Tracy Reese Fall 2008

Look up the word “eclectic” in the dictionary and Tracy Reese’s latest collection will be right under it. If you’re a girl that literally likes to mix things up this collection was screaming your name. She had all the ingredients for a style rebel in the making. Animal print skirts paired with frilly tops. Check. Satin draped over plaid pencil skirts. No problem. Knitwear teamed with ornate brocade dresses. Absolutely! Tracy wasn’t afraid to take different colors and textures and throw them together. But there was a method to the madness. The collection had an effortless cohesion and although I would not wear the outfits exactly as she presented them, I definitely saw pieces I’d want to buy to fit into my existing wardrobe. Tracy took it “all the way there” with her latest offering and I LOVE IT!

Rachel Roy Fall 2008

I don’t know ladies. Rachel Roy’s collections usually have me tickled but I wasn’t sure where her and her team were going with this one. The theme was clearly Native-Americans meet your colonial incarcerators! Slightly odd. While I applaud the use of different textures from tweed to satin, I’m confused by some of the silhouettes namely look 10, 14 and 17. I do however love look number 4 (pictured right). Everything from the color, to the proportion of the dress is perfect. I also love the accessories she used for each piece, they added nice touches to the entire collection. All in all I appreciate where Rachel Roy was trying to achieve but it wasn’t always successful.

Baby Phat Fall 2008

Kimora and the rest of the Baby Phat team did what they do best. Put on a high profile, star studded runway show filled with clothes most of us will never see again. While I don’t knock her hustle, I increasingly find myself frustrated with the fact that none of these items will ever be mass produced. This is not Chanel or Alexander McQueen. Baby Phat should consider reaching a wider market by distributing some of these pieces. Some really cute outfits were on display. Ok, so let me get off my high horse and talk about the collection for a minute. Things didn’t really get interesting until look 34 – a gorgeous, flirty, purple dress that would flatter most figures. Baby Phat didn’t really seem to push a cohesive theme, there were just a few cute outfits scattered here and there. The mustard yellows and deep playful violets were a welcome reprise from the otherwise bland color palette. Though the clothes were definitely more wearable than seasons past, I wasn’t really inspired. I doubt Baby Phay really care to inspire, they’ll get the headlines regardless.

JustSweet Spring 2008

I wasn’t aware that Jlo had changed the name of her company again. The line Sweetface is now being referred to as JustSweet, unless this is an altogether completely different clothing line but nobody tells me anything. In any case, I really enjoyed this collection. I always try and count how many pieces in a show I would actually wear and I would probably don 80% of what was on offer. Now I didn’t think much of the bowler hats or the spacewalking meets stripper platforms, but I was in love with all the 70s inspired dresses and tailored pants. Whether you’re a girlie-girl at heart or a hardcore diva there was something for everyone. And the best part? All the pieces range from $49 to $99. Who said looking good had to cost a fortune. JustSweet indeed.

Rachel Roy Spring 2008

This socialite-come-designer continues to prove that her passion for fashion is unwavering and her talent genuine. A mature collection, Rachel Roy explores the use of volume and shape as well as the contrast between masculine and feminine. Some of the pieces looked like they’d been delicately spray painted with pastel colors while others were made from bold metallics like the yellow-gold pencil dress and the charcoal-silver shorts suit. This is definitely a collection for sophisticated ladies who spend most of their time other fashion-forward women. You won’t see these kind of outfits on everyday chicas walking down the street. Overall Rachel Roy left me wanting more… can’t wait to see what else is up her designer sleeves.

Baby Phat Spring 2008

What a breath of fresh air! Kimora and the team at Baby Phat stepped up their game on this one. The colors in the Spring 2008 runway show were playful and fresh. The pastel yellows and pinks teamed with sharp turquoises were fun to watch on the shorts, minis and swimsuits that sashayed down the catwalk. Usually Kimora over does the whole “bling bling” thing giving the impression that she doesn’t know how to refine some of her pieces, but this collection showed growth and a lot of restraint. Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind incorporating street chic with high-fashion, but it needs to be done right. I was also a big fan of the menswear collection. Although only ten out of the fifty-six looks were dedicated to men’s clothing, they were on point. Loved the bright preppy sweaters and bermuda shorts. Wasn’t too sure about the evening dresses towards the end but all in all Baby Phat gets an A… minus.

