Friday, February 18, 2011

New York, Part 1

I hope I haven't inconvenienced anyone by delaying my post on New York Fashion Week until it has been finished! I (rightly) anticipated that The Brasch would have a busy week, and was quite certain that I wouldn't be able to keep up with her as I did in Barcelona... But here you have it, a successful week over seas, and we're ready to head to London! Here's a rundown of Caroline's week in the Big Apple:

Caro hit the ground running in New York, starting with two looks at BCBG Max Azria. I've always loved her at BCBG; something about the minimalist look really works with her face, I suppose. No surprises with the BCBG collection this season; Azria keeps on keeping on with the same aesthetic he's been working for a few seasons now. No complaints from this corner, mind you.


She followed BCBG up with a stellar performance at Richard Chai Love, which is an appropriate title, I feel. The comfortable, chic, menswear-inspired looks that we see from Chai each season are consistent but not annoyingly so. Caroline had one look at Love, which was all that was afforded to any of the models at the show (in case anyone was heatedly thinking she should have had more :P). Also, it was a tight squeeze getting to Richard Chai in time after BCBG... Their start times were only an hour apart!


That was the end of the day for Caroline (if you can call a day quits at 12:30PM, anyway... I hope she had herself a cat nap in there somewhere), but she returned to the runway for Jason Wu on Friday. She played the part of walking ball of feathers excellently, I have to say. I was quite intrigued with the lace face masques, myself, and pleased with the mystery they added the collection. I was also struck by how present Caroline's eyes were, despite being covered over like that. They really stood out in a piercing sort of way that was almost arresting.


I was expecting to see her at Rag & Bone later in the day, and was a little disappointed to see that she didn't walk. When I later came across pictures of her backstage at Rag & Bone, I was even more confused by her absence from the runway. It was later revealed that she had taken ill, so I suppose this was the reason for her skipping the show, though it was clearly a last minute decision, as she did arrive at 82 Mercer with the intention of taking to the runway, it seems.

Saturday was the dawn of a new day, and a newly energized Caro made up for lost time with shows at Edun,  Jill Stuart, Prabal Gurung, Alexander Wang, AND Altuzarra. Loooordie, I get exhausted just by thinking about it, especially after her sick day. But I suppose this is the way the business works, after all.

At Edun, The Brasch had two looks. I was particularly fond of the second one, in black. The tribal influences in the cut aways were kind of cool, and their placement complimented her body very nicely.


Jill Stuart saw another two looks added to the day's tally, and a repeat of the favouring of the red-orange colour on Caroline (previously noted at BCBG). Oranges and brown were very central to Stuart's collection, which incorporated a woodland feel with owl and fox prints on various pieces (you see one example in Caroline's first look, below).


At Prabal Gurung, Caroline had two more looks on the day. Her first was a knee-length dress with an embellished, loose-fitting bodice and drop waist, and feathered skirt and sleeves, while her second incorporated a languid, sheer dress, suited with a massive purple fur coat. Gurung was drawing on the Miss Havisham of Dickins' Great Expectations for the collection, which mirrored the character's old elegance, but also the hardness of a woman who's heart has been broken.


The Brasch had one look at Alexander Wang, where the designer made to mock luxury, and succeeded in doing so. But he also managed to make his perversion look beyond cool and very wearable. So we don't feel too badly about our indulgences. However, Caroline's heel is looking a little worse for wear. I guess that's the price one pays for fashion. Good thing she's "stuck on Bandaid brand".


The day finished with my favorite piece of outerwear that has been shown in New York thus far: a majestic white parka. In keeping with the show's utilitarian theme, this was paired with a heavily embellished white gown and furry heeled sandals. Well, utilitarian in the sense that her upper body was warm, anyway.


Sunday began with Derek Lam at 10:00. At this point, I started wondering if Caroline was ever going to open/close any shows. It seems that she's always second, third, or fourth on the runway, but never first. Harrrumph. No doubt she'll open something... eventually. I also noted the absence of that (arguably) charming cheek sucking. Curiosities abound in New York this season.


Next up was Preen, with a collection that saw designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi continue to create their tailored womenswear looks, this time focusing on the use of a geometric print with floral elements, which I thought really highlighted the blending of femininity with masculine characteristics that has become the label's forte.


A few hours later, she made an appearance at the esteemed Diane von Furstenburg, where she had one look. The print had me chuckling a little bit... No reminders necessary for me, but I'm sure there are plenty of people that need reminding that Caroline has talent in spades. As do you, Madame Furstenburg. 


Sunday was ended with two looks at Tommy Hilfiger, our go-to-guy when it comes to classic American sportswear, here inspired by rocker arm candy. This season, his eminence put the doozie in the details. The Hilfiger girl may look like the rockstar's girlfriend when viewed from afar, and with this collection, it is ensured that her perceived role isn't diminished under the microscope of the paparazzi. Having said that, am I wrong to think that a rockstar's girlfriend would dress less business-like? 


Part 2 in a mo! 

Photos courtesy of vogue.it 

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