The Wright Wreport: MBFW Day 3: Prints, Cuts, Straps and a Fire Flower

HEAD’S UP: Continuing the approach we adopted commencing with the Fall 2012 edition of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York, VEVLYN'S PEN will put emphasis on the truly inspirational on the runway, rather than a sort of “best of the lot, even if it’s not that good.” Why the change? Simply put, we have grown weary of watching far too many collections that lack imagination because too much attention has been paid to the bottomline. If nothing inspires, we will tell you so and tell you why. We still endeavor, however, to provide a roundup of the best, worst and most interesting Yours Truly (and others) witnesses, from trends to sightings to the rather unusual/bizarre.

Day 3
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere): Ruffian, Marissa Webb, Lacoste, Jill Stuart, Son Jung Wan, Mm6 Maison Martin, Margiela, Edun, Nina Skarra, Mara Hoffman, Marlon Gobel, Rafael Cennamo, Hervé Léger by Max Azria, Katya Leonovich, Vlov - Qingqing Wu, Monique Lhuillier, Ostwald Helgason, Altuzarra, Venexiana, Christopher Esber, E L L E R Y, Alexander Wang, Mason Sylvester

WHERE to start? What a day was Day 3 of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week!

The day played host to many really strong shows. Jill Stuart showed the femme fatale that lurks underneath what had heretofore been a proper exterior. Her reference is Kim Basinger's Lynn Bracken in "L.A. Confidential." She nails it. A case in point is the silk beige dress with a shawl-like shoulder that ties high on the waist and is cut low at the bodice. Underneath is a silver-sequinned bra. Several dresses are made from upstanding fabric but have loose cuts and that doesn’t mean loose-fitting. Here is a very naughty girl but ultimately a nice girl.

For Spring-Summer 2013, Jill Stuart has a different sort of woman on the brain. Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Monique Lhuillier’s girl is a nice girl, too. In fact, she's probably a mermaid. For Spring 2013, the designer is inspired by water and the creatures within. Birds also figure in the mix. Many cocktail dresses, gowns, blouses and pants are done in prints that resemble fish scales. Some ensembles bear prints that strongly suggest a fish tank. To conjure up the sea only, MH often relies on color. The blouse with kimono sleeves and laser-cut leather and jacquard shorts are rendered, respectively, in midnight blue (or is that blue-black) and a sort of dark electric blue, mimicking the way water looks at night and at its deeper points.

Over at Alexander Wang it is not difficult to imagine that he may be channeling plastic surgery or films that explore plastic surgery such as Antonio Banderas’ “The Skin I Live In.” With impressive precision he uses cutouts to create geometric and other interesting shapes. It’s both sleek and artistic. Often the effect is the look of various prints. Consider the black top with v-shaped cutouts on the bodice and straight cut-outs on the sleeves. It is paired with a skirt that has wave-shaped cut-outs. Sandals provide a nice finish to the look. (See video above)

Much more to say and too little time to say it in … More shortly, meanwhile enjoy the pictures below from Day 3.

On Deck today, Day 4: Bespoken, Lela Rose, Tracy Reese, Erickson Beamon, Custo Barcelona, Diane von Furstenberg, Carmen Marc Valvo, Y-3, Timo Weiland, Zang Toi, Zac Posen, David Tlale, Chado Ralph Rucci, Emerson, DKNY, Designer’s Collective, Edwing D'Angelo, Anna Francesca, Blanc de Chine

Visit http://www.mbfashionweek.com to learn more about Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, including show information and videos.

Day 3 Pictorial
Venexiana