New York Fashion Week, Fall 2008: Some Final Favorite Looks

Of course Marc Jacobs had the big buzz as New York Fashion Week wound down. (It started on time! Rachel Zoe got shut down! Oh, snap!) Don't ask me what his show was about, though: some critics dug it and I can get that it's an interesting, focused take on American sportwear with a particularly askew treatment of how clothes sit on the female form -- and the color palette and textures were so lovely and gentle. But will I wear it? Probably not. But sometimes you don't have to wear clothes to appreciate the beauty and craft that goes into them.

I think the same can be said for me for this season's Vera Wang collection, which had another skewed take on how clothes fit on the body -- one less rooted in the American vernacular and more within Wang's increasingly idiosyncratic take on arty European avant-garde, dosed with a shot of New York fancy lady aesthetic. Wang's show was one that I simply 'ooohed' at when I saw the pictures; they fit into my idea of what a renegade modern-day Edith Wharton heroine would wear. I just loved it on a viscerally girly level: the rich colors, luxe fabrics, and the wealth of interesting details (pleating, origami folds, skewed hems, draping and some pretty amazing jewelry.) There were some stunning dresses, as you'd expect, but also some beautiful tops and a pant silhouette that managed to be both narrow and relaxed at the same time. Wang's ideas about color and proportion carry down well through her diffusion collections (Vera Wang Lavender, and her line for Kohls, which for my money is developing into one of the better high-low designer collaborations out there -- if you ignore the bread-and-butter pieces and take time to find the more experimental items.) Could I wear any of Wang's fall collection? Not all at once, for fear of looking like a walking coat rack (I'm petite and that long, dripping silhouette makes me look like I'm melting) -- but I still think it's gorgeous.

And without further adieu:

(l-r: Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, Staerk)

(l-r: Cynthia Rowley, Daryl K, Donna Karan)

(l-r: Jenni Kayne, Kai Kuhne, L'Wren Scott)

(l-r: Marc Jacobs, Phi, Ralph Lauren)

I don't know, man -- it's easy to bag on Fashion Week being boring and all, and yeah, there were some pretty wrong shows to be had. (Zac Posen, I'm looking at you.) But with shows like Vera Wang's, not to mention the serene minimalism at Calvin Klein, the flight of fancy at Rodarte or the lithe take on Victoriana at L'Wren Scott (never did I think I'd love a show by a Mick Jagger girlfriend), I thought there were some nice schmattes to be had.

Posted by Kat in Fashion Weeks
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