MBFW Day 7: From Zang Toi, an Entrance Gown

Zang Toi's gown is ready for its closeup. Photo by Charles Norfleet.

HEAD’S UP: That turnaround between September and February always seems short. One is in the middle of the Yuletide season when the notice arrives about registering for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York! Well, here we are at Fall 2013 and a small change in the VEVLYN’S PEN approach to covering Fashion Week. We will still put emphasis on the truly inspirational on the runway and will only do a “best of” when it suits. We will also continue to endeavor 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. Now, for the changes. On some days we will provide a “snapshot” as we on 7 Feb. (http://www.vevlynspen.com/2013/02/mbfw-day-1-snapshot-todd-snyders.html). We will also comment on particular pieces from a collection that capture our imagination. Finally, at VEVLYN’S PEN, coverage may take the form of photos with comments underneath, including whether the picture subject tends toward a trend. How’s that? OK, off we go!

Day 7
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere):  ANNA SUI, BIBHU MOHAPATRA, B MICHAEL AMERICA, BRANDON SUN, CLOVER CANYON, ELIZABETH AND JAMES, FALGUNI AND SHANE PEACOCK, GIULIETTA, HONORE, JEREMY SCOTT, J. MENDEL, JOIE, MARCHESANY, MICHAEL KORS, MILLY BY MICHELLE SMITH, NANETTE LEPORE, PETER SOM, PHILOSOPHY, PROENZA SCHOULER, REED KRAKOFF, THREEASFOUR, RICARDO SECO, ZANG TOI

WHAT a small bit of joy it is watching the Zang Toi show. Having not glanced at the run of show, Yours Truly assumes the designer is doing an homage to Marie Antoinette. The hair and the richness of the fabrics are the leading indicators.

All is lush and lovely. It is mostly day wear. Then things veer toward the evening. The person next to me utters, “Now for the really good stuff.”

Numerous bright spots in the house of Milly by Michelle Smith. Photo from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

A moment later it appears. It is a kelly green gown of the richest silk. It is advancing slowly down the runway. It looks as if the model has been poured into it. There is not a wrinkle or stitch out of place. It comes with a matching shrug. At the bottom it is rimmed by black beading, as is the shrug. It has the hint of draping in the back. It is stunning. The gown is not overdone – not exactly Antoinettish.

When I glance at the run of show, I learn that ZT is channeling Imperialist Russia with particular attention to the Faberge Eggs and the opulent gardens and palaces that are St. Petersburg’s Peterhof Place. For a point of reference, the palace is often called the Russian Versailles.

ZT could have gone off his rocker but edited himself admirably, using superior fabrics, intricate stitching and some voluminous shapes to suggest something tending toward the rococo that marks the period. The hair is big but not overly adorned or piled five or six inches high or more, which would have taken the proceedings into the direction of a costume drama.

That emerald silk gazar bordered gown with jet and emerald crown jewels and matching hermitage shrug, however, is the bell of the ball. Its opulence lies in its superior construction and simplicity.

Treading carefully is Leather Japan. Photo by Yours Truly.

Elsewhere of note, Michelle's Smith Milly by Michelle Smith is smartly illuminated with bold bright colors metallics, lurex and iridescence. Leather Japan shines in a completely different way. How so? Try burying leather product in the garden and arranging it among broken glass. Then put in a cage surrounded by mesh the Japanese orchestra, Turtle Island, which will plaintively belt its Asian folk music, inflected by punk rock. Sounds like a Best Presentation format if nothing else.

On Deck today, Last Day: ABRAHAM PELHAM, CALLULA LILLIBELLE, CALVIN KLEIN, JUAN CARLOS OBANDO, MARC JACOBS, RALPH LAUREN

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

MBFW Day 6: Grand Gesture From Oscar de la Renta

HEAD’S UP: That turnaround between September and February always seems short. One is in the middle of the Yuletide season when the notice arrives about registering for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York! Well, here we are at Fall 2013 and a small change in the VEVLYN’S PEN approach to covering Fashion Week. We will still put emphasis on the truly inspirational on the runway and will only do a “best of” when it suits. We will also continue to endeavor 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. Now, for the changes. On some days we will provide a “snapshot” as we on 7 Feb. (http://www.vevlynspen.com/2013/02/mbfw-day-1-snapshot-todd-snyders.html). We will also comment on particular pieces from a collection that capture our imagination. Finally, at VEVLYN’S PEN, coverage may take the form of photos with comments underneath, including whether the picture subject tends toward a trend. How’s that? OK, off we go!

