London Fashion Week Spring 2013
Today I’m going to be sharing reviews of some of the lovely collections that came off the Spring 2013 London Fashion Week catwalks – From the big names like Burberry and Mulberry to the well-loved but somewhat less established designers like Matthew Williamson and Christopher Kane.
Enjoy!
Burberry:
Color, color, and more color. The Burberry runway show was a veritable rainbow of color-drenched trench coats, dresses, and separates. Christopher Bailey also played with textures and fabrics including shimmering metallics, tinted plastic, and shiny holographic prints – Giving the classic brand a fun, futuristic twist.
Capes, hotpants, puffy capsleeves, swimwear, cropped jackets, leather, dramatic belts, lace brilliant metallic handbags, and colorful open-toed heels added to the brilliance of the collection.
Mulberry:
Fabulous outerwear seemed to be the name of the game in London and while Burberry was bright and festive, Mulberry was a bit more demure, however no less ornate. Bronzy gold, peachy cream, minty green, and blues from pale to midnight.
The brocades, embroideries, and patterns were phenomenal, very earthy and flora based, something of a mix between Fall and Spring. I loved the use of florals on the clothing, handbags, and shoes simultaneously, rather than be over the top it was totally chic. I also loved the outerwear – The oversized silhouettes and large, upturned collars were perfection.
Acne:
The clothes at Acne were bold – Dramatic stripes, bright colors, graffiti prints, colorblocking, black leather, straps & buckles, adapted gladiator platforms, and parachute silhouettes.
All in all a very wearable collection of interesting and eye-catching separates perfect for the Acne girl. I especially liked the maxi skirts, vertical stripes, and buckle adorned vests.
House of Holland:
This 90’s grunge inspired collection was one for the books – The dark, moody colors were perfectly suited to the dramatic checkered patterns, graphic tees, beanies, skater shorts, and maxi silhouettes.
These were great pieces that immediately made me nostalgic for the music of my Junior High and High School days – Especially the shrunken baby tees, slouchy knit caps, and midriff bearing tops.
Erdem:
Python prints on retro silhouettes may not sound like a winning combination, but Erdem proved that it could work and even infused the collection with hints of neon and lace.
Little details make this collection really pop – Driving gloves, sheer lace, pleats, floral applique, cut-outs, high-necklines, coat-dresses, and intricate beading. Overall the collection was prim and proper but with a fun, wild side.
Pringle of Scotland:
Pringle started as a knitwear brand and this season they returned to their roots showing a lovely collection of separates which included a number of variations on their typical belted twinset.
When you say Pringle of Scotland what comes to my mind are clean lines, a preppy vibe, belted separates, and argyle, and this collection showed great versions of all of those staples.
Matthew Williamson:
Fun prints, brilliant colors, and dramatic details are what we’ve come to expect from Matthew Williamson, and this season’s collection really delivered.
Easy separates appeared in tie dye prints and with eye-catching embroidery and beading. His party girl clients will live in the float a-line silhouettes, mini skirts, and jeweled dresses paired with gem-encrusted belts and his new shoe collection.
Peter Pilotto:
Print lovers will have something amazing to look forward to from Peter Pilotto come Spring – Digital prints, mixing & matching patterns, and bright, bold prints.
Dramatic, eye-catching, and one-of-a-kind. The pieces shown at Peter Pilotto were extraordinary, I especially enjoyed the pants, oversized peplums, and dramatic, Latin-inspired ruffles.
Preen:
Preen made a triumphant return from the New York Fashion Week with a blue and white collection highlighted with hints of yellow and red, and covered in all-over prints.
The patchwork-like use of swatches of prints, combined with the tailoring, dramatic slits, verticle white stripes, and long, lean silhouettes gave the collection an architectural, structed feel.
Christopher Kane:
The Christopher Kane show was surprisingly delicate and sweet – A full 180 from previous collections full of black, slashed fabric, and safety pins.
Pale colors, light fabrics, dramatic drapes & folds, sheer pieces, clear plastic, and slits & cut-outs that somehow appeared elegant and refined despite the skin peeking through.
Mary Katrantzou:
The Queen of Prints returns! Taking banknotes and stamps as her visual inspiration she put together a unique and dramatic collection of dresses and separates covered with intricate patterns.
These pieces could never be confused with having been created by another designer – They were utterly one-of-a-kind – Simultaneously exotic and modern but with an old-fashioned air. I adored the matching pant & tunic sets, they were divine and I can’t wait to see how Hollywood interprets them to the red carpet.
