coutorture --

New York Fashion Week: Our Coverage

coutorture — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:09:38 -0700

We're gearing up for New York Fashion Week over here, which kicks off, officially, this Friday. Of course, that means there are about a million shows starting tomorrow, because New York is bursting at the seams with designers. So, pardon us while we dig out those wireless sticks and charging devices. We're not the sort to plan outfits on these occasions, it's more a matter of sticking with basics and focusing on the equipment and planning required to cover the shows. After all, if a model falls on the catwalk and no one video taped it, did it happen? In the meantime, we thought it helpful to give you the rundown of our coverage this season. If you're as serious about your fashion as we are you'll likely want to plan your viewing strategies in advance, and this will make it that much easier.

Video: We've three cameras floating about this season which means videos of tent shows and a slew of offsite shows. The latest you'll see them on our video page is the morning after the show has taken place. Sometimes you'll find them up late that evening. Videos reveal so much more than runway photos (i.e. the way the garment moves) and so, despite it nearly breaking our backs, we're pushing for more videos than ever before. This, you won't find anywhere else.

Network: We'll be posting our usual Coutorture Community Must Reads in both the morning and evening and, in addition to that, we'll round up posts in the network that deal specifically with New York Fashion Week so that you can hear the impressions and musings from hundreds of bloggers talking about the shows. Think of it as a filter for the best of the best when it comes to fashion in the blogosphere.

Written Content: We'll all be plugged in and running around and, more or less, sparing you our analysis of the fashions coming down the catwalk. What we will give you are quick postings about the energies backstage, about the fabrics, the colors, the straight facts of what's happening on and off site. We'll keep it short, simple, and to the point.

Photos: Creative: For each day of fashion week we'll be bringing with us one of four talented photographers. They are: Justin William Lin, Shannon Sinclair, Jonathan Melamed, and Robert Malmberg. These fine guys and gals will accompany us backstage, front of house, and in those mad dashes from one show to another. They will capture, each from their own vantage point, the moments and happenings that you won't find on Getty. Which, well, brings us to that...

Photos: Runway: We'll be uploading the shows just as soon as the images as released to us. Without getting into the particulars, just know that a lot of catwalk images are going to be moving through this site. If you've forgotten to refresh the page, or stopped to eat lunch (it's all about sustenance), check our photo page and you'll see a thumbnail for every show that's come through the front door.

After that...London. But let's start with this behemoth, shall we? Bookmark us and stay tuned, it's going to be one crazy week.

Pre-Fashion Week Video Interviews

coutorture — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:08:18 -0700

To celebrate the kick off of New York Fashion Week we've produced five teaser videos for the Spring 09 season. Last week, amid the inevitable chaos of designers and their pr offices, we snuck in and said hello to some of our favorite New York designers. That is Jerry Tam of Form, Ashleigh Verrier, Steinunn Sigurd of Steinunn, Chris Han, and Brandy Lunsford of Harlan Bel. In the teasers you'll discover a glimpse of the inspiration behind their collections and what each designer does to prepare for Fashion Week. When the time comes, we'll be posting their respective Spring 09 fashion shows (or presentations) and a little backstage action to boot.

Lyell Not Showing During Fashion Week

coutorture — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:30:07 -0700

Despite their placement on the fashion calender, Lyell will not being showing this Spring 09. We discovered this yesterday when we requested a pre-fashion week video interview. A representative for Lyell told us that the brand will be showing in February but that the Spring show has been canceled. After news that Mayle (located just down the street from Lyell in Nolita) would be closing down, we couldn't help but feel nervous that the entire contemporary market was shattering before our very eyes. Brands bounce back, we know, and come fall perhaps everything will be just fine. After all, Lyell just got a nice little shoutout in Vogue's September shopping guide (alongside Balenciaga, Balmain, and Topshop) and their new store renovations have enlivened the recently delivered fall collection. A little secret to those who haven't visited the Lyell store; they're one of a handful of boutiques who keep like-new Ferragamo riding boots in stock. For that, among other things, we will stand behind the brand. Ferragamo's will do that to a girl.