Day 6
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere): ADEAM , ARAKS, BADGLEY MISCHKA , BESPOKEN, DENNIS BASSO, DIESEL BLACK GOLD , ELIE TAHARI, J.CREW, JENNY PACKHAM, MARC BY MARC JACOBS, MICHAEL BASTIAN, MISHA NONOO, NAEEM KHAN, NARCISO RODRIGUEZ, OSCAR DE LA RENTA, PERRY ELLIS BY DUCKIE BROWN, RODARTE, SIKI IM, SOPHIE THEALLET, STEVEN ALAN, TORY BURCH, VANTAN TOKYO, VERA WANG, VICTORIA BY VICTORIA BECKHAM

LET’S begin by stating the obvious: Of course, John Galliano helped Oscar de la Renta with his Fall 2013 collection. Seriously, does anyone think that the latter invited the former to his atelier to fetch his coffee?

ODLR is to be commended for giving JG a chance at redemption, critics and raised eyebrows be damned. It’s a little disturbing that we have reached a cultural moment where it seems that if one does an odious thing or has a dreadful lapse in judgment, then s/he is forever a pariah.

This in no way excuses JG’s alleged or outright anti-Semitic screed. Some of us must standup and reject such poppycock thinking, especially those of us who live in countries where Christianity is the dominant religion. Seriously, s/he who is without a serious lapse cast the first stone.

In any case, this is not a dissertation on religion or a sociological meditation. It wants to be a fashion commentary. Alas, occasionally fashion gets entangled in issues outside of itself. After all, it does not live in a vacuum hard as it might try.

So, it has been established that JG helped ODLR – and Yours Truly believes this JG guest residency is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Not many others are as well-suited to takeover at ODLR when the old man steps down.

John Galliano: A man who deserves redemption. Archive photo.John Galliano: A man who deserves another chance. Archive photo.

Fortunately, there were not too many masters in the atelier, so the collection looks good. (See video above). In fact, some pieces are downright edgy. In February, it looked like ODLR was making more obvious his desire to attract younger customers. After all Barbara Walters and Barbara Bush – God bless their souls – are not going to live forever.

For fall, there is no doubt of ODLR’s intention toward this younger set. A strong case in point is the black suit with harem pants that have a cut-out on the right leg. Though the model wears nothing underneath the jacket, it doesn’t look ridiculous coming from the House of an octogenarian. Is there any doubt that JG strolled by and suggested the cutout and the braless, shirtless look for the runway? Of course, ODLR will never alienate his core customer. Those last two ball-centric gowns are fitting proof.

In closing, well done, gentleman, and kudos to you, Mr. ODLR, for a wonderful gesture toward a comrade in yarns.

On Deck today, Day 7: ANNA SUI, BIBHU MOHAPATRA, B MICHAEL AMERICA, BRANDON SUN, CLOVER CANYON, ELIZABETH AND JAMES, FALGUNI AND SHANE PEACOCK, GIULIETTA, HONORE, JEREMY SCOTT, J. MENDEL, JOIE, MARCHESANY, MICHAEL KORS, MILLY BY MICHELLE SMITH, NANETTE LEPORE, PETER SOM, PHILOSOPHY, PROENZA SCHOULER, REED KRAKOFF, THREEASFOUR, RICARDO SECO, ZANG TOI

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

MBFW Day 5: Takes More Than Reverses to Keep Betsey J. Down!

Betsey Johnson will take care of your workout wardrobe. Photo from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

HEAD’S UP: That turnaround between September and February always seems short. One is in the middle of the Yuletide season when the notice arrives about registering for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York! Well, here we are at Fall 2013 and a small change in the VEVLYN’S PEN approach to covering Fashion Week. We will still put emphasis on the truly inspirational on the runway and will only do a “best of” when it suits. We will also continue to endeavor 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. Now, for the changes. On some days we will provide a “snapshot” as we on 7 Feb. (http://www.vevlynspen.com/2013/02/mbfw-day-1-snapshot-todd-snyders.html). We will also comment on particular pieces from a collection that capture our imagination. Finally, at VEVLYN’S PEN, coverage may take the form of photos with comments underneath, including whether the picture subject tends toward a trend. How’s that? OK, off we go!

