NYFW: The Shows Day 2 – Here’s an Adjective That Doesn’t Normally Apply to Custo Barcelona; Betsey Johnson is Golden; Zang Toi Has You Covered (Exquisitely) for Your Island Vacation; From the Academy (of Art University), More Glimpses of the Future

Some of the players on Day 2: CG, Gabriela Hearst, Wes Gordon, Jonathan Cohen, Visvim, Jason Wu, Yigal Azrouel, Novis, Kate Spade, Ida Cohen, Custo Barcelona, Zimmermann, Tanya Taylor, Rosie Assoulin, Sally LaPointe, Betsey Johnson, Karigam,Polo, Cushnie et Ochs, Giulietta, Max Gengos, Pamella Roland, Kye, Ryan Roche, Nicole Miller, Givenchy, Zang Toi, Chromat, Academy of Art University

ONE encounters a legend of prints whenever taking Custo Barcelona under consideration. In a good way, in the main.

For S/S 2016 at New York Fashion Week: The Shows, it is the same. Yet, there is a differentness. It has taken a few passes of players in the new line to suss it out. Dare one utter such a characterization of a Custo Barcelona collection?

One dares. It is elegant. For women, anyway. Men are a bit of an afterthought. “Carefree elegance,” are their key words for the new collection, drawing heavily on the label’s playbook.

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, it is called “Slow,” taking cues from the zeitgeist in the culinary movement to return to and enjoy slow cooking. The dizzying array of patterns – it’s in there.
However, it seems that more elegance is imparted by also relying on small, solid blocks of color here and there. Another device is occasionally pulling back a print or two, creating a more coherent, polished tableaux.

One can get used to this.

From the Custo Barcelona S/S 2016 collection. Photos by Yours Truly.

Zang Toi

Though Zang Toi S/S 2016 is inspired by a volcanic Greek Island, the collection is a meditation on serene elegance. A playlist of soothing music– including some Maria Callas favorites – further set the tone.

The stunning opening series of whites – pantsuits, tunics, dresses, blouses – in various high-thread-count cottons is the embodiment of Zen. Accessible where white can often imply frigidity, the peasant blouses with their oversized sleeves, in particular, suggest an invitation to watch one of the breathtaking sunsets for which the towns and villages of Santorini Island are known.

Another ironic twist is the minimalist quality of the collection. Where ZT could have indulged in an overabundance of stitching and beading to conjure the splendors of this patch of God’s green earth, he chooses instead to employ mere touches, deferring to scale.

For instance, only the cap sleeves of an ocean blue (navy) woven silk sheath are covered by hand-beaded sequins in ocean green. Elsewhere, an ocean blue Maria Callas great coat bears the same ocean green sequins in a block of space near its hem.

Incidentally, ZT keeps the color palette simple too – mainly white, turquoise and navy, with splashes of green. It’s a tranquil setting.

Betsey Johnson

WE can all but hope that we have the zest for life (and flexibility) that Betsey Johnson does when we’re 73.

It is not clear whether a S/S 2016 collection, titled “The Curious Case of Betsey Button,” was created or whether the cartwheeling, side-splitting, high-kicking designer raided her trunks. Tutus, tiaras, chains, cutouts, fishnet stockings, prairie dresses …

In paying homage to her 50th year in the ragtrade, the punk grand dame showed nightclub-inspired looks from each of the five decades in roughly descending order, introducing each in rhyme over an intercom

The models, God help them, how bland! BJ may have plucked drag queens and transgenders to do her on-stage dancing, vamping, vogueing and posing as each era was introduced.

Still, it’s Betsey, so there is always fun nearby. Happy 50th Betsey. And many, many, many more!

Academy of Art University

The San Francisco-based Academy of Art University (AAU) always represents a breath of fresh air at New York Fashion Week

Each season, AAU – celebrating 10 years at NYFW with S/S 2016 – brings a crop of students showing their thesis collection. Incidentally, these are not mere vanity projects to fulfill curriculum requirements.

AAU grads work with some of the top names in fashion. Alexander McQueen, Banana Republic, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs are among them.

Last night, Livia Bianda and Wenhan Yuan showed two of the strongest collections. Remember these names.

On deck today, Day 3: Adam Lippes, Lacoste, Misha Nonoo, Jill Stuart, Noon by Noor, Emerging Designers Collective, Osklen, Dion Lee, Rebecca Minkoff, Herve Leger by Max Azria, Tibi, Tsion Rocks by Yvette Crocker, Skingraft, Mara Hoffman, Ji Oh, Christian Siriano, Francesca Liberatore, Designers’ Collective, E Sosa, Santa Clara Moda, Chrisber’Y, Anthony Rubio, Marco Marco, Banana Republic, Collina Strada, Monique Lhuillier, Frank B Hollywood, Baby Ghost, Altuzarra, Son Jung Wan, Amiat by Tamil Robinson Group,

Visit http://www.nyfw.com/ to learn more about New York Fashion Week: The Shows, including show information, videos and installations.

