Fashion Week fall 2010

New York City Fashion Week Hotel Packages

The stiletto-shod, couture-clad masses are about to desend on New York City for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week September 9-16 and local hotels are ready with a variety of hotel packages that promise cocktails, tote bags and other amenities in addition to a soft place to sleep after a day of waiting and watching at the shows.

The Royalton Hotel is offering a special iPad Amenity for Fashion Week (and beyond). During Fashion Week, guests of Royalton Hotel will receive custom iPads during their stay for one touch access to hotel amenities, concierge services and real time updates on events, shows and gossip during NY Fashion Week. The iPad amenity will still be available after Fashion Week is over.

St Giles - The Court Hotel's all new package, Suite, Fashion, Spirits is priced at $399 per night and includes two tickets to one of Style 360 Metropolitan Pavilion amazing designer runway shows such as Gudnitz Couture, Walter, Malan Breton, Rajvi Mohan, SACHIKA and bobi/Boy Meets Girl/Caravan. Style 360 runs September 11 - 14, 2010. Other extras include VIP access to the Gerber Group new hotspot, LexBar along with complimentary drinks. An added bonus is priority access to celebrity stylist, Sarah Perpich. Consultation with Perpich is additional. A minimum stay of two nights is required.

The Plaza Hotel offers a package that includes accommodations in a guestroom or suite, a $500 credit redeemable at The Palm Court, The Rose Club, The Champagne Bar, The Food Hall by Todd English, Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa, Warren-Tricomi Salon, The Plaza Boutique and Eloise Shop. Fall Fashion Week Package guests staying at The Plaza on September 10 will receive VIP access to Grammy award nominee Corrine Bailey Rae's much anticipated performance at The Plaza. Rates start at $995 per night with a five night minimum stay.

Tags: fashion week, fashion week fall 2010, fashion week hotel deals, New York Fashion Week

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From The Runway To The Design Board: How Fashion Inspires Jewelry Design

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The relationship between fashion and jewelry design is one that works in two ways, jewelry can often inspire fashion design and haute couture also provides inspiration for jewelry designers. Jewelry designer Temple St. Clair tells us about the fashion designs that have influenced her work:

Designer Influence – Where does inspiration come from?

The source of inspiration is personal and particular to the individual. I have made the act of being inspired part of my life. I am constantly open to ideas and things or concepts that catch my attention. I am not merely in the business of making jewelry just to make a ring, bracelet, or necklace. I have to be amused, interested, caught in an imaginary world that I can then translate in to a jewel.

I enjoy the work of other designers particularly those that seem to create their own themes in worlds of color, pattern and design, those that create a journey in their work that tells a story.

I love fashion. A few of my favorites captivate me with their creativity and sometimes, outrageousness. Perennial favorites are Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Alexander McQueen who we have recently so tragically lost. I also love Valentino for his romance and undying attention to detail. Each one of these designers creates for a new world. They create treasures that become collectible "works" that can be worn for decades.

Each of these designers has a strong point of view. At Comme des Garcons, Rei Kawakubo artfully deconstructs the classic idea of clothing to create something whimsical and new. I have collected pieces from Comme des Garcons for years. I pull them out time and again and they still feel fresh and fun to wear.

Jean-Paul Gaultier plays with iconography and big themes. One of my favorites from years ago was his Tibetan collection. He created a Parisian chic crossed with the garb of Tibetan monks from the high Himalayas. It was a rich collection whose imagery has stayed with me.

The extremely talented, Alexander McQueen, had only shown us the tip of the iceberg of his creativity. His shows are pure theater yet many of his pieces are timelessly classic. He was truly a young master. I will treasure my pieces by him.

Tags: fashion week fall 2010, jewelry, jewelry designers, temple st clair, temple st. clair

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The Montauk Surf Lodge at Fashion Week

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

While this year marks the end of Bryant Park tents, and the backstage lounges that go along with them, alternative runway spaces around the city are getting more and more creative each year. Whether at the Metropolitan Pavilion or Milk Studios, the hottest designers of the season have already opted out of the traditional 7th on Sixth lineup to prepare for the upcoming seasons. With the move of Bryant Park backstage lounges, new innovative places for media, designers, and other fashion insiders to decompress are already popping up alongside the new runways.

