken from witches and the mystical and dark side of the craft. Many commented the collection is another safe collection for McQueen showing reconstructed or possibly omitted pieces from previous collections. While I can see that McQueen barrowed heavily from past collection, what most didn’t notice is the new shape and inspiration in a few pieces. Easily missed because McQueen didn’t show them as flashy, heavily decadent looks. Rather they were very simple and the emphasis on the new silhouette that McQueen is working on. This new shape is a broader hip or shoulder, very sculpted and reminiscent of the flattering shapes of the Victoria period. The first section is very mix match in terms of silhouette but McQueen focuses on one length for dresses and outerwear. For the second section we start to see some of the previous collections looks, like the bondage looks and the goddess dresses. In the third section McQueen takes this seasons leather trend and does leather on everything but outerwear pieces. One of the standout leather pieces is a burgundy leather strapless dress with a sculpted silhouette worn with shoulder length burgundy leather gloves and burgundy fur wrap around neck and shoulders.

McQueen used a lot of leather in the details of this collection, from the shoulder length gloves, belts, boots and bags. One of the key looks highlighting these great leather pieces is the white silk jersey wrap dress with a wide hooded collar and lapel. To complete the look McQueen added burgundy leather accessories, from the triple strap on the waist, the shoulder length gloves to the textured and studded burgundy leather boots and handbag. He does however move away from the clean line structure to a billowy and romantic silhouette for evening. The strongest pieces are his slimmer evening gowns beaded with shooting star storms. One of the standout pieces is a midnight black velvet floor length gown. The mock neckline, shoulder are beaded in crystals in star shower shooting down to the waist of the gown.

The two must have pieces from the collection are two of Alexander McQueen’s new dramatic silhouette pieces. First is a gold metallic off the shoulder dress. The sleeves and hips are sculpted and the skirt length is short. Another must have piece is the black silk satin coat with the seaming highlighted by black crystal beading. The sleeves of the coat are black leather and are tailored to the arm like a glove. After 5 seasons of non-stop show stopper collection, McQueen does deserve some time off for good behavior. While many editors and critics slammed him for an unimaginative collection. They are spoiled because they expected more of a spectacular and nonstop romp of flawless pieces and looks. Bottom line the collection is safe and McQueen gave us strong pieces that are a second chance to grab classic McQueen style pieces. More importantly McQueen gives us a little hint for the future, a new shape and a new vision. Bravo Monsieur McQueen!

View complete collection at Wireimage

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June 29, 2007

PARIS Women’s F/W 07 – AKRIS

Albert Kriemier’s Fall/Winter collection opened with ruffles! A slow start! The opening section is slinky black with a lot of sheen silks trimmed in delicate ruffles. He opens with a lot of all black looks and then shifts into a dark gray looks. The shape and silhouette is very close to the body, from the skirts and dresses to the outerwear pieces. I really love the pieces with the tiers of black faux fur layered vertically on black crepe and chiffon. One of the standout pieces in the opening section is a knee-length long sleeve dress; the black chiffon is covered in the tiers of fur. The dress look is topped with a deep indigo wool sleeveless safari jacket. The second section jumps out of the dark palette and into shocks of color like magenta and soft shades of white. The silhouette slightly loosens up but I don’t like the little fabric box pieces.

In the third section Kriemier moves back to grays and blacks and the silhouette tightens up again. But the designer starts to add heavy volume top pieces to the looks. For evening he focuses on giving the looks more shine and depth with a few print pieces. One of the must have pieces is a white wool overcoat with a black chiffon shell. I know the piece is a copy from the Dolce & Gabbana collection, but Kriemier’s gives the coat modern construction rather than voluptuous sculpted silhouette at D&G. The other must have piece from the collection is one of the black chiffon cocktail dresses covered in tiers of faux fur trim in black. This dress is unique because Albert spaced the tiers adding more lines to the dress. The inspiration for the collection is fluid. While there was very little color in the collection Albert’s detailed fabrics and clean silhouette are a marriage. He opted to steer clear of this season’s looser shape but a lot of the strongest looks in the collection are some of his heavily detailed piece looks. I felt the collection was perfect just as is, no need for more color and no need for more volume. Bravo Monsieur Kriemier!

View complete collection at Wireimage

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June 28, 2007

Milan Women’s F/W 07 – ALVIERO MARTINI

Martini’s inspiration for Fall/Winter is a mix between an English Burberry style and with an American sportswear silhouette. The opening section is a series of looks incorporating a lot of decadent fabrics like velvet, tweed, wool and denim. The silhouette in this section is very strict. The pants are tight on the leg, a trend that is slowly dying. The highlight of the opening is the outerwear pieces. One of these standout outerwear pieces is a gray tweed overcoat with strict silhouette and the opening of the coat offset. The coat appears heavy even with the turtleneck collar. The second section moves away from the strict silhouette and plays with a more American sportswear silhouette with looser shapes and straight leg pant. One great look is Martini’s straight leg pant in brown wool tweed and topped with a brown jersey hooded top with a plunging neckline.