MBFW Day 1: Quiet, Then All Hell Breaks Loose

Models on the runway toward the end of the Ozwald Boateng show. Photo from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Website.

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 1
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere): Nicholas K, BCBGMaxAzria, Kaelen, Richard Chai, Siki Im, Chadwick Bell, Tadashi Shoji, Monika Chiang, Duckie Brown, Arise Magazine Presents: African Icons, Supima, The Art Institute of New York City, Katie Gallagher, Honor, Costello Tagliapietra, Kimberly Ovitz, Jenni Kayne, Steven Alan, Veronica Beard, Creatures of the Wind, Lisa Perry, Erin Fetherston

IT was around siesta time when the joint at the first day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was shaken out of its slumber. The ruckus was caused by the man himself – or rather his presentation – Ozwald Boateng.

BEST SPECTACLE and BEST PRESENTATION – Showing for the first time at New York and under the rubric of Arise Magazine Presents: African Icons, OB injected a motherlode of energy into what heretofore had been a rather tame affair. That applies not only to the day, but also to others showing under the Arise umbrella.

Rather than send the models out one by one, the Ghanian jettisoned them in a group that stood abreast of each other. This was a force and it may have had arms underneath some of those snazzy suit jackets. The force would not be moved; it stood at the mouth of the runway stoically looking straight ahead, daring anyone who dared. It was a formidable sight.

When the force deigned to move itself, each individual member made his way down the runway, oozing out of every pore in his finely honed body virility and self-possession. His presence is so huge that this kind of man – dressed as he is, radiating the type of energy  he is – sucks all of the air out of the room. This is a man with the plan and he is dressed to kill or whatever else you got.

In a word, the show was a spectacle – and that’s a good thing. “That’s how they do it in London,” one wag exclaimed of the city where OB resides. Alas, there is not yet any video. Inexplicably, none appears on the MBFW Web site either. Is this a total diss?

When you on occasion combine blindingly bright West African prints and by-the-book Savile Row tailoring, producing garments that are – hot dog! – out of sight, by golly, put on a spectacle. And yes, end it with a sergeant type inspecting the troops, for they will pass muster because you have ruthlessly and effortless applied the training you received in style bootcamp.

IT’S ALL COPASETIC – Elsewhere around Day 1, opener Nicholas K was totally chill. The aviator-framed eyeglasses and cloche-shaped beanie worn by some of the female models could cause one to wonder whether designer Nicholas Kunz had air travel on her mind. Of course, it could be the way the anoraks and other jackets, as well as some of the dresses are held aloft behind the models making their way insouciantly down the runway. Whatever it was, it was easy on the eye and wearer-friendly. While NK doesn’t go for the razzmatazz of an OB, she makes an impression in a lowkey way. The Spring-Summer 13 collection is laidback, heavy on layers as it the norm at Nicholas K. (See video above). Nothing wows, but that series of silks/satins in burnt/orange for women provides a nice visual among the other more subdued colors and fabrics. Ditto for the trio of seafoam green (Nicholas K calls it soy) ensembles toward the end.

A look from The Art Institute of New York City show that very few likely saw. Photo by Fernanda Calfat for Getty Images

TRIED&TRUE AND S&M – Meanwhile, BCBGMaxAzria is successful because the husband-wife team of Max and Lubov Azria puts a premium on quality materials. Often that makes all the difference, especially if one is not stoked on innovation and doesn't possess mad sewing skills. SS13 takes inspiration from femme fatale muses and the b&w photography of Helmut Newton. Bands, belts and straps lend to the proceedings an S&M quality. After a while they also prove rather monotonous; just about every look is trussed thusly. The vision is best captured by the black lace dress with little embellishment from bands and such. A series of dresses bearing prints that are reminiscent of grandma’s quilt are quite fetching. Perhaps, they represent the femme fatale before so heartlessly her bloom of innocence was plucked. (See video below).

THEY GOT ROBBED! – What is it about design schools and their shows being scheduled smack-dab in the middle of Fashion’s Night Out. It happened in 2009, the first year of FNO, to the Academy of Art University. Did IMG (the outfit that puts on MBFW) not get the memo. Once it understandable, but twice is – come on now! Last night, who was showing way too late in the Studio tent but The Art Institute of New York City. At 7 p.m. An hour into FNO, which officially was from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. No one knows anybody who made that AAU show in 2009. Everybody was out partying and ostensibly doing a little shopping. Yours Truly dropped in first at BCBG where New York City police commissioner Ray Kelly was getting his boogie on. The fact that the San Francisco-based AAU sent out links to the video of its show, apologizing to those who missed it, suggests there were lots of empty seats in the Theatre tent. Will TAINYC follow suit? Stay tuned.