Our favorite space this year by far was the Montauk Surf Lodge on the 8th Floor of Milk Studios. The lounge, designed by Rob McKinley, featured a view across the river, picnic tables, and a cool, relaxed vibe, exactly mirroring its Hamptons mothership. Sam Talbot, Executive Chef of the original Surf Lounge in Montauk, cooked up delicious fish tacos and Hawaiian macaroni salad all week for tired visitors. A welcoming bar served up Belvedere cocktails and Cafe Bustelo lattes for guests. Lounge staff wore original uniforms provided by Loomstate made from organic cotton and natural dyes, as well as Vans Shoes and Jill Platner jewelry. Gazing from the wealth of enamored guests filling up the gorgeous space, the Montauk Surf Lodge is a welcome reminder of what's to come for upcoming fashion weeks as the traditional players begin to spread their wings all over our broad city. Check out the gallery for more photos of the Surf Lodge.

Gallery: New York Fashion Week Surf Lodge

Tags: fashion week, fashion week fall 2010, FashionWeek, FashionWeekFall2010, new york fashion week fall 2010, NewYorkFashionWeekFall2010

Fashion Week Style Off the Runway

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

While designers from Bryant Park to Chelsea defined our trends over the next season, we found a few cues of inspiration off the runway. Check out the easy looks here for ways on incorporating tomorrow's top New York Fashion Week looks into your wardrobe today.

BiCoastal Style

While the week was all about our dear New York, a few out-of-towners managed to get their collections in the limelight. We enjoyed the new SuperTrash collection, which premiered at Landmarc, Columbus Circle, from Creative Director Olcay Gulsen, whose sleek silhouettes are entirely wearable on both coasts. SuperTrash fans range from Victoria Beckham to Rachel Bilson, and are remarkable for their refined style and high quality materials. "I started SuperTrash in 2004," Gulsen told Luxist. "And it was for this whole new generation of girls who were strong and independent and starting their careers and being who they were and not being ashamed of it." To get an easy idea of the look, the Supertrash woman is someone who pairs rich, textured leggings with a divine wool jacket. "That is the complete lifestyle of SuperTrash," said Gulsen. "Just travel all around the world, have a great time, and be proud."

Tags: emu, fashion, fashion week fall 2010, FashionWeek, FashionWeekFall2010, New York Fashion Week, NewYorkFashionWeek, rebecca minkoff, RebeccaMinkoff, supertrash

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Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge at Fashion Week

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

With this year marking the end of Bryant Park tents, it also marks the end of another fashion week mainstay, the backstage lounges. To commemorate the occasion, Patrick McMullan installed a gallery of some of his hottest backstage and frontrow shots over the years. Before the front rows were regrettably filled with Real Housewives, McMullan's gallery shows the likes of Madonna, a young Leonardo, and Ben Affleck enjoying the view from Bryant Park. While the days of A-listers filling up the tents has long passed, if any celebs had made their way to the front lines, they would have passed through the Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge. When it comes to fashion, Mercedes-Benz has always been the leader of Bryant Park, and their backstage lounge, the Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge, has for years welcomed press, celebs and fashion insiders to recharge after a day of catwalks.

Each year Mercedes-Benz partners with a new designer, and this year they chose an interiors classic, Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams, creators of some of the most innovative and comfortable furniture design in the country. The lounge was influenced by Mercedes-Benz latest ad campaign for their new SLS AMG, a modern reinterpretation of their classic 1954 Gullwing. The ad, taken by groundbreaking photographer Nick Knight features German supermodel Julia Stegner, who wears a Gareth Pugh metal dress inspired by the design of the SLS AMG itself. The futuristic photo set the mood for the forward thinking behind Mercedes in the lounge.

Mitchell Gold stopped by the lounge once complete to talk about his vision behind the decor. "We started with recognizing Mercedes-Benz's new introduction of the great SLS AMG," Gold told Luxist. "We thought it was very cool looking, very sleek, and yet when you're sitting in the cockpit you're enveloped in comfort." The resulting lounge mixed modern and classic elements with a white vinyl tufted bar with silver buttons, white Lucite coffee tables, gunmetal vinyl ottomans, and insanely soft white faux suede loveseats.

