Post #10 - Choice

I'm kind of obsessed with models; I think it's so interesting how a shirt can look completely different on two different girls, and how it can convey a different feeling on different models in a fashion show. Fall fashion will be all about dark romance this year, and I thought the standout faces on the runway this season had mysterious, almost exotic qualities to their beauty and intelligence and poise in their walks. Some of my favorites are long-time veterans, and some are pretty new to fashion month. These were my top five favorite walkers this year:

Joan Smalls at Jean-Paul Gaultier

Aymeline Valade at Altuzarra

Kati Nescher at Prada

Daria Strokous at Dries van Noten

Josephine Skriver at Derek Lam

Daria Strokous at Stella McCartney

Kati Nescher at Jil Sander

Joan Smalls at Proenza Schouler

Aymeline Valade at Lanvin

Josephine Skriver at Gucci

Post #9 - New Fashion Show Formats

Above is Style.com's video review of Thom Browne's F/W 2012 Womenswear show in New York. Browne is always pushing the envelope of theatricality; his shows continually defy the unspoken rules of fashion shows. In his most recent collection, models rose from caskets at a mock funeral as mourners clad in the new season's clothes traipsed solemnly around the room. In his own words, these girls "died for fashion". Browne's shows constantly blur the line between fashion and art, and I love him for that. He's a reminder to us all that there's true, unbridled creativity left in the industry.

Post #8 - Lookbook

 While major designers opt for runway shows when debuting their Spring and Fall collections, Resort and Pre-Fall are generally more low key. The collections themselves sell more in department stores than ready-to-wear collections, and usually feature more wearable, toned down fashions. These collections are shot in a look book, using one or a few models. For a brand like Proenza Schouler, the look book is less about frills and all about the designs. Julia Nobis, Maria Bradley, and Katlin Aas wear looks inspired by the designer's recent trip to Tibet. The collection riffs on camping gear, with looks inspired by sleeping bags and hiking gear.

Post #7 - Trunk Shows

Growing up in Dallas, the downtown Neiman Marcus was always the place to go for designer trunk shows. The first ever Neiman's location, the store is probably Dallas' fanciest, and always has a full schedule of trunk shows throughout the fashion seasons; my friend and I went to Jason Wu and met him last year. These are a few examples of the many designers who've capitalized on this unique selling opportunity at the downtown Neiman's:

Chado Ralph Rucci

Monique Lhuillier

Zang Toi

Post #6 - Fashion Show

 

Just for fun, I always like to compile a top ten list of my personal favorite collections each season. Balenciaga topped my list this year, followed by Altuzarra, Haider Ackermann, Proenza Schouler, Prada, Alexander Wang, Derek Lam, Miu Miu, Dries van Noten, and Stella McCartney. Nicolas Ghesquiere's collection for Balenciaga explored the idea of corporate dress. He spared no expense on this Balenciaga Inc. show, even the doormen were dressed in futuristic-chic sweaters and leather hats. He chose to show the collection on the 27th floor of an office building overlooking the Seine, in a space specifically designed for the show. The Glass Candy soundtrack only added to the awkward, space-age feel. The clothes themselves fall under the 'ugly-chic' category, and took inspiration from every rung of the corporate ladder. Some of Ghesquiere's collections in the past have struck me as one-dimensional, but for Fall he offered plenty of stellar looks, with variety to spare.

 

Post #5 - Choice

A big part of fashion shows is the setting in which they're set. This season, many designers opted for nontraditional show spaces, and it really added to the collections. These were some of my favorites:

Kenzo

Balenciaga

Dries van Noten

Prada

Philosophy

rag & bone

Post #4 - Fashion Reporter's Language

Fashion writers need to be cultured on all fronts in order to draw references in collections and write intelligently. My favorite writers in the industry are Nicole Phelps, Tim Blanks, and Cathy Horyn. They can often change my opinion on a collection, seeing things I may have overlooked, or conversely, faults in a collection I liked. I'm constantly reading their reports during fashion week. This is Cathy's review of Balenciaga (my #1 show this season):

Balenciaga: Geeks and Spies

By CATHY HORYN

Typically, Nicolas Ghesquiere stages his Balenciaga shows in a cozy, fondant-white salon at the Crillon or in his showroom. But this morning, in fog-bound Paris, we all convened at a new office building on the Left Bank.
Huh?
The first clue that something was truly different was the uniformed posse of young men and women waiting at the security turnstiles (a feature of corporate life, right?) and by the elevators. “So serious,” a magazine chief whispered as a Balenciaga-clad woman directed us toward a waiting elevator car. Someone giggled.
I admit that my first thought was Hotel Balenciaga, given the cute uniforms and caps. But, in fact, Mr. Ghesquiere’s idea was to show the differences in corporate dress styles: banker, advertising executive or perhaps a woman who works in cosmetics. “It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a while,” he said.
Accordingly, there were conservative double-faced coats, A-line skirts with sweaters, dresses with sheer and solid panels, and jackets in metallic animal prints. When I asked Mr. Ghesquiere about some puffy, oversize tops (as in sweatshirts) with cartoonish graphics on the front, he replied, “They’re the corporate spies.”

1. Silhouette & Design
- double-faced coats
- A-line skirts
- sweaters
- dresses with sheer and solid panels
- jackets
- puffy, oversize tops

2. Details
- caps
- corporate dress
- metallic animal prints
- cartoonish graphics

3. Color
- fondant-white

4. Fabric

5. Creative Jargon 
- the Crillon
- Left Bank
- Hotel Balenciaga