Temperley London:
The Temperley London collection was all about bright colors, fun prints, nautical stripes, and retro silhouettes for this coming Spring – All the pieces fun but a little formal, and utterly wearable.
The sundress was reworked with a 50’s vibe and paraded down the runway in a variety of colors, patterns, and fabrics. There were also jumpsuits, lace & embroidery covered dress & gowns, shirt dresses, sweater sets, and too chic for words sun hats.
Sources: Style.com, Fashionologie, The Stylist, & Tom & Lorenzo
Previous LFW & Spring 2013 Collections: New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Part I, New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Part II, New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Part III, New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Street Style & Front Row Fashion, London Fashion Week Fall 2012, London Fashion Week – Street Style & Front Row Fashion, London Fashion Week Spring 2012 Round-Up, and Streetstyle & Front Row Fashion – London Fashion Week.
Additional reviews, photographs, shows, and videos: The Best Looks from London Fashion Week: Spring 2013 from Harper’s Bazaar, Our 10 Favorite Looks From London Fashion Week from Refinery 29, and Runway Recap: The Best Shoes From London Spring 2013 from Fashionlogie.
What’s your favorite thing about London Fashion Week? The chic outerwear, bold, innovative prints, or the retro, ladylike touches?
Links You’ll Love – NYFW Edition
Welcome to the New York Fashion Week edition of our Sunday Links You’ll Love posts. This week will be all about New York Fashion – From the style on the streets to tips from the models who walked the runways to beauty & skin products that have been tested.
Fashion:
It’s always fun to see the developing trends that emerge from the tents – Patterns, silhouettes, color scheme – 12 Fresh Trends With Serious Staying Power.
A big part of who’s wearing what is their accessories – The bags they’re carrying, the sunglasses they picked, the jewelry that was added, the hats they chose, the lipstick color that was worn – Fall Fashion Accessories for NYFW Spring 2013 – What to Wear to Fashion Week.
What the fashion insiders, models, bloggers, and Hollywood stars are wearing on the streets, to the shows, and at the afterparties of NYFW is nearly as important – and photographed – as what the designers send down the runways. Refinery 29 – What 5 Top Editors Are Wearing To NYFW.
Vogue offers a video overview of New York Fashion Week – This Is New York: A Look Back at Fashion Week Spring 2013.
Health & Beauty:
As far as I’m concerned the products that the Fashion Week attendees use to keep their skin and hair healthy during one of the most intense and hectic times of the year are worth knowing about. Fashion Indie and WhoWhatWear certainly seem to agree:
- Beauty: How To Survive Fashion Week
- What We Pack: Fashion Week Beauty Essentials
- Anatomy Of A Fashion Week Beauty Look
Curious how the models prepare for and survive four weeks of Fashion Weeks twice a year? Check out this Harper’s Bazaar piece featuring Supers Natasha Poly, Jourdan Dunn, Arizona Muse, Miranda Kerr, and Candice Swanepoel talking healthy breakfasts, workouts, and must have beauty products – Top Models’ Secrets Revealed.
Horrifying! If you want to learn to appreciate your figure better read this scary account of some of the horrifying things that models do to stay thin from Refinery 29 – The Dangerous Lengths Some Models Go To Stay Skinny.
What’s your favorite part about New York Fashion Week? What do you look forward to most about the shows?
New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Part II
Welcome to post numéro deux from the tents at New York Fashion Week, you can see the first post here and catch up on what you missed – The big names like Oscar de la Renta, Diane Von Furstenberg, and BCBG Max Azria.
Today we’ll be focusing on the secondary lines created by tried and true designers as well as the shows for brands which most of us real people outside of the fabulous fashion industry actually buy and wear and lust after. {Please note that the word “affordable” is being used in a relative context here, we are talking about NYFW not the mall, so take that into consideration.}
Rachel Zoe:
Let’s get this started with one of my favorite collections – the highly styled collection of fabulous 70’s inspired pieces shown by Miss Rachel Zoe. Some accused it of being overstyled, but I enjoyed it for that very reason, it showed you various ways you could wear her pieces – From the handbags, jewelry, hats, belts, shoes, and sunglasses.
Pants and pantsuits were highly featured – From slouchy leather to wide leg trousers to knit jumpsuits. Lots of great outerwear was also featured – leather bombers, blazers, double-breasted satin coats – as well as 70’s staples like tunics, shift dresses, ankle boots, maxi dresses, tuxedo pants, and bohemian shirt dresses and sequins sequins sequins.
J.Crew:
When you’re discussing the wearability of the lines at NYFW, J.Crew is one of the first brands that comes to mind. They always put together a fun, chic, wearable collection. Season after season the clothes are contemporary and on-target, with price tags that us real gals can actually consider.
