Fashionista

New Show Reviews and Galleries! Jen Kao, NAHM, Libertine and Nicole Miller

Dhani Mau — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:33:08 +0000

From L to R: Jen Kao, NAHM, Libertine and Nicole Miller

Our latest batch includes Jen Kao‘s east-meets-west collection, Ally Hilfiger’s NAHM, Nicole Miller‘s Jimi Hendrix girls, and Libertine‘s many mixed prints. Enjoy all that and more on our dedicated fashion week page.

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What We Saw Today at New York Fashion Week, Day 3

Steff Yotka — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:13:36 +0000

Today the Fashionista team was busy running all over Manhattan to catch shows from Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, Altuzarra, Band of Outsders, Rachel Antonoff, Wes Gordon, and so many more!

In between taxis, subways, and the occasional pedi-cab, we managed to take a few snaps of NYFW through our eyes. Click through the gallery to see everything from Gisele and various other supermodels backstage at Alexander Wang (yes, this happened and we almost died) to a real cat posing with models at Rachel Antonoff!

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Jen Kao Fall 2012: East Meets West For a Nightcap

Tyler McCall — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:03:06 +0000

You never know what you’re going to get when you walk into a Jen Kao show, and her line sheets rarely provide a good explanation. This season was no exception. According to her notes, we could expect to see a woman who “moves with a relaxed aristocracy defined by challenging the rigidity of masculinity and the fragility of femininity.” Um, what? So we let the clothes do the talking.

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Barbie Is the Latest Celeb Designer: We Stopped By Her Fashion Party Last Night to Check Out Her Vintage Wardrobe

Cheryl Wischhover — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:45:21 +0000

A few weeks ago I received a bright pink invitation complete with pink stick-on rhinestones inviting me to come to the “Barbie Dream Closet” at Lincoln Center. Obviously I hightailed it over there on opening night to check it out.

Barbie moved some of her not inconsiderable wardrobe–and 360 pairs of identical pink pumps–over to Lincoln Center to hang out with the designers and fashion crowd. Why? Well, like a lot of other celebs and it-girls, Barbie is a fashion designer now.

Every year Barbie gets a new career (or 2 or 3) and this is her first of 2012. So obvi she needs to be where the action is. To celebrate, she set up shop near the tents, offering people a glimpse into her lit-with-very-flattering-pink-light world. Upon walking in to a huge life size Barbie dream house, I was greeted by the girliest music ever (think Katy Perry and old-school Madonna) and six life size Barbies, from all different eras. As if that wasn’t awesome enough, they were dressed in vintage fashion from the Albright Library’s archives.

Black Barbie Doll (ca.1980) had on Alexander McQueen and CEO Barbie (ca. 1985) was wearing huge-shouldered Dolce & Gabbana amazingness. Moschino, Burberry, Chloe, Oscar de la Renta, and Marc Jacobs adorned the various Barbies, too. Accessories were provided by Alexis Bittar, Kate Spade, Janis Savitt, and others. I couldn’t take my eyes off Original Teenage Fashion Model Barbie (ca. 1959), though, because this girl actually had Barbie proportions (she was pretty popular with party-goers, being the only one in a swimsuit to boot.) Anyway.

I spoke to Stephanie Cota, the senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Barbie. After she explained the exhibit, I had to ask her how Mattel deals with Barbie detractors. “You have to remember that for a little girl, Barbie is a doll,” she said. “Barbie represents fashion and aspiration and opportunity and we try to remember everyday to look through that little-girl lens. It’s an amazing responsibility.”

After learning that Mattel had talked to a lot of designers, many of whom had “Barbie moments” growing up, I conveniently ran into Chris Benz, who was taking a break from a marathon day of fittings. While he didn’t specifically have a Barbie moment, he did have a moment. “I begged my mom for a Malibu Ken when I was in third grade, which I got,” he told me. “Then I was disappointed because it only came with board shorts, so there was no clothes to play with. I just took off the board shorts.”

If you’re near Lincoln Center, the Barbie Dream Closet will be open to the public (complete with DJ) all day Sunday February 12 and Monday February 13. Click through to see some of the celebs that popped by.

Photos: Getty

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Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:45:21 +0000

Here’s Adele’s First US Vogue Cover

Leah Chernikoff — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:11:23 +0000

Back in December we broke the news that Adele would cover US Vogue’s March spring fashion issue. Well, here it is: the cover has hit the Twitters (we can’t pin down the original source). Vogue has a track record of making their celeb covers look a little plastic-y and over retouched but this cover does Adele justice–at least it does her face and, um, boobs justice. She looks gorgeous (albeit very contoured), and, wow, nice rack. But is it distracting? She’s not as closely cropped as she was for her Vogue UK photo but she’s still cropped. What do you think?

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Libertine Fall 2012: Mix and Match

Cheryl Wischhover — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:24:20 +0000

Mixing prints isn’t for the faint of heart, but the fun-loving hipster Libertine girl has it down to an art. (Rhyme unintended.) If you’re interested in getting in on this seemingly ongoing trend, it’s probably best to follow her cue.

For fall 2012, Johnson Hartig built his Hand Made in America-entitled collection around a palette of mostly royal blue, oxblood, cream, brown, and black with green, gray, and grape peppered in here and there. Dark florals and a variety of vibrant plaids mixed and mingled on the catwalk alongside sparkly sequin embellishments and knit- and lace-overlay. Oversize furs and swing coats were accessorized with big bauble-y beaded necklaces and beautifully busy neon and magenta platform calf-boots. Several pieces were adorned with strategically placed sparkly spherical studs in red, green, blue, and silver hues, including the tights (which very well may prompt us to create our own DIY pair).