Day 5
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere):  3.1 PHILLIP LIM, ALICE + OLIVIA, ASSEMBLY, BARBARA TFANK, BELSTAFFICA HQ, BETSEY JOHNSON, BROOD, CAROLINA HERRERA, DONNA KARAN NEW YORK, DL1961, HERNAN LANDER, ICB BY PRABAL GURUNG, JIL SANDER NAVY, KAELEN, KAREN WALKER, KAUFMAN FRANCO, MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA, MARC BY MARC JACOBS, MATHIEU MIRANO, OHNE TITEL, PAMELLA ROLAND, REEM ACRA, THE ROW, THEYSKENS' THEORY, THOM BROWNE, TIM COPPENS, WES GORDON, YEOHLEE, ZERO + MARIA CORNEJO

HAND’S down, the vote for “Most Fun Show” on any day that she is showing goes to the indefatigable Betsey Johnson.

Off to a cocktail party at Betsey Johnson.Photo from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

There we were, a group of us, sitting insouciantly in one of the sponsor cubicles in the lobby of the tent Sunday night. Someone among us who had not done Fashion Week in a spell asked after BJ. Yours Truly is ashamed to disclose that it was I who said BJ was not showing.

In my defense, I am certain that when I was sending out my initial invitation requests, BJ was not on the schedule. IMG, the outfit that runs Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York, does send out updates. No doubt, BJ’s contact details appeared in a later iteration.

In any case, BJ has not gone away like her stores. The fledgling reality TV star showed an abbreviated collection in the Studio tent, a sure sign that she’s had a few financial setbacks. Normally, the BJ show is a SRO affair in the Theater tent, the largest of them all. The Studio was SRO, too. Tears were likely shed because the intimate space filled up quick, fast and in a hurry.

Betsey&Co. working things out on the runway. Photo by Neil Wolfson.

Thankfully, they could watch BJ's signature cartwheel and watch her do pushups with the models from the monitors in the lobby. Alas, it's only a fair substitute; it's a totally different energy inside the show - at least a BJ show. ALWAYS a spectacle not to be missed if it can be helped.

For Fall 2013, BJ is on her way to the gym or somewhere she can get her workout on. It’s a fun, bright, colorful trip. And to lighten her load, she may be wearing her post-workout outfit, for some of the ensembles look downright wearable outside of a good workout session. They can go places where they and their wearer won’t stand out in a most curious way.

In Betsey Johnson running errands or on the morning run.Photo from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

BJ’s business and fortunes may be down a tad, but BJ is never out!

On Deck today, Day 6:  ADEAM , ARAKSBADGLEY MISCHKA , BESPOKEN, DENNIS BASSO , DIESEL BLACK GOLD , ELIE TAHARI , J.CREW, JENNY PACKHAM, MARC BY MARC JACOBS, MICHAEL BASTIAN, MISHA NONOO, NAEEM KHAN, NARCISO RODRIGUEZ, OSCAR DE LA RENTA, PERRY ELLIS BY DUCKIE BROWN, RODARTE, SIKI IM, SOPHIE THEALLET, STEVEN ALAN, TORY BURCH, VANTAN TOKYO, VERA WANG, VICTORIA BY VICTORIA BECKHAM

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

MBFW Day 3: Inside the Box Is Where It's At

Rafael Cennamo: All that glitter is gold. Photo by William Gaines.

HEAD’S UP: That turnaround between September and February always seems short. One is in the middle of the Yuletide season when the notice arrives about registering for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York! Well, here we are at Fall 2013 and a small change in the VEVLYN’S PEN approach to covering Fashion Week. We will still put emphasis on the truly inspirational on the runway and will only do a “best of” when it suits. We will also continue to endeavor 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. Now, for the changes. On some days we will provide a “snapshot” as we on 7 Feb. (http://www.vevlynspen.com/2013/02/mbfw-day-1-snapshot-todd-snyders.html). We will also comment on particular pieces from a collection that capture our imagination. Finally, at VEVLYN’S PEN, coverage may take the form of photos with comments underneath, including whether the picture subject tends toward a trend. How’s that? OK, off we go!