Tracy Reese Spring 2008

This collection came in two parts. First came the structured suits, pinstripe dresses and tailored high-waisted pants – a must have for this season. Next Tracy Reese showed us what a sophisticate might wear during her adventure in the tropics. Seventies inspired long, floaty dresses and bright fitted pieces provided a strong contrast to the first half of the collection. All in all it wasn’t a bad collection, with Tracy you always get quality, however I didn’t see anything that blew me away. My favorite ensemble was the yellow dress and matching umbrella (pictured). How cool would it be to have a matching umbrella for all your best outfits? Don’t let the transition of season ruin your sense of style.

Stephen Burrows Spring 2008

A small but poignant collection that proves further how underrated Stephen Burrows really is. Typical of most of the collections thus far, Mr. Burrows didn’t shy away from the use of bright colors and light airy fabrics. Hot pink, neon yellow and shocking blues were just some of the exuberant colors on display. Though this wasn’t a conventional runway show the clothes still popped against the plain, white backgrounds that models stood against. Some of the graphic-printed dresses looked a little dated. I know that Burrows was probably going for the whole retro feel but look number thirteen (see slideshow) in particular missed the bar. This was a small bump in the road so definitely don’t sleep on Mr. Burrows… he is one of fashions best kept secrets.

Designers For Darfur...

Last night the crème de la crème of the fashion industry came together for a one-off fashion show to benefit the efforts to save Darfur. Malcolm Harris and model Lydia Hearst-Shaw hosted the event which showcased unique pieces by some of today’s most talented designers. Mal Sirrah, Donna Karren, Heatherette, Baby Phat, Luca Luca, Nicole Miller and Costume National are just some of the fashion houses who participated in the "Designers For Darfur" event. The theme was simple. Come up with something fabulous in the traditional African colors of red, yellow, green and/or black. You can see that everyone delivered. All the creations featured on the runway were immediately auctioned off via Ebay with 100% of the profits going directly to the Save Darfur Coalition. There’s nothing like Fashion with Heart.

UPDATE: Visit the Designers For Darfur Ebay Store today to show your support!

Rachel Roy Fall 2007

I’m still mad that I missed Rachel Roy on Oprah, so I was sure to catch her runway show earlier this week. By ‘catch’ I don’t actually mean I was there, but I admired longingly from afar! As usual her clothes were exquisite. Questions about the level of her participation aside, the collection was light, playful and the attention to detail was painfully meticulous. I’m surprised that Style.com hasn’t featured this collection on their site especially since they have supported her career thus far. In any case, the clothes had that air of sophistication while still being edgy enough to separate you from the crowd. I’m still a HUGE fan of Ms. Roy.

Rodarte Fall 2007

Californian sisters, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, know how to put the ‘F’ in fun and fashion. Rodarte, which they founded in 2005, is a marvelous fashion house that takes meticulous detailing to a whole new level. This collection effortlessly fuses eccentricity and elegance. The sisters joined forces with Swarovski to add some sparkle to their pieces. Meanwhile the brocade dresses, chiffon frills and fluffy hand-knits reminded me of Winters in rural England. The collection lacked cohesion for me, but if you take each piece individually you’ll really appreciate how talented these young ladies are.

Backstage @ Tracy Reese's Show...

This is a great synopsis of her show with a little backstage footage and interviews with Alicia Keys, Veronica Webb and the lady herself. Click here or the picture above for the footage.

Tracy Reese Fall 2007

Tracy Reese’s clothes have become synonymous with vibrancy and color, however this season the Detroit native decided to spread her wings and experiment with a much more subdued color palette. Neutral colors such as black and beige gave the collection a sense of calm while still maintaining the ‘girly sophistication’ Tracy’s clothes are known for. Meanwhile, the sparkly gray dresses and muted navy separates are the perfect shades to transition us from Winter to Spring. There were some hints of color though. Towards the end of the show Tracy surprised us with her trademark oranges and pinks but not in the usual ‘ethnic’ embroidered patterns we’re used to seeing. The bright, block colors paired with the polka dot tights models wore as they sashayed down the runway were pure perfection… Bravo Tracy!

