Oscar de la Renta ss12
While most fashion shows build to a sort of crescendo of the biggest and most intricate pieces, Oscar de la Renta kicked things off dramatically for his Spring/Summer 2012 collection with enormous, silk taffeta ball gowns. The show was more energetic than I’ve seen from Oscar’s past few seasons, yet somehow he still accounted for his popular ladies-who-lunch fanset.

The eveningwear was – as always – better than anything I could predict. Though I always review Fashion Week shows with my top five looks, I was close to sharing the entire collection. Fur, sequins, gold lame, more and more taffeta; I gasped when Lindsey Wixson came out in a barely-pink silk chiffon, ostrich feather gown – the movement was unreal. The edgy vibe to his glamorous showing was also hitched up unexpected soundtrack from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.


(I also thought this would be the perfect opportunity to include a video of Oscar de la Renta serenading Sarah Jessica Parker at Fashion’s Night Out NYC. Cutest thing ever.) View Post

Marchesa SS12
If and when I am asked the inevitable fashion stylist question – “Who is your favourite fashion designer?” – Marchesa is always the first name that comes to mind.

Inspired by the sea (“Sadko in the Underwater Kingdom” by Ilya Repin and sea life drawings by Ernst Haeckel), the Spring/Summer 2012 collection couldn’t have left me on a bigger high. It was Marchesa; sculptural, thoughtful, fanciful and unique. Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman have found the perfect partners in each other, as the neutral-heavy collection was so multi layered (tulle, embroidery, mesh, draped organza) it felt like four couture collections in one. They defy gravity and drop jaws all at once. View Post

Badgley Mischka SS12
Mark Badgley and James Mischka would have to try pretty hard to let me down, and it seems they are only getting better. The structural side of things (brocade, shantung, linen, etc) played against their typical use of chiffon and jersey, while the garments were punctuated with bright lemon hues down to pomegranate and marigold.

I hate to say it in the palava that Galliano has put himself in, but there were definite flairs of recent-day Dior Haute Couture (if it were ever on a tighter budget, of course). If you wanted a sense of the show itself, I reccomend the track “Add Ends” by When Saints Go Machine, from the Spring/Summer 2012 soundtrack. Like Candyland on some classy medication. View Post

Jen Kao SS12
Though Jen Kao didn’t continue on last year’s outer galaxy theme for her Spring/Summer 2012 collection (a little bit of nonsensical disappointment here!), she more than made up for it by crashing back to Earth and expressing her vision through the flora and fauna of the Hawaiian islands.

The start of the show was carefully constructed; a model stepped out onto the runway with a sweetly-hued beachfront sunrise behind her and a paper art fascinator atop her. A sun ray orb – which was projected onto her chest – quickly grew and grew into full-on ‘daylight’ to welcome you to a pastel-packed and lucidly layered collection. Don’t let the Hawaiian theme fool you, however. Kao showed off her creative flair with fine checkerboard knits, obi belts, fringe, embroidered lei flowers, capes and much more. There was an Edward Scissorhands effect to many of her garments – in the most chic way possible – and an ombré kimono trench in rip-stop fabric that exquisitely explained her Leonardo DiCaprio inspiration (Baz Luhrmann’s sunset scene in Romeo + Juliet, hello). Creative turn-on, that Jen Kao. View Post

Thakoon SS12
Mix a little bit of “The Devil Wears Prada” with a whole lot of “Wild Wild West“, sprinkles of Bollywood, a dash of technicolour, and you get the perfect Spring/Summer 2012 Thakoontini.

The excellent oddball Western aesthetic had nothing “hick” about it. With metallic finishes, cornflower blues, and Indian motifs, Thakoon Panichgul has created a stylist‘s multi-tiered dream. After his Fall/Winter 2011 collection mixed Versailles rococo with Kenya’s Masai tribe, the Thai designer seems to have found his niche in cross-cultural expression. The best thing about this creative continuity is that he has pulled off something wild without forgetting the “special little dresses” that brought his talent to light. It was a fabulously fearless and engaging showing. View Post