#10 Coachella Style

 

Coachella Style

Coachella, an annual music and arts festival in Coachella Valley, Southern California took place the weekends of April 13th and April 20th and featured performances by artists such as Artic Monkeys, The Horrors, Bon Iver, The Head and the Heart, Florence + the Machine, and Santigold. Since music and fashion have so many influences on each other, Coachella is a great place to be inspired and get up to date with new summer trends. The Coachella girls definitely dress the part with California inspired looks such a high waisted denim cutoffs, loose dresses, pretty lace, floral prints, and bralettes. Brands such as Free People and Urban Outfitters followed the event and picked out some of their favorite looks.

Here are some looks that I love. 

Lea Michelle and Lauren Conrad at Coachella

#9 New Fashion Show Format

Holographic Fashion Shows

Holography has been around since the 1940s but has only recently been integrated into Fashion Shows. Designers are keeping up with the latest technology by including holographic details, models, and even showing entire collections in hologram. Adding holography is a great way to combine fashion, art, and technology. 

I thought the German Haute Couture fashion label Stefan Eckert created a fantastic holographic fashion show. The Tron-inspired fashion show is such a unique way to display clothing yet is very beautiful. The show creates optical illusions in the model's movements yet is still a clear display of the clothing and fashion

Parts of the presentation are actually kinda creepy but at the same time very innovative and visually appealing to watch.

 Here are some still shots of the show.

But be sure to check out the whole show for the full effect of the holography in motion.

#8 Lookbooks

Free People 

The Festival Lookbook 

 

A lookbook is a series of photographs designed to showcase an upcoming clothing line. I love how the retail store Free People uses digital lookbooks on their website to introduce their new collections. Free People features a lookbook each month. Their current lookbook for April is entitled The Festival and features ten photographs of the latest and greatest clothing and accessories. The lookbook is the main portion of their website and in addition to showcasing the looks, it allows viewers to shop each look and ultimately make purchases based on the garments and accessories in each photograph of the lookbook. Finally, there is a link to shop the whole collection and even watch a video of the clothing in motion being worn by models. This is a great way for customers to be introduced to a new collection and also display entire outfits to potential customers. I love this entire collection but here are a few of my favorites from the lookbook.

Check out the whole collection and watch the video at the Free People website

#7 Trunk Shows

Salvatore Ferragamo Online Trunk Show

A trunk show is a special sale in which designers showcase their collections to store personnel or select customers. In many cases it is an exclusive sale that allows people to purchase the clothing before it is available to the public. However, with the growing importance that E-Commerce is playing in the fashion industry, online truck shows are the new trend. Linda Fargo of Bergdorf Goodman labeled virtual trunk shows "the future." Salvatore Ferragamo is currently showing their Spring/Summer 2012 collection as an online trunk show. The website features select garments and accessories available for a limited time and exclusively online. Prospective customers who visit the site can view the collection, the lookbook to pre-order an entire look, videos of the garments in motion, and even a section where they can style their own outfits and mix and match pieces. This interactive website is the perfect way to get customers excited about the collection, generate sales, and get crucial feedback. I really enjoy this collection, the fun colors and bold prints are perfect for spring and summer and the unique silhouettes are very chic.

Spring/Summer 2012 Collection 

Style Yourself

Check out the collection at http://trunkshow.ferragamo.com/

#6 Hervé Léger by Max Azria

Harnesses and Horsetails

Hervé Léger by Max Azria Fall 2012

For me, this collection was one of the highlights of New York Fashion Week.

WGSN describes this collection's look as "sexy gladiator." I would have to agree with them. This collection incorporates the signature and iconic Hervé Léger "bandage dress" with each look designed to seamlessly sculpt the female silhouette. But, Fall 2012 brought a twist. Every look featured a leather body harness. The collection perfectly encompassed the hard, edgy feel of the harness and at the same time the juxtaposition of leather harness with lace or sequin trim added a luxurious quality. The color palette featured mostly black and dark and light brown, but with the occasional pop of purple, pink, and of course the key Fall 2012 color, scarlet red. The detailing in the fringes, pleats, and beading embellishments perfectly complemented the garments and enhanced the collection. The accessorizing of the models was fantastic with their clean, fresh make-up and sleek ponytails and finally, the platform boots with gladiator shin guards was the perfect finishing touch.

Here are a few of my favorite looks...

 

 

 

Check out the entire show. You wont want to miss it.

#5 Choice: W Magazine

Good Kate, Bad Kate

W Magazine's March 2012 issue called "Spring's Fashion Bible" featured the beautiful and ethereal Kate Moss on the cover. This fourteen page spread written by Will Self, photographed by Steven Klein, and styled by Edward Enninful is quite possibly my favorite cover story to date. Of course the spread generated controversy but with the pairing of W magazine and the infamous Kate, we wouldn't expect any less.