Transparency Trends For Spring 09

coutorture — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:27:24 -0700

We've been trying to imagine the Spring 09 trends the way a seven year old shakes their presents under the christmas tree. Transparency is one we've been thinking about. Transparency, the break-out trend for Spring 08, has pushed on strongly enough. We predict the numbers will be high come Spring 09. The trend-forecasting seminars always tell you that the trends for next season are the same as they were two seasons previous. No miraculous discoveries--just summaries of what, because of various websites, we've seen plenty of already. So our thoughts on transparency aren't unsupported. Just in case a little evidence is needed, however, here's some of what we've seen since Spring 08.

Fall is a season that calls for heavier layers and so transparency is necessarily peripheral because of its impracticality. We did, however, see plenty of it crop up on evening frocks and on blouses that could be easily layered. Ashleigh Verrier used it on feminine frocks that were made season-appropriate by way of fur stoles and thick hosiery. On the darker side of things Alexander Wang used it on shell tanks and leggings in many of his Fall looks and Preen (shown left) used transparency despite every other aspect of the collection being wintery perfection.

Then came Resort and with warmer weather; more freer usage of the textile. Christian Dior used generous portions of transparency for his cruise ship-worthy evening gowns. Chanel, on the other hand, stuck to mini-frocks that were prefect for the Miami-staged runway show. Calvin Klein (shown right), our favorite by far, showed a few examples of transparency in the colorless, structured collection.

Finally menswear came along and gave us the duds that will sit on the other side of the boutique and closet and dresser drawer to ours, come Spring 09. Transparency--check. We saw it unabashed and blazing from Givenchy, we saw it in lace from Yohji Yamamoto, and from Costume National (shown left) masquerading as a normal work shirt--complete with blazer and tie.

We think it's time to stop shaking the present now. We're pretty sure we know what we're getting when it's time to open the gifts. You never know though, like when you're a kid, there's always one that surprises you...

St. John Gets There First

coutorture — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:44:15 -0700

Just after a conversation on the slowness of July/August comes a Spring 09 show to our mailbox. Well hello there, St. John. No, you are not as content-friendly as Givenchy nor Yves Saint Laurent but you're fashion, new fashion, and at a time when Fall deliveries are trickling in at a snails pace and Spring shows are weeks away. Why, thank you St. John and how clever, we must say.

St. John is a global luxury brand started from the ground-up, back in the sixties. They are based in California and known for their impeccable quality and chic, albeit conservative, clothing. Shown left is a shot from their Fall 08 ad campaign which has absolutely nothing to do with their Spring 09 show except that we liked both and didn't want to split it into two posts (teehee). The Fall 08 shot shows just how clean and sharp is the St. John aesthetic and just how beautiful is Central Park in the Fall. As for Spring 09, the company focused on the knitwear that gained them notoriety in the first place with subtle nods in other places, to sportswear.

Conference Of Birds At Pier 92

coutorture — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:45:57 -0700

Sometimes being half-dressed is just as attractive as wearing the perfectly put together ensemble. That said, the Conference Of Birds Spring 09 show conjured the dressed-up business man who had just gotten himself into a little bit of after-hours mischief. Untied neckties and bow ties, sweats and pajama bottoms mixed with blazers and trouser shorts, gave this collection a cool perspective on the modern state of dress. This is a style we see in New York quite often. Many fashion forward young men in New York who buy clothing at a contemporary price point are in creative professions or are otherwise self-employed. For this particular group of men (and it is a large group), there is no uniform for them to adhere to and though they enjoy suiting just as much as the next gentleman, they don't part with their sneakers and t-shirts and jeans. So we see a lot of this, style-wise in New York (and we'd venture to say, America) but it's especially neat to see designers playing off those trends. Conference of Birds is designed by Andrew Holden who is known for mixing American workwear with British tailoring. This is his second collection and, we have to say, it seems he's onto something.