WE GOT ROBBED! – Fashion’s Night Out is so over, at least on the Upper East Side. Last night, the Madison Avenue corridor between 59th and 72nd streets resembled a ghost town shortly after nightfall. A few stores – J Mendel, Michael Kors and DKNY, for instance – had a party going but most of them had shuttered or were shuttering. Security guards were stationed at the door to keep revelers out, only opening it for those who were exiting the joint. Some stores may quit, owing to trifling traffic. ESCADA at one point was empty. Empty! My FNO companion and I concluded that, in part, the intimidation factor may be in play.

As Companion remarked, the stores are no longer getting any benefit from this exercise in commerce that isn't, so won’t be bothered. She was speaking specifically of the Valentino, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein and Armanis of the world. Armani couldn’t even be bothered with having a party at its store in the high ‘60s.

Last year, Armani hosted Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett who were in New York to star in a Broadway play about Martin Luther King, Jr. The year before, Armani hosted a Q&A with Lauren Hutton. Beverly Johnson was there! In 2009-2011, the joint at Valentino was jumpin’, man. The atmosphere was electric. One year there was celebrity poker; last year, Tracy Morgan was one of the celebrities who stepped up for karaoke. These parties went until at least around 10 p.m. The last two years, I ended my night at CH Carolina Herrera around 11 p.m.ish. Though the FNO Web site indicated that this year’s party would end at 11 p.m., the boutique was darkened before 9 p.m.; ditto for Calvin Klein. So many shops followed Armani’s example and had nothing. Bummer!!!!

On Deck today, Day 2: Fashion Law Institute, Czar by Cesar Galindo, Harlem's Fashion Row, Project Runway, Concept Korea, W118 by Walter Baker, Rebecca Minkoff, Pamella Roland, Tommy Hilfiger, Nicole Miller, Todd Snyder, Charlotte Ronson, ELLE Fashion/NEXT, Academy of Art University, Parkchoonmoo, Kara Ross, Project Runway, Concept Korea, Noon by Noor, Erin Barr,Rafael Cennamo, Rubin & Chapelle, Sherri Hill, Elena Vasilevsky

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

Day 1 Pictorial
Arise
Tiffany Amber and Ozwald Boateng. Photos by Michael Loccisano for Getty Images.

Tadashi Shoji
Photos by Mike Coppola for Getty Images.

Monika Chiang
Photos by Cindy Ord for Getty Images.

Richard Chai
Photos by Frazer Harrison for Getty Images.

Supima
Photos by Fernanda Calfat for Getty Images.

Day 2 MBFW: Looks Like Brighter Days Ahead

HEAD’S UP: Can you believe it's Fashion Week already? That respite between September and February seems very short, especially since press registration notices started arriving during the crush of the holiday shopping season. In any case, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York has returned for the Fall 2012 edition. At VEVLYN'S PEN, we are going to do things slightly different this season. I still endeavor to provide a roundup of the best, worst and most interesting Yours Truly witnesses, from trends to sightings to the rather unusual/bizarre.

The change will be most apparent in show coverage. Where before I was doing a sort of "best of," I will tweak that this season and focus on what truly inspires me. Why the change? Simply put, I 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 me, I will tell you so and tell you why. Let the games begin ...

Charlotte Ronson is more refined for Fall 2012. Photos courtesy of Charlotte Ronson.

Day 2
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere): Academy of Art University, Ann Yee, Anne Bowen, Billy Reid, Brandon Son, Charlotte Ronson, Cushnie et Ochs, Doo.Ri, Emilio Sosa, The Greenshows - Collection Previews, General Idea, Gregory Parkinson, Helmut Lang, Jason Wu, Jen Kao, Katya Leonovich, NAHM, Nautica, Nicole Miller, Parkchoonmoo, Peter Som, Rag & Bone, Rebecca Minkoff, Rebecca Taylor, Rubin&Chapelle, St. John, Suno, Tess Giberson, Tommy Hilfiger Men's, Yigal Azrouel

NO Wow! moments dawned on Day 2 of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York Fall 2012. Still, it was not a bad day. The forecast is two parts sun, one part clouds.

BEST INTERPRETAION OF A VISION – Designers Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs at
Cushnie et Ochs pay homage to Pedro Almodóvar's “The Skin I Live In.” The film starts Antonio Banderas as a plastic surgeon with Frankensteinian designs on an unsuspecting patient (Elena Anaya). The sexy, vixenish , sometimes dominatrix-ish pencil dresses and gowns bare nips, tucks, darts, cutouts, cording and coverups here, there and nearly everywhere. Is there really any difference between designers’ scissors and a surgeon’s scalpel? (See the video above.)