This season was no different and the separates, suits, and dresses were colorful and covered in great prints. I can already see where multiple pieces will fit into my outfits for Spring – The separates seriously stole my heart. I want all the blazers and all of the cropped, fitted pants in fabulous prints.
10 Crosby Derek Lam:
Derek Lam was so determined to prove that this line was full of real clothes for real girls that he cast a beauty blogger as his model for the Lookbook. These separates and suits are killer and the new line of handbags were showcased to perfection against the ‘too cool for school’ pieces.
Cobalt blue, mixing & matching prints, skins, and leather are clearly the tips to take away from this collection. Oh, and separates separates separates. These shots make me want to run to my closet and practice pairing fun pieces together in interesting new ways.
Rachel Roy:
Easy, wearable separates in breezy silhouettes, bright colors, and fun, whimsical prints. Fitted pantsuits, midi length silk shirt dresses, printed shorts, wide leg 70’s inspired jumpsuits, tailored shorts, and all over prints were all present and accounted for – And all with a hint of pink.
What I adore about Rachel Roy is how each collection has its own distinct feel, but stays in line with her aesthetic and style. Her pieces are always chic and on-trend, but still classic enough to keep in your wardrobe season after season.
Rebecca Minkoff:
Lots of white, florals, and soft colors – A very sweet, Springy collection perfect for the cool California girl. Great denim, floaty, flattering silhouettes, and a mixture of hip shirts, day dresses and separates.
My favorite part of this collection were the variety of chic trousers – They came in slim white, vertical stripes, all-over prints, classic denim, and even white washed overalls.
Milly:
The Milly show almost seemed to be a clash of the Spice Girls – Sports Spice meets Posh Spice. The pieces were made from second skin fabrics and had a fluid, athletic quality to them while the silhouettes were sleek and body conscious.
All-over prints, leather sleeves, lame touches, black mesh, reflective materials, double halter necklines, and clear plastic all gave this collection a bit of an edge that wasn’t there last season. Definitely not for the timid! This show also featured pieces the relatively new handbag line – Specifically the zipper-adorned envelope and oversized day clutches.
Betsey Johnson:
“Girls Just Want To Have Fun!”
Nothing like a ton of 80’s glitz, glamour, and attitude to take the stage while Cindy Lauper belts out one of her most famous hits – All to celebrate the great Betsey Johnson’s 70th birthday. And believe me, that girl still knows how to have fun!
The clothes were just as loud & bright as the musical stylings and were all one-of-a-kind with a fun vintage twist and loads of layering and accessories – Basically the sartorial equivalent of Katy Perry. Just what we’ve come to expect from this unique designer.
Alice+Olivia:
Alice+Olivia is always bright, fun, and a little wild. They’re the clothes the cool girl with a great sense of humor wears because she can always find something that suits her mood and attitude. Eyelet & lace, drop waists, animal prints, sheathes, rompers, shorts suits, mix n’ match separates, and gowns – All with a little retro flare.
Not only did Miss Bendet produce yet another collection where I’d like to get my hands on each and every piece, she’s also created her first handbag line. Like the too cute shoes, they came in every color and style, one to match any outfit you could put together – From totes to oversized shoppers to mini duffles.
3.1 Phillip Lim:
This collection was all about mixing & matching and prints prints prints! Plaid, demure animal prints, stripes, and vibrant florals were mixed effortlessly with colorblocking, patchwork, denim, black leather, and sheer paneling.
The looks were all slouchy and laid-back but still fun and ecclectic through and through – Just what Phillip Lim does best.
Kate Spade:
Bright colors, retro-inspired silhouettes, and fun but ladylike separates and dresses are what the Kate Spade client expects – And this collection for Spring delivered just that.
Mod colorblocking in pastels, bold black & white checkered pieces, bowling bags, retro shades, sweet prints, oversized bows, stripes & florals, ankle strap heels, suits, and great outerwear rounded things out. While all of the pieces paired together in each look may have been fun for the show, you’d probably deconstruct these outfits to find the pieces that you wanted to add to your personal wardrobe.
Tory Burch:
This collection was all about being a world traveler – Someone who picks things up around the world, travels to exotic places, and wants her sense of style to reflect her world experiences. This was picked up not only in the handbags, jewelry, and accessories, but also in the prints, colors, and fabrics.