Obakki Spring 09 Fashion Show

coutorture — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:27:04 -0700

Everything was light and easy at the Obakki Spring 09 Fashion Show. The show was part of the contemporary community's attempt at reviving men's fashion week in New York. No matter who sponsors this, if it all works out, we hope that men's fashion week will be known just as 'Pier 92'--it just sounds so cool.

Anywho, the Canadian brand Obakki, headed by designer Treana Peake, is all about super refined pieces that are clean and easy. Everything from Spring 09 looked light as air and mix and matchable. The palate was diverse but most of the shades were toned down to their most muted versions (punctuated by the occasional jolt of color). Our favorite looks were, for women, a pair of smart grey trousers and lab-like overcoat, and for men, a classic blue shirt, buttoned up all the way, paired with dusty blue trousers, rolled up at the bottom. It's the kind of smart, type-A clothing that makes you want to gut your wardrobe and give your desk a Muji makeover. A welcomed aesthetic, if you ask us.

Hayden Harnett

coutorture — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:55:01 -0700

Hayden Harnett is launching a line of shoes this Spring 09, as reported through their blog. The Brooklyn-based handbag (and now clothing) designers, known by fans as just 'Toni and Ben' (sigh, Greenpoint) have made quite a business for themselves. That is, the line is stocked at Nordstorm and Anthroplogie and their customers fit rightly between those two worlds. The Spring 09 shoe line will consist of nine styles and range from simple flats to over-the-knee boots. Is this a reverse Loeffler Randall? Seem so. We're guessing that if you're a contemporary brand working with leather (a very difficult material to keep cost-effective) you're much more able to spout out a shoe line in one day than a contemporary clothing brand. Here's to working smart and a new line of shoes to look forward to. A Hayden Harnett shopping fix, as always, included.

Alexander McQueen Spring 09 Menswear

coutorture — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:08:06 -0700

McQueen gave Milan something for the ladies this Spring 09. Included in his menswear collection, which showed in Milan yesterday, were fourteen women's looks. The collection gave a nod to the scuba sport look we've begun seeing by everyone from Miu Miu to Opening Ceremony, his versions included neon bodysuits for the ladies. Another reference which appeared was the Jonathan Saunders method of color blocking where panels went from head to toe, creating a curvaceous silhouette when applied to body skimming frocks. In McQueen's version the colors were 'smoked' by way of a labor intensive technique McQueen created for the occasion. In reference to the silhouettes and aesthetic McQueen was going for with the ladies looks, he said, "There's lot of exposed leg, but it's all very understated luxe and non-p.c. in a healthy way". Amen to that, we say it's high time women wore the kind of clothing that made their bodies look anything but shapeless, and if 'understated luxe' translates as neon scuba jumpsuits, we are so totally supportive.

Roberto Cavalli Spring 09 Menswear

meganzanke — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:08:14 -0700

Where would a Cavalli gent be without an ultra-tan, chiffon clad lady by his side? Well, he'd be with a lot of other boys and they'd be in their underwear. This Spring 09 in Milan Cavalli made sure to include women's looks as part of his menswear collection. We're wondering if there isn't something to be said about the importance of women's clothing in a menswear context. That is, perhaps there are some designers whose aesthetic pivots on heterosexual couples (whether or not they sleep together is another matter entirely) so much so that no gender-specific collection is without the opposite partner's perfectly merchandised outfits. It's like barbie and ken all over again, is it not? Fashion companies have always known to incorporate the notion of lifestyle into their branding and designing efforts. In this day and age, when everything from ceramic vases to dog collars is retailed to fulfill this purpose, perhaps it goes without saying that the ladies looks are a necessary part of showing a menswear design effort. After all, no one's going to sit at home alone if they're wearing Cavalli's animal print trousers. A man's going to get up and go find himself the appropriate context for those pants. In this case a gal wearing a jewel adorned maxi frock, a glamyacht, and a big bucket of alcohol.