Nanette Lepore’s Fall ’09 collection was a jumble of colors, textures, layers, and playful hemlines that, disappointingly, felt like it’s been done before. I call the look Bohemian Gossip Girl.
It was one of the first shows of Wednesday morning and the fashionable trudged in with lattes and iced coffees in-hand, still a bit foggy-eyed from the huge Armani store opening party the previous night. When the lights came up, though, everyone perked up a little at the bright rustic tones, sequin accents, and animal print accessories that made their way down the catwalk.
I was in the 3rd row for this one so I got to see the collection pretty up close. Looking through the photos now, the pieces photograph *much* better than they appeared on the runway, which makes me wonder how they’ll fare in stores as opposed to online retailers (and will Web shoppers be disappointed once they open their packages)?
That aside, some of the individual pieces were lovely: a tweed dress with a triangular sequin panel and fishtail hem, a filmy red-orange mini-dress with balloon shoulders, and a shift dress done in an intricate–you guessed it–tribal-like pattern, were singular standouts. I’m with y’all about “tribal”: it needs to be retired or left up to the tribes themselves at this point.
I’m normally a fan of Nanette and while this collection wasn’t a failure, it didn’t exactly break new ground. Still, there were some very wearable coats and frocks (two of the label’s strengths) that I’m sure stylephiles will snatch up come September.
Hey!
So yesterday I took a break from the shows to just chill and party it up a bit. I ran into model extraordinaire Veronica Webb (who we wrote about here)…
…and had to ask her about the perennial issue of diversity on the runways:
Fun!
I also chit chatted with Gossip Girl’s Nicole Fiscella for all your GG fans. See that video here.
I’m running out of questions to ask…If you met your number one celeb, who would it be, and what would you ask them?
While Adriana covered Tibi in the tents, I power walked down to the Baby Phat Fall 2009 show:
This time around Kimora ditched her usual Roseland Ballroom venue for the smaller, more recession friendly Gotham Hall. Admittedly, Roseland is usually a zoo, crushed with celebrities, editors, and fans–but it also typically has a vibrant energy that makes the Baby Phat show more of a party than a focused fashion event. As a former bank, Gotham Hall had a much more serious atmosphere, but no matter: without all the distractions we were left to focus on the clothes. Thankfully, Kimora put some work into offering interesting silhouettes and pieces real girls would unflinchingly wear.
For fall Kimora went for frills and lace for a girly flair…
..instead of looking cheap, the pieces offered an updated classic, Victorian sensibility that carried over to her reinterpretations of Chanel quilted bags and layered pearl necklaces:
While the lace and frills were fun, my favorite part of the show had to be the outerwear. Cute capes, wool toppers, plaid jackets, and fur collared tweeds cascaded down the runway in silhouettes that would work for anyone from a college girl on the go to a young professional in a funky creative industry…
While some options still looked like a juniors department nightmare with tie dye jeans and bedazzled t’s…
Overall Kimora delivered a solid, wearable collection, upping the quality and ante for the Fall 2009 season.
After the show, I walked over to say hey to a few well known faces: Teyana Taylor looked retro chic with a cute hat, hairdo, and fitting dress:
I said wassup to Ray J, who was putting his VH1 show on hold for the night:
Chit Chatted with my girl Monica about Atlanta and a few of her upcoming projects (Check out my interview with her here):
And girl talked with Dwight from the Real Housewives of Atlanta!
He was working it in a fur coat and all white suit! No sightings of Nene or Sheree all fashion week, but Dwight was fab-u-lous, and working his outfit!
Yet again, a fun time at Baby Phat:
And of course, I caught the final walk for ya:
I love how ‘My President is Black’ was the song for the final walk. Very apropos for a show and a President that are all about business!
Last night at Tibi, the Disco era met Moscow, as Amy Smilvoc’s fall offerings came from Russia with love, and included a few references to late ’70s/early ’80s Halston.
Lively prints with elements of Russian folk patterns and dramatic fur Cossack hats peppered the ensembles, which didn’t much deviate from Tibi’s usual modern-femme sensiblity.
Smilovic continues to be influenced by her travels abroad (for the Spring ’09 collection, it was Hong Kong), which is fitting for the target Tibi customer: jet-setting socialista.
My absolute favorite piece of the line was a sunshine-yellow frock with split shoulders and intricate jet beading (above, far right). The fur muffs were a bit of a costumey touch, as I felt the dresses stood out well enough on their own.
Sweetheart necklines and black trousers in varying silhouettes also made an appearance.
I’m usually pleasantly pleased with Tibi and this time was no exception. While the clothes weren’t groundbreaking, there’s a consistent stylishness about their designs that solidifies their place as a contemporary mainstay.
~Adri
