New York Fashion Week:Day 3

Jill Stuart

Day 3 was as hectic as Day 2 with 22 shows. I don't know how they do it. There were only a few that stood out for me and only a couple I would actually call my favourite,so I will give you a brief description of the ones I think that are worth mentioning and I will go into more detail for the ones that I think are the best. Don't say I'm not good to you.

Ruffian was full of bright colours and were really rocking the colour block trend, with their two coloured swimsuits and dresses. The main colour combos were black and white, blue and green, blue and yellow, orange and pink and red and pink.
Jill Stuart was getting ready for spring with a pastel colour blocking theme. Dresses were not fitted, there were a lot of collars and high necks. The outfits were mainly plain with the colour doing the talking but some outfits had a hummingbird pattern.
Gregory Parkinson was rocking the whole white vibe this year. The outfits were not fitted at all. To be honest I prefer outfits that emphasise a woman's body,not hide it. I mean if you have been toning your hips for six months to wear a specific dress, you at least want to show off your hard work! Plus the whole white thing, if you are anything like me it will have been ruined by spilling something on it by about 8.30am.
Victoria Bartlett This collection was mainly a lingerie and swimsuit collection which is what she is best known for. The designer was inspired by tectonic plates this year, which can be seen clearly in the shapes of fabric and the fabric overlapping. Other geolical themes were shown with volcanoes,storm clouds and lightning patterns. Hips were built out and shoulders were given an armoured type cut. Her signature colour is nude, so it was nice to see her include coral and a totally gorgeous green that my sources ie Dulux paint swatches tell me is a seafoam green.

Vivienne Tam

Vivienne Tam I think Vivienne has been watching a bit too much of Garderner's World, because a garden is the main focus of her show this year. She said at the start of the show 'I wanted to transform the elements of a Zen garden into clothes. The patterns,forms and the feeling of tranquility and lightness." Well she certainly did that with light fabrics,orchid patterns that also appeared in embroidery an applique. Some gorgeous patterns had been created and a whole array of colours were present. It's definitely worth a look.
Farah Angsana was a beautiful collection of cocktail dresses,mainly floor length but there were some that were knee length. With gorgeous silhouettes,intricate detailing and clever patternmaking,this is definitely a collection to check out if you love gorgeous cocktail dresses.
Christian Siriano Great colour blocking,amazingly good tailoring and some fab tulle laden gowns,this is a collection to look at!
Boy and Girl by Band of Outsiders is full of lovely long flowing dresses. The start of the show began with light weight suiting which reminded me of school. But thankfully the outfits are lot better then the horrible leprechaun striped uniform that I had to wear! It contained bowler hats which for some reason put 'Me Old Bamboo' from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in my head. This collection was different to everyone else who is doing strong prints and extravagant styles, it was very simplistic. Worth a look if you are into the whole innocent girl look.
Duro Olowu had some beautiful maxi and mid length dresses. There was a vintage feel to them with some gorgeous patterns,colours,silhouettes and fabrics. Definitely worth a look.

Duro Olowu

Erin Fetherston had a 60s vibe to her collection with shift dresses and the models having twiggy style hair. This is a nice collection with nice colours, but sadly it doesn't really stand out among all the other designers that are looking back. Still worth a look though. On the plus, all the collections say ready to wear and this is the most ready to wear and I'm sure it would do really well in the shops.
Graeme Armour This collection as a whole isn't really my thing what with the bland colours,weird cuts and slashed in material everywhere. It looks like the designers have anger management issues and need to go on Jeremy Kyle. But I LOVE the last few items of the show where flurescent pink is incorporated. There is a great pink black and white top and matching trousers, a pink leather top and the most amazing pink leather jackets. They are to die for!!
Altuzarra Again this collection isn't really my thing but they have used a gorgeous tropical flower and parrot pattern that is seen on some dresses,tops,trousers and jackets. I'm really not keen on the weird hairstyle though! Oh and the huge thick eyebrows,they just look like all the models have never seen a pair of tweezers before.