Day 3
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere): A DÉTACHER, BILLY REID, CARMEN MARC VALVO, CHADWICK BELL, CHARLOTTE RONSON, CUSHNIE ET OCHS, GREGORY PARKINSON, HELMUT LANG KATE SPADE NEW YORK, KATIE GALLAGHER, KELLY WEARSTLER, JASON WU, JENNI KAYNE, LYN DEVON, NICOLE MILLER, PIERRE BALMAIN, RAG & BONE, REBECCA MINKOFF, SALLY LAPOINTE, ST. JOHN, SUNO, TESS GIBERSON, THE ELDER STATESMAN, TOCCA, TOMMY HILFIGER, TRIBUNE STANDARD, YIGAL AZROUËL

OH, the complaints one hears about the new address of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York.

It’s too far away; too soulless; too corporate; not right for fashion; hard to get to; it’s just not Bryant Park; it’s a concrete jungle. And on and on and on goes the bellyaching about Lincoln Center. There is, however, one aspect of Lincoln Center that is universally liked.

Yours Truly speaks of the Box tent. It is the venue that hosts presentations that take any number of forms. Usually, up and coming/unknown designers elect to show in this space. It is after all the least costly of the venues at Lincoln Center.

The Box is treated like a stepchild. It is not at all uncommon for fashion writers, fashion editors and others in the know who know better to blow it off, presuming that they won’t miss a thing.

Alon Livne has a wardrobe staple for the woman who lives in a strange, faraway world. Photo by Yours Truly.

Increasingly, though, one can be wrong. The Box is turning out to be the one tent that offers the most unexpected surprises, fanciful arrangements and delectable dainties. Two cases in point are the Rafael Cennamo and Alon Livne presentations on Day 3.

RC is under the influence of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors, while AL is of the post-apocalyptic world realized by sci-fi master scribe J.G. Ballard. Two completely different starting points, with both arriving at a collection that is outright couture or that incorporates couture elements. What a treat for those inside the Box!

PREDICTION: When all is said and done these two shows will be considered among the best of the week.

On Deck today, Day 4: BLANC DE CHINE, CATHERINE MALANDRINO, CHADO RALPH RUCCI, CUSTO BARCELONA, CYNTHIA ROWLEY, DAVID TLALE, DETAILS MEN'S ACCESSORIES SHOW, DEREK LAM, DIANE FURSTENBERG, DKNY, EMERSON BY JACKIE FRASER-SWAN, JEREMY LAING. JOANNA MASTROIANNI, LELA ROSE, NINA SKARRA, PATRIK ERVELL, THAKOON, TOMMY HILFIGER, TRACY REESE, TRINA TURK, VICTORIA BECKHAM, VIVIENNE TAM, Y-3, ZAC POSEN

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

MBFW Day 2: Snow, Shows and Shoes All Went On

HEAD’S UP: That turnaround between September and February always seems short. One is in the middle of the Yuletide season when the notice arrives about registering for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York! Well, here we are at Fall 2013 and a small change in the VEVLYN’S PEN approach to covering Fashion Week. We will still put emphasis on the truly inspirational on the runway and will only do a “best of” when it suits. We will also continue to endeavor 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. Now, for the changes. On some days we will provide a “snapshot” as we on 7 Feb. (http://www.vevlynspen.com/2013/02/mbfw-day-1-snapshot-todd-snyders.html). We will also comment on particular pieces from a collection that capture our imagination. Finally, at VEVLYN’S PEN, coverage may take the form of photos with comments underneath, including whether the picture subject tends toward a trend. How’s that? OK, off we go!