Baby Phat Fall 2007

Fashionistas around the globe have descended onto New York City’s already crowded streets which can only mean one thing… Fashion Week has arrived. Among the first to lead the festivities is everyone’s favorite wife of a mogul, Kimora Simmons. Ms. Kiki and the Baby Phat crew delivered their usual dose of friendly fashion fused with over-the-top glamour but unfortunately nothing really stood out. Their velvet capes and dresses made for an interesting twist but I couldn’t help but feel like I’d seen it all before. How many times are we going to see Dr. Zhivago hats and fur-trimmed boots on the runway? And what is with the cheap looking, gold lurex? The tailored suits were perhaps their most successful pieces. This long corseted coat with the corsage seemed out of place in the collection, probably because it was too sophisticated and unique… I doubt I’ll be able to find it!

South African Fashion Week Expands...

Following on from our discussion on South African fashion I thought you’d all be interested in reading the article below and watching this video footage. It was recently announced in SA that two fashion weeks would be added to their fashion scene. Keep an ear to the ground for Johannesburg and Cape Town Fashion Week this March (Autumn/Winter) and July (Spring/Summer).

SA Fashion to Receive a Major Boost

The fashion landscape of South Africa is set to receive a major re-shuffle with the announcement of two new world-class fashion weeks.

The events fill a long standing gap in the fashion calendar for an Autumn/Winter fashion week to bring South Africa in line with the international fashion calendar.

The Autumn/Winter Fashion Weeks will take place in March 2007 under the titles: Cape Town Fashion Week and Jo’burg Fashion Week. The events will run within days of each other to allow greater access by foreign media and trade.

The move was prompted by pressure from designers and fashion media to have a platform for Autumn/Winter collections and represents a coming of age for South African fashion; finally giving local designers a platform to compete on a global level year round.

The two new dates on the fashion calendar compliment the three major Spring/Summer fashion weeks that take place annually between June and July and the organisers will be looking at further synergies between all of these events.

“This is the most significant move in African fashion in the last decade; and represents a major leap forward for our designers. The launch of these events allows our designers to now compete internationally in both fashion seasons. Our goal is to make the world-class talent of South African designers more accessible to international audiences. We are looking forward to meeting with government and SACTWU in the hope that we can make sure the benefits of these Fashion Weeks are spread across the entire industry,” said Paul Jackson, Managing Director of Leisureworx.

This is the first major step towards a Pan-African fashion series involving partner events from across the continent.

As part of the initiative, driven by the need to make South African fashion more accessible to foreign trade audiences, Cape Town Fashion Week and Durban Fashion Week will be co-operating to hold Spring/Summer events back-to-back in 2007. [Source]

Dates for Spring/Summer 2006:
• Nokia Cape Town Fashion Week
11th -15th July

Dates for Autumn/Winter 2007:
• Jo’burg Fashion Week
28th February - 3rd March

• Cape Town Fashion Week
7th March – 10th March

Note: Jo’burg Fashion Week Autumn/Winter is a new, separate and distinct fashion week from South Africa Fashion Week (SAFW) Spring/Summer.

DesignersForDarfur

Designer Malcolm Harris was kind enough to send me the following article about his latest project aimed at highlighting the atrocities currently occurring in the Northeast-African country Sudan. The region of Darfur has been besieged with conflict for over three years now and in an effort to mobilize Americans to take action, Malcolm has enlisted an impressive list of supporters to help him spread the word. He is working closely with the organization Save Darfur (www.savedarfur.org) to put together an amazing fashion show featuring specially designed pieces by Zac Posen, Naeem Khan and Chado Ralph Rucci to name a few. He is also expecting Don Cheadle and George Clooney to attend as guest speakers. All proceeds raised will go towards ending the conflict in Darfur plus the event is bound to be the talk of Fashion Week. To learn more, read the article below and stay tuned for more info on this necessary event.

Published: Friday, January 05, 2007 Darfur Benefit on Tap for Fashion Week By Rosemary Feitelberg NEW YORK — There might be some unexpected star wattage at New York Fashion Week next month — and all to help raise funds for the people of Darfur.

George Clooney has expressed interest in attending and speaking at a benefit fashion show being planned to help raise money for the residents of the war-torn area of the Sudan, according to designer Malcolm Harris of Mal Sirrah. Harris and Lydia Hearst-Shaw are organizing the event.