Now to my favourites.
Prabal Gurung's collection had a gorgeous bright purple theme to it. Violet was blotted all over the fabrics and also made fabrics look like they were dripping with paint. A lot of the dresses had sliced inserts of netting added and cutouts revealing a lot of skin and they had a hint of fetish wear to them. Lets just say some of these dresses aren't the sort of dress you would wear to meet the boyfriend's parents for Sunday Lunch,trust me. There was a lot going on in this collection and in my opinion it got better and better as it went along. It was filled with romantic prints, piping,harnesses and see through tulle, sometimes all of it on one garment. Talk about pushing the boat out. A series of photos 'Sensual Flowers' by Japanese Artist Nobuyoshi Araki inspired Prabal. He made prints in teal,purple and black which were arranged symmetrically down the front of a georgette dress. Georgette fabric is crinkly,sheer,very light and very springy so it looks like it is moving on its own. It is perfect for draping. The prints were all over dresses, fitted blazers and sporty piped track shorts. Dresses were somewhat of an oxymoron though with beautiful pretty dresses decorated with bondage corded harness.An incorporated bold metallic sheen was given to some of the clothes that gave more of a PVC look. I love a satin jacket and trouser suit that has a gorgeous purple inkblot pattern on them. I love the low cut barely there black top accessorised with rope and a lace low cut top with a gorgeous purple full skirt. Towards the end of the collection the dresses got longer and there were two gorgeous knee length A-line dresses that were decorated with an inkblot pattern and a sheer tulle camouflage. There were also two floor length gowns one black,one white that had a lot of cutouts and were slit to the hip. One of my favourite dresses was a purple floor length fitted dress with a black rope belt to accentuate the waist. The dress was decorated with small purple strips that remind you of litmus paper that you used at school. This collection had more pic'n'mix then Woolworths did and a lot of concepts, but they all somehow work and it all made a good collection. Even though, some do gooder will probably put an age rating on this collection.

Monique Lhuillier pulled off a a gorgeous collection with beautifully arranged,complex floor length dresses. Monique is known for her bridal gowns and oscar gowns, but this collection was more a bold ready to wear equipped with rich colours,black lace and intricate beading.There were a lot of bright colours and neons, with colours adding a pop of colour to white and black dresses. Sporty necklines, striping and slashing was a main theme to the collection giving it a sporty look. Although, I don't think you will get Paula Radcliffe wearing one of the dresses running just yet. There were some gorgeous knee length dresses that looked like the fabric had been wrapped around the body. Monique used a lot of intricate seaming,sequins,lace and leather to flatter the physique. To create a slimmer silhouette she used a lot of colour block panelling down the front or along the sides of a dress. There was a gorgeous blue cocktail dress wrapped in twisted tulle that was simply stunning. The last dresses would give anyone serious ball gown envy. There was a gorgeous yellow dress and some gorgeous white dresses that looked like they had large blue ink stains all over them. Monique brings it all to a new level with her amazing cuts and fabulous gowns that are to die for. I could write so much more about this amazing woman's designs but I don't want you to end up reading a novel. So if you do one thing today,please check out her designs! I have a complete designer crush on this woman. She has pure talent and it makes you want to marry any random guy, just so you can wear one of her dresses at your wedding. Or is that just me?

So there we have it,Day 3 in a nutshell. Filled with pastel colours,flowing dresses,and exhilarating ball gowns. As the song says,it can only get better! Remember you can check out all the latest videos of Fashion Week at: Youtube Fashion Week videos

P.s. My brother showed me this video that is just hilarious and is even better if you are a fan of Steptoe and Son.Big Train Fashion Show Clip The clip I want to show you is from 2.16 to 2.52. It combines my two loves, fashion and Steptoe! Enjoy!

Second Hand Rose
XxxX