New York Fashion Week

Here in Australia, the temperatures are already starting to rise as we shift into summer. So each September I absolutely adore seeing next year’s northern hemisphere spring/summer collections just in time to draw inspiration into my summer wardrobe.  I’ve picked up on a few trends that I am really loving: pastels, knee length skirts and prints galore... graphic prints on plain white or black, cute candy prints and florals of all varieties. 

I couldn’t find just one label that I absolutely loved so I managed to narrow it down to five.  So I apologise for the overly long post but this amount of new material only comes around twice a year in the world of fashion.  And of course, I will try to evaluate London, Paris and Milan as well... all in good time though (uni assessment season is coming around extremely fast much to my horror).

Preen

I’ve always had a soft spot for Preen and this collection has only reinforced that.  Around nine of the looks from the beginning of the show all utilised some element of a pastel, square print that has me obsessed.  The colours, the prints, the styles it was all just perfect in my eyes.

Zac Posen

Posen included a fair few formal/ball gowns in his show which is something not a lot of others have done.  It’s not a bad idea since he doesn’t have the luxury of couture shows but still wants to establish himself as a big player in the awards ceremony circuit, if you could call it that.  After Carrie Bradshaw’s three bridesmaids’ dresses which were all perfectly matching but mismatched Posen has caught my eye as a maker of amazing gowns.  Darker colours have mainly be used, not an obvious choice for spring or summer but he makes it work.  I also like the ‘suit jacket feel’ that appears in the first few looks.

Ralph Lauren

Definitely channelling The Great Gatsby, he was the costume designer for the original movie, Lauren has ticked all the boxes – pastels, great hats, 1920s silhouettes.  All this is getting me even more excited for the new Great Gatsby movie currently being shot in Sydney, hopefully it will do the book justice!

Alice + Olivia

What a mix!  There was everything from 1960s and 70s inspired styles, neon colours, pretty florals and candy stripes.  I don’t know how they managed to incorporate all of these ‘ingredients’ and not dish up a less than appetising product but they did it.  And I am loving the hats, nothing says summers day quite like a bright oversized brimmed hat. 

Derek Lam

Derek Lam’s collection comprised of patterns, prints, bold colours and knee length skirts.  I know, it sounds like every other designer I have talked about but I don’t know what it is, I just love it all.  The first word that popped into my head while viewing the stills from the show was ‘cool.’  It just all came together perfectly and had a great summery feel to it.  He also incorporated some leather into the collection which is something I haven’t seen as much of as previous seasons.

Cannot wait to get into pastels this summer!  But I must keep an open mind and wait to see what the next few weeks deliver.