My favourite show of all? A tricky one to be sure, but if pressed I'd probably plump for Mulberry, above (yep, a British label!). It was just all incredibly wearable but also with a hint of It-girl edginess. Ladylike belted jackets and skirts still looked young and fresh when done in a chic, neutral colour palette and fluid textures. All the models sported identical shaggy fringed redhead wigs, showing that the allure of beautiful flame-haired girls such as Karen Gillan and model-of-the-moment Julia Johansen (who was the hair inspiration for the wigs) is yet to fade, and these somehow hippy-esque wigs perfectly tempered any outfit that might otherwise have been verging on too ladylike. Mainly though, I loved the fact that you really could take any of the outfits and wear them straight off the catwalk. I'm all for designers experimenting, but ultimately we want to be able to wear the clothes, don't we? Mulberry was also a winner in my book for its absolutely stellar front row, the cream of the crop. Both of my two favourite frow-ers, Alexa Chung and Olivia Palermo, were there, and both sported not one but two delectable ensembles (one each to the show and the after-party. Oh to be a celebrity...) The lovely Gemma Arterton also put in an appearance. The best outfit of the bunch was, in my opinion, that which Miss Chung wore to the show itself (below). She showed us exactly how to do the midi-length without looking frumpy: team with tousled hair, some seriously enviable bag-candy, and a bright lip. Done.
Another highlight was the label that is patron saint of the New York cool-girl, Proenza Schouler (below). Apart from being one of the few design houses captained by two delectable-looking young men (sadly they probably bat for the other team), Proenza Schouler never fails to deliver a brand of effortless American chic beloved by such inimitably cool girls as Chloe Sevigny and the Olsen twins. This collection was even more gorgeous and wearable than its predecessors, and will surely be making an appearance on many a celebrity's form within weeks. Highlights included dressed-down skirt suits in loose, slouchy fabrics, the juxtaposition of corals, greys and nudes, a very chic take on tie-dye and mid-length, loosely cut semi-sheer dresses in shades of summer brights that had the potential to convert even a colour-phobe like me. All in all, an effortless, wearable masterpiece of a collection. Front row highlights were Elisa Sednaoui (Karl Lagerfeld's muse and model of the moment) and Leigh Lezark (erm... Karl Lagerfeld's muse and model of the moment...)
Now for a show that I haven't actually seen all of, but must give a special mention to. Whitney Eve is the label belonging to reality star Whitney Port, and if you are as a big a fan of The City as I am (actually, not possible: I love it to bits), you will know that she is an absolute sweetheart and will probably, like me, want her to be your friend. Anyway after having been underwhelmed by her AW'10 collection (too much gold, lurex and velvet), I am seriously impressed with what I've seen of her SS'11 presentation, which she debuted on Saturday. So far I've only seen behind-the-scenes snaps on her blog, but if the gorgeous khaki jumpsuit the designer herself wore to the presentation (below) is anything to go by, I am going to love it all.
There are many many more shows I would love to mention... Richard Chai really impressed me with his gorgeous neutral colour palette and clever experimentation with sheer textures. Alexander Wang's collection failed to instil much love in me at first sight (not feeling the grungy hair and piercings thing), but it definitely had some standout pieces and I'm sure when SS'11 comes around, so will I. Preen was, as ever, simply lovely: beautifully cut dresses in crisp tennis whites interspersed with sheer blacks and blues. Again, just really wearable. At Calvin Klein, Francisco Costa stuck to what he does best - simple, beautiful architectural tailoring - and it will surely pay off with his many fans. 3.1 Phillip Lim also lived up to my expectations as a NYFW highlight (and no doubt devotee Alexa Chung, who looked lovely in the front row, was also impressed). Lim referenced a slightly preppy theme with shirts buttoned under jumpers, cutesy shift dresses and elegant tailored separates, in a palette of sky blues, camel, cream and grey.
One designer who really does deserve a mention is Derek Lam (above), mainly because, although he was certainly on my radar, he wasn't one of my all-time top NYFW tickets - until now. I absolutely adored his collection, which pretty much encapsulated all the clothes you will need come summer: beautiful separates in chambray blue, floaty white semi-sheer dresses, classic sleeveless trench coats, a cute playsuit in a subtle grey print, and finally long, flowing, elegant maxidresses in a palette of crisp white, pearl grey and cornflower blue ikat prints. Very impressive indeed. His subtle use of colours and prints which complement the cleaner block colour looks is exactly what made his collection stand out; as opposed to the collections of Diane Von Furstenberg and Marc Jacobs, whose brash, bold, clashing colours and prints really didn't appeal to me.
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Finally it only remains for me to thank the ridiculously stylish Olivia Palermo, whose frequent front row appearances filled me with much fashiony delight: she debuted no less than seven impeccable outfits this week (my favourite above), as well as a new shorter hairstyle, which I actually, somewhat surprisingly, am a fan of (generally the longer the better with hair, I think).
Anyway I think that sums up my personal highlights of NYFW. Now, I'm off to prepare myself for many more hours of gazing at gorgeous clothes at LFW. Ah, it's a hard life...
Pictures of Mulberry, Proenza Schouler, Derek Lam and Alexa Chung: Elleuk.com
Picture of Whitney Port: Celebrity-gallery.net
Picture of Olivia Palermo: Graziadaily.co.uk
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