Sweet prints from nature, eyelet & thick lace, heavy fringe, embroidery, Native American & African beaded accents, leather working, and a plethora of florals, stripes, tie dye, and plaids. It was a unique collection but the fun embellishments and accents made it unique rather than kitchy. I can’t wait to get my hands on the mix n’ match shorts & cropped jacket combinations.
Victoria by Victoria Beckham:
This dress collection was composed primarily of structured shift dresses, knee-length sheaths, and shirt dresses in a variety of prints, colors, and materials – She experimented with delicate lace & eyelet, metallic leather, and whimsical floral and oversized dot prints.
She paired with wide strap sandals and peep-toe tennis shoes, both in a high platform that made them both sporty and Posh. These dresses – minis and knee-length – are breezy, wearable pieces, they could easily be styled with heels or flats and I’d pile on the jewelry to make the look your own.
Z Spoke by Zac Posen:
Zac Posen is all about drama – Whether its showstopping gowns ready for the Oscars red carpet from his main line or chic separates from his secondary line Z Spoke – There’s always a sense of occasion and a melodramatic undertone. And this collection is no different with the aptly themes – Coco Goes To Hollywood.
These clothes are chic, fun, and wearable. They have a cinematic quality that suits both Coco Rocha and the theme – They look like they’re made to be looked at or photographed. And luckily for us his gorgeous Z Spoke handbag line pairs perfectly with these looks. I was a big fan of the textured prints in bold colors, the styling was great too, I would wear some of these looks head-to-toe!
DKNY:
Sleek and sport may not be the first words that come to mind when you think about DKNY, but this collection was pure DKNY – Sexy, confident NYC ladies with places to go and butts to kick, stylishly of course. The collection was all black, grey, and white with the occasional canary yellow or denim piece.
One of the things that I always love about DKNY is how I can picture the pieces in my own life – The sheer blouses could be paired with a blazer and pencil skirt for a flirty work look or worn with shorts on the weekends, while the fitted, cropped pants that come in prints, solids, and stripes – which I would wear constantly – would easily go from day to night and from work to weekends. A great DKNY piece fits into your wardrobe, it goes with your existing wardrobe and helps take your looks up a notch.
Lacoste:
The Lacoste show was part traditional and part fun and new. There were basic whites and styles that the brand has shown consistently over the years, but there were also bold colors, fun graphic patterns, and the use of interesting new fabrics like mesh, clear plastic, and sheer pieces.
I especially liked the blue abstract print sweater dress, pajama dressing for men, and the sexy alligator stamped navy leather mini dress – They were all very Lacoste, but with a modern twist.
See by Chloe:
Digital Fashion Shows are becoming quite the thing and See by Chloe showed their second – a light, breezy, easy collection perfect for Spring.
Slouchy, primary colored separates, pantsuits with chic wrapped jackets, multicolored knits, drawstring pants & dresses, all paired with pointy toed low-heeled pumps and See by Chloe oversized clutches and duffle bags.
Tibi:
I can always tell a Tibi dress or blouse when I’m scrolling through the Bloomingdale’s website – Wearable clothing that’s sleek but always has some fun, feminine details that make it unique and perfect for pairing with other pieces already in your wardrobe.
The Spring 2013 collection showcased great leather pieces, some digital-inspired florals, denim, and lots of black and white. I loved the flirty separates, A-line mini skirts, wide belts, and killer ankle strap heels.
Nicole Miller:
Feminine but with an edge – That’s usually the best way to describe Nicole Miller’s always wearable collections. The pieces are always fun and flirty, but she always paires the sweet with fabrics, textures, and cuts with an edge.
This season the dark, moody florals were paired with body-con silhouettes, caged platform sandals, and touches of S&M-inspired leather and harnesses. I absolutely adored the shrunken jackets, both the zipper-adorned motorcycle jackets and the great floral blazers.
Sources: Style.com, Fashionologie, The Stylist, & Tom & Lorenzo
Previous NYFW Collections: New York Fashion Week Spring 2013 – Part I, New York Fashion Week Fall 2012, Pre-Fall 2012 Part I, Part II, Part III, and NYFW Spring 2012 Round-Up.
Additional reviews, photographs, shows, and videos: Modelinia’s Runway Report: Richard Chai Love, Jenni Kayne, And Kimberly Ovitz, Harper Bazaar’s Top Spring 2013 Trends, This Time Tomorrow’s J.Crew Spring/Summer 2013 Details, and FabSugar’s Best Bags From Fashion Week Spring 2013.
Are these “more affordable” collections the ones that you look forward to during New York Fashion Week? Can you see yourself buying these pieces from brands like J.Crew, Kate Spade, or Tibi?
Moi Contre La Vie 