OTHER MENTIONABLES – For Fall 2012 Charlotte Ronson is not only dressing her grunge goddess, but also the uptown girl and the downtown bohemian. This collection for the confident woman, with emphasis on cableknit sweaters, floral, Aztec & graphic prints, wool&leather, as well as a smattering of chiffon, becomes fresh and relevant when the designer mixes the various components. The black leather/taupe wool pinstripe dress w/florals at the waist and bodice is an example. A few combinations, such as the belted chiffon dress in lilac with a graphic design and a wool hoodie in taupe with graphic design, show the kind of facility that Custo Barcelona owns when it comes to print mixing.

Nicole Miller has a lot in mind for Fall 2012. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

CR is most successful when she hues toward such alliances. After all, prints are the rows she hoes best. The gray series of knits and the leather-heavy red series toward the end are dominated by solids. While they are proof positive that CR is serious about adding a bit of polish to her finish, they have an ordinariness about them, slowing the momentum firmly set by the pert prints

Doo-Ri Chung hangs nice drapes. For Fall 2012 at Doo.Ri, the designer seems at her most confident in her draping, embodying the notion that practice makes perfect. She has not yet arrived but her hand is surer than ever in the form of the gray-multi sweater/bone squirt combo. Promise is shown elsewhere, too. The lattice work, namely on two dresses in teal and black, is eye-catching.

At Helmut Lang for Fall 2012, things are vibing. Designers Michael and Nicole Colovos are steady at the helm, the result a collection that goes futuristic. Yet it does not go too far where no man has gone before to take on true extraterrestrial dimensions. These are thoughtful, well-made garments for the urban cool as in the Klingon-like black belted and ruthlessly gathered jacket and black pajama pants.

What’s her point? Nicole Miller is harder to read for Fall 2012. On the one hand she’s flirting outrageously with the ‘60s. Could, she like so many others, be influenced by the Occupy Wall Street civil/economic/human rights movement? Then she seems to leapfrog into the ‘70s, next afield to the ‘90s, stopping in present-day. The result is a enigmatic kaleidoscope. Exhibit A: Purple hat (‘60s), chiffon print jacket with flared tale (‘70s/present-day computer print), chiffon blouse (timeless), leather miniskirt (circa ‘90s ). The effect? Somehow it works.

MOST DISAPPOINTING – Near legends have been awaiting the first collection of Season 7 “Project Runway” runner-up Emilio Sosa. It debuted last night at the Alvin Ailey Dance Studios with notables in attendance, including Artistic Emerita Judith Jamison. While thoroughly wearable, the collection lacks the excitement of what the five-time challenge winner produced on Project Runway. Perhaps, one should not reference that show too much. On the other hand, it is the vehicle that brought the uber-talented costume designer to the notice of the masses.

Academy of Art University grad Jeanette Au is a metal head. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Imges.

The lone standout here is the marine blue parka with Asian-type graphic. The rest is not terribly exciting. Another bright spot, though, is the color scheme: red, yellow, marine blue. Balancing the whole act are black strappy sandals and white socks. Looking forward to ES’ next.

UP AND COMERS – Since 2005, the San Francisco-based Academy of Art University has premiered the collections of recent graduates at Fashion Week New York. It is always a popular show. It also provides an opportunity to see what the future holds.

The future looks bright for Wu Di. The designer took a simple print, reminiscent of a church graphic and put it on the bodice of an ivory cashmere tweed top. The result elevated the top and skirt combo to the level of catchy. Clever is the cut-out effect that is created by the zipper involved in the ivory/charcoal wool gabardine top and stone heather double-face-wool vest pairing … Coco Chanel once said something to the effect that one should take one thing off before going out the door. This advice does not apply to menswear designer Donghyuk Dan Kin’s first vest. It has bells, whistles, zippers, this, that, the other – what a stew! – and it works … You know what mohair needs to bring it up higher? Mobejeweling, by jove! Jeanette Au received the memo in time to put a touch of metallic on her mohair series of dresses, coats, jackets, tops and skirts. Excepting the garnet mohair dress, coat and cape, it is a bright idea.

Popluxe & Parkchoonmoo
Photos by Frazer Harrison and Mike Coppola/Getty Images.


General Idea & Concept Korea
Photos by Mike Coppola/Getty Images.

Brandon Son & AAU (Wu Di)
Photos by Frazer Harrison and Dario Cantatore/Getty Images.

On Deck today, Day 3: Alexander Wang, Altuzarra, Band of Outsiders, Herve Leger by Max Azria, Jill Stuart, Lacoste, L.A.M.B., Mara Hoffman, Monique Lhuillier, Porter Grey, Prabal Gurung, Robert Geller, Rafael Cennamo, Ruffian, Son Jung Wan, Tibi, Vantan Tokyo, Venexiana, Wes Gordon

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