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Fashion Week Mad Libs With Rebecca Taylor!

Dhani Mau — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:06:53 +0000

Hey, Patron, are you listening up? Send Rebecca Taylor a couple shots…she deserves one!

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NAHM Fall 2012: Ancient Egypt Meets the 1920s

Jihan Forbes — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:49:22 +0000

The room was already buzzing when we arrived at the NAHM presentation. Piano music swelled in the background as we navigated past press, bloggers, and assorted fashion folk to get a good look at the fall collection. You could hear people gushing in conversation: “It’s gorgeous,” “so wearable,” “I need those shoes exactly right now.” It’s hard to believe that it was only a year ago that Alexandra Hilfiger (yes, that Hilfiger) and Nary Manivong showed their debut collection, consisting mostly of shirtdresses highlighted with feminine detailing. But oh, how the brand has grown in that time.

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Nicole Miller Fall 2012: Girls Gone Gorgeously Groovy

Tyler McCall — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:18:30 +0000

If Jimi Hendrix had been born a chick (and in this decade), she would probably have owned every single piece in Nicole Miller’s seventies-inspired AW/12 collection.

Set to a mishmash of thumping hip-hop and heavy metal tunes, the designer unleashed her inner ‘haute hippie rocker’ on the runway. Her ‘70s POV included fitted jackets with exaggerated shoulders, colorful silk blouses with bell sleeves, skinny velvet cigarette pants, slinky bellbottoms, suede mini shorts, floral bodycon dresses, and plush voluminous outerwear trimmed in metallic brocade, fringe, and fur.

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New Show Reviews and Galleries! Rebecca Minkoff, Charlotte Ronson, Rebecca Taylor and Billy Reid

Dhani Mau — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:15:54 +0000

From L to R: Rebecca Minkoff, Charlotte Ronson, Rebecca Taylor and Billy Reid

We’ve made it through the end of day three! Check out Rebecca Minkoff, whose show was littered with celebs, Charlotte Ronson‘s cool duds, Rebecca Taylor‘s new downtown look and Billy Reid‘s first ever runway show. All that and more on our New York Fashion Week page. And of course keep your eyes glued to this site as there is much more to come!

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Charlotte Ronson Fall 2012: Aviator Scuba Chic

Tyler McCall — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:10:51 +0000

Per usual, the Charlotte Ronson fall/winter 2012 show was a total friends and family affair. The front row was packed with the designer’s friends including hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, his daughter and frequent show-presence Angela Simmons, the somewhat dormant Nicki Hilton, and DJ buds Chelsea Leyland and Becka Diamond (who arrived together and giggling minutes before the show started).

Once the lights went down Ronson sent over 33 looks down the runway that, like last season, were a bit on the eclectic side. I looked to the line-sheet for some pointers, but there weren’t any pithy sayings or obscure literary quotes for guidance. So if I attempted to sum it up:

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Rebecca Taylor Fall 2012: A New Downtown Direction

Tyler McCall — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:54:09 +0000

When the music started pulsing at Rebecca Taylor’s fall/winter 2012 show, everyone’s heart skipped a beat. Perhaps the impactful opening was on purpose as the new Rebecca Taylor girl is anything but shy.

Gone were the frills and frippery of the brand’s heyday, replaced by a veritable army of Lower East Siders. And while the proportions sometimes missed the mark, often coupled with unfortunate lace-trimmed leggings, the new RT gal is confidently styled, unafraid of tweed peplums, velvet sweats and illusion frocks.

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Rebecca Minkoff Fall 2012: Fur T-Shirts and an Exercise in Front Row Diplomacy

Tyler McCall — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:46:09 +0000

Rebecca Minkoff is best known for the ubiquitous Morning After bags loved by frisky coeds and finicky editors, alike, but at yesterday’s show, it was hard to stay focused on the accessories.

A celeb-dotted front row featured Nikki Reed and her American Idol hubby, Paul Macdonald, a chatty Abigail Breslin (“I used to be really obsessed with the 80′s, you know, like, arm warmers,” she enthused), Olivia Palermo, Kristin Chenoweth and Blue Bloods starlet, Sami Gayle.

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Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:46:09 +0000

Billy Reid Fall 2012: A Refreshing Fashion Week Respite

Tyler McCall — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:36:51 +0000

We always look forward to Billy Reid‘s show as a refreshing respite from the oftentimes monotony of NYFW : At Billy’s show the men in the audience far outnumber the women and it’s the gents, too, that are best dressed; the show started on time and beer–not champagne– was served to show-goers. In short it was everything that so many shows today lack: Unpretentious, fun, and filled with good-looking straight guys.

But just because the atmosphere was laidback, that’s not to say the clothing–or the designer’s skill–isn’t serious. Far from it: Reid’s expert tailoring could be seen as much in the men’s three piece suits and fur-trimmed outerwear as in the women’s belted coats, fitted skirts and smart trousers. Our two favorite looks, at least in the womenswear department, had to be the cobalt blue suit and the tailored black skirt suit with cobalt pocket square. The fabulously wide-brimmed floppy hats were also a welcome addition to the collection.

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Fashion Week Mad Libs With Kaelen Farncombe!

Dhani Mau — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:44:38 +0000

Kaelen showed her fall collection on Thursday and it was awesome, so we can forgive her for having some trouble with her mad libs.