Day 2
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere): A DÉTACHER, BILLY REID, CARMEN MARC VALVO, CHADWICK BELL, CHARLOTTE RONSON, CUSHNIE ET OCHS, GREGORY PARKINSON, HELMUT LANG KATE SPADE NEW YORK, KATIE GALLAGHER, KELLY WEARSTLER, JASON WU, JENNI KAYNE, LYN DEVON, NICOLE MILLER, PIERRE BALMAIN, RAG & BONE, REBECCA MINKOFF, SALLY LAPOINTE, ST. JOHN, SUNO, TESS GIBERSON, THE ELDER STATESMAN, TOCCA, TOMMY HILFIGER, TRIBUNE STANDARD, YIGAL AZROUËL

IT takes more than the threat of a blizzard to stop fashion in its six-inch heel tracks, as was proved yesterday when virtually all of the shows were on the runways and other venues as scheduled. Only one known cancellation: TU . BE by Sara Zanobi, which was postponed to 13 Feb.

The band (background) stole the show at Rebecca Minkoff. Photos from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

In other words, the show sites were packed, right up through Parkchoonmoo and Billy Reid at 9 p.m.

On Day 2 of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York, Noon by Noor made up for run-of-the mill designs with nice fabrics, which were stitched well enough ... The usual abundance of pretty, gorgeous, beautiful men at Nautica – who really cares what they are wearing? Well, perhaps a body would care what they are wearing.

In any case, it is what it is and it is Nautica, sure and steady – no rocking the boat ... The band, Wild Cub, is rocking out at Rebecca Minkoff. Alas, not in time with the beat is the designer’s well-intentioned effort to elevate grunge by getting it booked on a futuristic journey. Listen to a wag sitting next to Yours Truly: mall clothes (not an upscale one) ...

Killing it (or trying to) in Monika Chiang.

Meanwhile, Monika Chiang was given creative energy by a recurring dream in which she takes off into flight, this paired with a MoMa (http://www.moma.org) photo exhibit featuring birds. In one particular ensemble, the bird is not in flight. Perhaps, it was taken down by force. It is not happy. It is “dressed to kill,” for it is one angry creature ...

The girlfriend is dressed in her boyfriend’s clothes in Nicole Miller’s imagination; she commandeered his closet. So that explains the chic little high-waisted skirt with back pockets! Could the boyfriend thing also explain in part why NM showed in the smaller Studio tent instead of the Stage or Theater. Could this be a metaphor for the boyfriend’s smaller closet? Or is it the economy, stupid? ...

The man makes the Nautica clothes.

Mysteries abound, including the mysterious chick tricked out in a baroque/punk Carmen Marc Valvo cocktail dress. What would that look like? Let’s see: a black ducal face stain with square patent leather tile embroidered. Could also be a leather cut cocktail dress. And it may not even be a cocktail dress as evidenced by the striped lace bodice gown with patent leather embroidery. And kindly remember the simple ivory silk and wool gown with an alligator inset detail that just takes it to another level. (See video of show above.)

“I do evening wear. I have to do me,” CMV asserted a couple days before at the H.H. Brown Børn Handbag collection launch. The designer’s first shoe line in about a decade was given a very prominent display space in that venue. (More on the shoes later). “I gotta be me,” the designer added, emphasizing this personal directive in the common vernacular.

Fabrics can make a difference as they do in the Noon by Noor Fall 2013 collection.

As he has proved season after season, CMV knows his way around evening wear. The tiles, embroidery, striped lace, leather squares and touches of alligator enticingly combine to give the garments the texture and depth that would evoke baroqueness. Of course, the nod to punk is the leather and the black. But CMV’s punk has grown a little more sophisticated but not so sophisticated that she will shed her leather. Blondie still looks cool and edgy. And … elegant.

On Deck today, Day 3: ALEXANDER WANG, ALEXANDRE HERCHCOVITCH, ALON LIVNE, ALTUZARRA, CALLA, CHLOË SEVIGNY FOR O.C., CHRISTIAN SIRIANO, HERVÉ LÉGER BY MAX AZRIA, JEN KAO, JILL STUART, JONATHAN SIMKHAI, KATYA LEONOVICH, LACOSTE, LIBERTINE, LOUISE GOLDIN, MARA HOFFMAN, MARISSA WEBB, MONCLER GRENOBLE, MONIQUE LHUILLIER, OSTWALD HELGASON, PRABAL GURUNG, RAFAEL CENNAMO, RAIF ADELBERG, REBECCA TAYLOR, ROBERT GELLER, RODEBJER, RUFFIAN, SECOND/LAYER, SON JUNG WAN, TIBI, VENEXIANA, VPL

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