New York favourites










































































































































































































































Chado Ralph Rucci Spring 2009

i don't believe i've ever written about Rucci before, but then again, i know next to nothing about him, only that he's the only American designer allowed to formally show at haute couture week in Paris.

just look at that skirt; a master remains a master...

i am nothing but humbled by his work.
















































































































































































































































































































Calvin Klein Collection Spring 2009

my first impression was that i preferred Franciso Costa's previous collection for the house of Calvin Klein, which turned 40 this year.

many people do not bother to examine his designs thoroughly... they usually just do a perfunctory quick look-see, and go, oh it's the same old minimalism, what's new?

but if you think about it, Calvin Klein (along with Helmut Lang, Miuccia Prada & Marc Jacobs) defined the fashions of the 1990s. surely it is not a house to be so easily dismissed...

(yes, i suppose you could accuse me of being biased, since i've always been loyal to the Calvin Klein aesthetic direction.)

these days, the Calvin Klein runway is easily one of the top runways to keep an eagle eye on, especially for model castings. as you must know, in Milan, walking for Prada is THE single most desirable slot for a model - for New York, Calvin Klein sets the standard.

anyway i'm not that much of a model-fanatic, so let's not delve into that area.

for me, it's the clothes that make the main story.

it looks like Francisco is experimenting more with new fabrics and the manipulation of said fabric. the angle of the clothes are jarring, and will obviously not seat well with conservative customers (both literally and metaphorically, i imagine)

just as Cathy Horyn, resident fashion critic of NY Times, noted,

"But I also think that it’s good to work within boundaries, like commercial demands and practical lifestyle considerations. It forces you to be both a problem solver and a ground breaker.

Maybe Costa’s collection needed more of that balance."

Francisco's new collection definitely swings more towards the designer's desire to experiment, rather than to please the common public. i fully agree with Cathy that the collection would have hit an even greater peak, had Francisco managed to balance both commercial viability and the avant garde...

but i strongly suspect his spring 2009 collection will serve as a starting point for greater acts to follow.

"There were moments of awkwardness but in the main, the collection worked... I liked that Costa opened the door, as he can, to something different."

touche, Cathy, touche.



















































































































































































































Unconditional Spring 2009

two words: unconditional love!

designer Philip Stephens (who usually shows in London) is one to watch.





























































































































































































































































































































































Ralph Lauren Collection Spring 2009

remove all the extra styling and styling props... would it look as cool? some of the more outrageous turbans work well only on the runway, but the more daring amongst us could carry off the smaller cotton turbans...

the luxurious-Indian-safari theme is stark clear, and i thought Ralph did a good job in relaying it in his clothes.



























on a separate note, doesn't Cecilia Mendez look too cute for words here? she hasn't been doing many shows this season; i've only seen her at Charles Nolan and Betsey Johnson - but i know one thing for sure, Cecilia always walks for Ralph Lauren.

























































































































































































































































































































































































































































3.1 Philip Lim Spring 2009

one of my favourite make-up looks of the new season was at Philip Lim; the eyes and the lips are just succulent...

to get the look (or clumsily attempt to, anyway), NARS comestics' chief make-up artist, Ayako explains the steps at WWD, and the exact NARS products used, over at Teen VOGUE.

that swirly-zippered dress will undoubtedly be appearing on some red carpet or at least selling well, i think. funnily enough, the dress calls to mind of YSL's Muse clutch:



















otherwise, it was Philip Lim at his peak for this collection - both menswear and womenswear were well-executed and just, you know, so quintessentially Philip.

the amount of attention he pays to the smaller accessory details are admirable.

i must have one of Philip's polka-dot bags, but it's the tiny red square brooch on the black male model's collar and the gold tie-pin with a hanging chain that really made me pause...




























as i always say, God is in the details.

as far as i can tell, spring 2009 is truly off to a promising start. i was especially pleased with new york this season, presenting surprise after surprise...

despite the influx of even more young designers in New York this year (which, in all honesty, made me both weary and wary), i felt that the city held a lot of potential, much more so than last season.

i loved the new direction the season is taking, all the loose silhouettes that felt so relaxed, the soothing colour palettes of whites and similar off-white colours (not pastels, mind you)...

still seeing some trends left over from previous seasons, like transparency and sheer fabrics, still very much alive - but this time, as compared to the blatant and overly-obvious display from spring 2008, the sheer trend was integrated and mixed with more intelligence, i reckon.

exposed zippers from fall 2008 are still kicking about, but some designers seem to be incorporating them into their collections for the sake of being on-trend, like Rag & Bone, unfortunately.

i am pleased with how designers have been continuing with the sculptural shapes from fall 2008, but it's toned down this time round... rather, geometric prints and cut-outs are the focus. i am seeing a hell lot of fabrics being cut-out, backs are exposed, collar bones jutting out in the nude.

though really, i don't know how i'm going to keep up when fall 2009 swings by...

there are simply too many runways and i have too little time to properly and slowly savour everything.