Martini keeps to heavy fabrics but the color palette stays in neutrals with a lot of browns and whites. One of the miss looks is the parka style leather jacket. Another great look from the second section is a pair of Martini’s brown tweed pants worn with a calf length off white knit cardigan and brown knit jersey top. The third section has Martini moving back to a stricter silhouette with several tapered leg pant looks. He also tailors the gowns and cocktail dresses for evening very close opts for the perfect black dress or gown. One of the bold pieces of the collection is a black-brushed wool coat. The coat has a strong shoulder and the opening is offset and hemmed at the knee. A classic piece and certainly a big sell for Martini. The second section is certainly the highlight of the collection. It would have been great to see Martini and his design team, focus on the new silhouette of the seasons, which he touched on lightly and abandoned the strict silhouette he used through out the collection.

View complete collection at Wireimage

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Milan Women’s F/W 07 – C’N’C COSTUME NATIONAL

Ennio Capasa inspiration for Fall/Winter is a new world look. The body is covered and the look is layered but a strict silhouette. The opening section is all black and moving into some grays. One of the standout pieces is a black textured and treated leather biker jacket. The second section has a hint of color in one red piece in a sea of gray looks and then shift back into a sea of black. Capasa opted to show an abundant number of outerwear this season although the only fluid statement is a more of edgy/utility look to the outerwear pieces. The outerwear pieces are detailed with straps; decadent fabrics like suede or draped with a new shape like a long front and cropped back. Another great piece is Capasa’s dark olive green bushed wool jacket. The jacket is loose on the torso and cropped at the waist. The sleeves are over draped with the collar done in turtleneck style.

cncfw07 3.png The third section has more red pieces added to the collection and a few persimmon color pieces. Sadly the shape or silhouette Ennio worked toward in the closing section is full but its created by a bubble hem on a skirt or jacket. One of the standout dress looks in the collection is a long sleeve black cashmere knit dress with a turtleneck. The front of the dress is designed with two zipper openings running from the neck to the hem. Another key look from Capasa is the loosely tailored suit in the closing section. A loosely tailored mens blazer worn with a straight full leg pant, with the highlight of the collection being the outerwear pieces, the complete look of layered tops under tightly tailored outerwear pieces was too busy and too confusing. There are a few great retail pieces but editorially the collection is missing those bold pieces. Although the black knit dresses with strips of black leather, also missing is a variance of color. I would love to have seen more pieces play with the red and persimmon colors.

View complete collection at Wireimage

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Milan Women’s F/W 07 – ALBERTA FERRETTI

To open her Fall/Winter 07’ collection, designer Alberta Ferretti toned it down. She focused on full silhouette in a dark color palette with only one color splashed on the opening section, a dark shade of emerald. Ferretti did take up a few of this season trends like the heavy outerwear pieces and her print looks. One of the standout outerwear pieces is the draped black wool coat with the sleeve over draped with a bubble shape hem. The coat is belted below the bust line creating a pleat on the coat. For the second section Alberta introduced brown in the color palette with an emphasis on brown leather, beading and prints. One of the key leather pieces is a classic a-line light brown leather coat. The collar is oversized with metal studs detailing the front seaming and covering the collar, pocket openings and sleeve cuffs.

Then, Ferretti moves back to black for the third section with mild shades of gray. Overall this section is a little less inspired than the previous sections. The highlight of the collection are the closing evening looks, from the playful feather detailed black cocktail dresses or the gorgeous column evening gowns in black. The gowns are highlighted by prints, feathers, moiré taffeta, velvet and heavy beading. On the best cocktail dresses is a black silk chiffon simple sleeveless tube dress covered in the deco style bead design. Another great evening look is a square shoulder layered evening gown. Ferretti’s sunset print layered with black tulle beaded and trimmed in black ostrich feathers. The top of the gown is detailed with a beaded deco design.

The must have pieces from the collection are two of Ferretti bold cocktail dresses. First is one of Ferretti’s deco style beaded gowns. The dress is a caramel color knit dress covered in a layer of sheer black chiffon covered in the heavily beaded deco design, top to bottom. The other must have piece is one of Ferretti’s feather cocktail dresses. A box shape a-line dress with ¾ length sleeve in black silk crepe with the body of the dress is finished with strips of black silk satin spaced between bands black and white quail feathers. Most certainly one of the most elegant and grossly understated collections Ferretti has created in a while. Missing is her young, sexy and colorful looks. Instead Ferretti gives us a trend collection of black pieces and earthy brown pieces for day. Bravo Madame Ferretti!

View complete collection at Wireimage

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