The two covers, Good Kate, Bad Kate. A Black Swan influence

Oscar de la Renta organza crepon top and skirt

Ashley Lloyd headpiece and Stephen Jones for Giles headpiece

Rocha black satin bodysuit

Paul Hanlon custom headpiece and Alexander McQueen headpiece

Shaneen Huxham gloves and Celine belt and shoes

Louis Vuitton silk organza dress

Paul Hanlon custom headpiece

Balenciaga black and tan silk and cotton dress

I.D. Sarrieri black silk bra and briefs, Wolford hosiery

Balenciaga hat, Shaneen Huxham gloves, Celine shoes

I love this spread because of the styling of Kate. My favorite is the Oscar de la Renta top and skirt. The garments in combination with the set, the dark feathers and soft, white flowers create an eerie atmosphere that perfectly embodies the personality of Kate Moss. 

An excerpt from the article...

"She remains like a great silent-screen heroine who's animated and reanimated and then reanimated again by the fizzing jolt of the kliegs. Long may it continue." Will Self

#4 NY Times Fashion Blog Review

Givenchy's Wild Horses

Cathy Horyn, for The NY Times blog On The Runway, posts about Givenchy's Fall Collection. Ms. Horyn opens her blog post by joking about how it appears to be "all about the bodyguard this season." Her quick witted transition between the prominence of bodyguards, Alicia Keys' white Givenchy blazer, to Riccardo Tisci's blazers for the upcoming fall season is what makes her a very influential blogger and critic in the fashion industry. Her use of fashion reporter's language is an excellent description of the collection and the reader can clearly picture the clothing before actually seeing it. She has a great attitude and isn't afraid to voice her opinion on the designer's collections while also offering her own experiences which are what make her blog posts an interesting and valuable asset to anyone in the fashion industry. 

. 

http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/givenchys-wild-horses/

"Speaking of blazers, Riccardo Tisci’s fall collection is loaded with them. His general themes were riding gear and the sexiness of Guy Bourdin’s 70s-era photography. If that sounds like a big grab bag of stuff, it was. Mr. Tisci showed lots of swanky black leather, in slim and flared shapes, and color-blocked fur. Lacy camisoles were a soft spot. Riding boots came with sheaths over the heels, creating a chimney-stack effect from floor to knees. They looked boss. But tops were many of the jackets, especially a group with a longer, squared-off back flap—you’ll have to find them in the mix."

• Silhouette & Design

• Blazers
• Slim shapes
• Flared shapes 
• Camisoles 
• Longer, squared off back flap jackets

• Details

• Riding gear themes 
• Riding boots with sheaths over the heels

• Color

• Black leather
• Color-blocked fur

• Fabric

• Leather
• Fur
• Lace

• Creative "jargon"

• "Sexiness of Guy Bourdin’s 70s-era photography"
• "Big grab bag of stuff"
• "Swanky black leather"
• "Chimney-stack effect from floor to knees"
• "They looked boss" 

#3 Fashion Trend from NY Street

Camel Color
It's a desert out there. As I walked downtown 5th Avenue in the warm for February weather but with the looming promise of rain, New Yorkers are bundled up but not with the all black attire so typical of the average New Yorker but rather they are wearing camel. We've seen this color in every style of trench coat, but in NYC, camel is not specific to outerwear. Camel was seen in shoes, pants, hats, and bags. This shows the diversity of the color and how it can be paired with almost everything, much like black, but creates a lighter, almost warmer feel. I especially love the pairing of this trend with a bright colored accent piece.
Now if only it was as warm and sunny as Egypt. 

17th & 6th

17th & 6th

16th & 5th

 Union Square

16th & 5th

19th & 5th 

 15th & 5th

21st & 5th

#2 Key Trend for Fall 2012

 Pops of Neon

 Neon isn't just for LED signs and '80s chick flicks anymore. This bright and bold trend was seen on the New York Fashion Week runways this season. Neon has been back and forth in terms of style but what I love about the neon this season is the frequency of it. In most collections neon will make an appearance in one or two looks as an article of clothing, handbag, or shoe. This adds the color that everyone is dying to see in an all black show and at the same time creates an exclusive, one-of-a-kind feel. Sometimes with neon, less is more.

Here are a few who I thought did it best...

 

L.A.M.B.

 

Custo Barcelona

 

Nanette Lepore

 Alice + Olivia

 BCBG Max Azria

  Betsey Johnson

 Finally, Ms. Betsey. Not exactly a "pop" but the Queen of Quirk isn't really one for understatements.