The DesignersForDarfur benefit is expected to be 8 p.m., Feb. 9, but the exact time and place have yet to be set. Those details hinge on Clooney's availability, Harris said. The Oscar winner has taken a public role in exposing the atrocities in Darfur, and in April even went undercover with his father, Nick, an anchorman and columnist, to document the crisis on film.

Regardless of whether Clooney shows up, Chado Ralph Rucci, Zac Posen, Naeem Khan, Jeremy Scott, Sue Wong and Mary Ping are among the designers who have agreed to create an outfit that will be sent down the runway. Participants will make clothes in red, black, green or yellow, or any combination of those colors that are symbolic of Africa. Their creations will be auctioned online immediately after the event, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the nonprofit Save Darfur Coalition.

At least 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict and more than two million have been displaced, according to the Save Darfur Coalition. More than 3.5 million people in the region rely on international aid for survival, the group reported.

Despite those statistics, Harris has struggled to get more American designers involved in his project. "To be quite honest, it has been much more difficult than I could have ever imagined getting designers on board. This is not meant to be an indictment of the industry, but we have found it a bit shocking the number of persons that really don't have a sense of the crisis in Darfur, which only makes this event even more challenging and inspiring."

Save Darfur supporters Mia Farrow, Don Cheadle and Mira Sorvino are expected to be in the audience. Harris' co-chair Hearst-Shaw walked in his September runway show and was part of the finale that featured Harris wearing a T-shirt with "Darfur Is Real" on the front and "Please Don't Wait for the Movie!!" on the back. Encouraged by people's reaction to that message, Harris set out to do something bigger.

"This event is not about one designer or a group of designers...," he said. "This is truly a chance to show that we are not this self-consumed, superficial and/or elitist industry."

Note: Also read about another great organization called "Fashion Fights Poverty" here.

Bottega Veneta Spring 2007

What a wonderful collection! This is by far my favorite show out of all the Fashion Weeks so far. Designer Tomas Maier succeeded in creating a fresh, light, sophisticated and wearable line. The color palette he used was pure perfection; everything from the cool beige right through to the baby pink worked with the designs they were paired with. Really take a minute to look through this collection, even the detailing is on point. Bottega Veneta is living proof that you don’t need sparkles, beads and overzealous colors in your designs to turn heads… This collection is for those of us who want to make a statement in an understated way!

Versace Spring 2007

Milan Fashion Week is happening as we speak! The likes of Prada, Bottega Veneta, and Dsquared are all parading their goodies and bringing all the boys to the yard. First up, Versace. The flamboyant label, and even more flamboyant head designer Donatella, sent models down the runway wearing flirtatious chiffon, vibrant silk and figure-binding corsets. Versace is all about show-stopping; not just on the runway, but at a party, in a club or at lunch… no matter who or where you are, if you’re wearing one of their creations people are going to stare. The label also reacquainted itself with the mini dress. From the gold, fish scaled, party number to the cute, yellow, shift, Versace obviously wanted to show its range and prove it’s not just a one trick pony. However, Donatella did compromise by tailoring a few dresses that started out as mini dresses in the front, but suddenly morphed into long evening gowns a la derriere… confused? Me too. But when all is said and done, I adored the collection, there’s only one person you can rely on to give you that glamour with a healthy dose of sex… Bravo Donatella!

Michael Kors Spring 2007

This is the last collection from Fashion Week that I wanted to spotlight. Michael Kors is one of my all time favorite designers; his clothes are always impeccably tailored providing great silhouettes. This season was no different as Kors offered great basic colored separates that you can combine to create an infinite number of looks. I wanted all the sweaters, all the dresses and all the accessories! I do however feel the big belts cinching the models waists were little played out, but that’s a minor criticism. Check out this black-luxe sweater/pink chiffon skirt combo… To die for! :)

Heatherette Spring 2007

I don’t know what to say about Heatherette’s runway show other then it must have been the highlight of many people’s day - they certainly put the fun in dysfunctional! To add to the festivities the designing duo, otherwise known as Traver Rains and Richie Rich, asked a couple of their celebrity friends to model some of their delightfully outrageous pieces. Kelis, Mya, Mena Suvari, Paris and Nicky Hilton were the main stars to note. You may not understand their collection, but you can certainly appreciate it for the original, fantastical and exciting art that it is!