The live stream crashes, standby-telecasts, and minor glitches continued. And so did New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer ’14.
Harvé Léger
The luxe leather made its dramatic comeback in Fall ’13 and seems like it’s here to stay. For the Spring/Summer ‘ 14, Max Azria for Harvé Léger incorporated fair share of leather into his designs. Although, I’m not too keen on excessive leather, this monochrome dress had quite its appeal on the runway. Its intricate zip and leather design seem to draw attention to the right curves and to the must-have list.
Metallics was one of the prominent themes followed by the majority of designers at Spring/Summer 2014. Monique Lhuillier being hot favorite among celebrities; had A-listers from Emmy Rossum to Stacy Keibler and Jessica Lowndes, attend her show. As a famous bridal dress designer and couturier, the scarlet laced and sequined plums were fit for the upcoming Oscar. Howeverm, it was the metallic gold and silvers one that made it to the absolute lust-worthy list!
It was disappointing to see that a high-street brand like Lacosté left the audience high and dry. It seemed like the designers ached to play safe, and by all means, they did. The entire showcase exhibit shorts, tees and high-school uniformed mini skirts which lacked innovation or a vibrant color regime. The only one that stood out, was the peek-a-boo short laced dress. One could be seen wearing this at the Wimbledon Open, in case of a last-minute wardrobe malfunction.
And adding to our US-open/Wimbledon wardrobe list would be fashion’s biggest: Alexander Wang, Joseph Altuzarra and Victoria Beckham. Where Alexander Wang used pastel colors to portray his tom-boy designs, Altuzarra’s monochrome cape wooed the crowd and gained massive cookie-points. Victoria Beckham’s ‘boy meets girl’ themed show however, remained within restricted hues – flashing this season pink-trend for only two pieces.
Apart from the A-list front row, supportive husband and daughter in tow, the only note-worthy thing about Victoria Beckham’s show was the bag. I can most definitely see this as the next-big-thing for fashionistas!
As a sheer comparison, Mara Hoffman’s runway showdown was everything an onlooker wanted: Charismatic, lively and absolutely enthralling. Ranging from floor-swiping gowns to the minis, her collection was the ‘ brightest and most bold’ collection as yet. She used chiffon cut-out dresses, tie and dye pieces and rainbow dashiki which made every single dress from her collection a lust-worthy one. I wish I had enough blog space to rant about them all, but till then, feast your eyes on four of her best pieces.
Boarding the hippie bandwagon, Katya Leonovich thankfully delivered something with a bit of class. For her Spring/Summer ‘ 14 collection, Katya managed to ‘spring’ together strips and pieces of raw fabric, digital printed silks in vibrant hues and materialize them into A-line skirts and wear-able evening dresses. Three cheers to the notable effort made by adding tinge of chic into hippie.
This is where all the boys need to start taking notes under: HOW NOT TO DRESS. EVER.
NYFW S/s ’14 was when “low-fi Southern-bred luxury” of Billy Reid just stopped working. In a 24 pieced collection, he gave us back-to-back fashion to remember. And NOT in a good way. Some may feel his luxe menswear was rustic, I personally felt it was eyesoaring. A definite fashion no-no. Unless of course, you’re dressing up to repel the opposite sex, then by all means, please continue.
Nautica – an US clothing brand however, did the opposite and set the universe right. Their adrenaline pumping runway was everything men SHOULD and MUST dress like. From the killer abs to lust-worthy sunglasses, Nautica managed to define oomph and menswear in one go!
xx
More to follow FASHION FOR DUMMIES: NYFW S/S ’14 PT 3.
Cashing on Couture 