Tags: bryant park, BryantPark, fashion week fall 2010, FashionWeekFall2010, mercedes-benz, new york fashion week, NewYorkFashionWeek, Patrick McMullan, PatrickMcmullan

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Carolina Herrera Says Luxury Is Back

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

A lot of people have been wondering when luxury is coming back. It's been a tough few years for luxury brands. The recession has seen esteemed jewelers like Henry Dunay and fashion designers like Christian Lacroix lose their businesses. Whole chains of stores have been swallowed up. But if you ask the forever elegant fashion designer Carolina Herrera when luxury is returning she says it's already back. The Wall Street Journal has an interview with Herrera who says that her customers are beginning to spend once again. Herrera is best known for her ladylike gowns and dresses, which can cost over $10,000.

Her version of the new luxury walked the runway in her fall 2010 fashion show this week in New York City. Her designs did not stint on the expensive materials like mink and eel. The silhouette was ladylike and refined but also unapologetically lush. These are rich women's clothes. While Herrera has lowered her prices around ten percent and does have a successful second tier line she has no plans to embrace fast fashion. She has found that while her shoppers may be buying fewer clothes they are not willing to stop shopping entirely. In some ways what she speaks of is an older definition of luxury, the way it once was before mass luxury flooded the market. Women would shop carefully, select judiciously and expect clothing to last. It can be called thrift but it can also be seen as a mark of class.

Tags: Carolina Herrera, Carolina Herrera Runway, CarolinaHerrera, CarolinaHerreraRunway, fashion week fall 2010, FashionWeekFall2010, luxury

New York Fashion Meets North African Dreams - Rachel Roy

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Rachel Roy's Fall/Winter 2010 presentation this Valentine's Day was a glamorous affair, with chocolates by Godiva, champagne by Moët & Chandon and a lush collection of fabulous, womanly garments inspired by Cleopatra. Roy's statement about the collection was rich with promising descriptives: "This fall, we unveil a desert-tomb palette infused with saturated blossom, moody elixir, onyx and deep river hues. It is a season of strength, mystery and allure -- an exploration in texture and luminosity."

In keeping with many of the other shows, the clothes were less focused on color and heavy on neutral metallics from silver through beige to gold. The collection also included fur and cashmere, adding softness without detracting from the opulence. There were several pieces in the extremely wearable presentation we'd love to have taken straight to our closets, but perhaps we can find enough gold and silver in there to create similar looks without mugging a model.

One thing you won't be able to fake: The shapes. Roy's artistry with draping and understanding of female body was well showcased, from interesting sweaters to immaculately tailored dresses and mini jackets with scarab-esque lines. The look is form-fitting, yet modest -- well, except for the see-through, cobweb like pieces (that must be her nod to the desert tomb).

Though we won't see these pieces again until next season, keep in mind that this spring's metallics will layer well with what's coming up for fall. One thing we know we need immediately: long gloves (the ones featured in the Rachel Roy show are by Portolano). Now, picture yourself in these:

Gallery: Rachel Roy Fall/Winter 2010

Tags: Fashion Week fall 2010, FashionWeekFall2010, New York Fashion Week, new york fashion week fall 2010, NewYorkFashionWeek, NewYorkFashionWeekFall2010, Rachel Roy, RachelRoy, runway

United Bamboo Fall 2010

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Every season designers strive to relive a decade on the runways, with varying levels of success. When it works, it can spark a whole year of fashion, and when it doesn't, the designer is nailed. We're thankful for United Bamboo, design team Miho Aoki and Thuy Pham, who drew inspiration from the 1930s this season for their Fall collection, and evolved the signature decade into something entirely their own. Their incredibly gorgeous and cohesive fashion consists of dresses, coats and pants that literally can be worn every day of the week.

We started backstage where Shiseido artists furiously coiled individual locks of hair on models, set, and unfurled to reveal a sprouting coif, which matched with dark lipstick provided the perfect complement of mess and glamour to the flawless clothes.

United Bamboo created an amazing wardrobe in homage to the 1930s liberated woman, according to the designer's statement, "the kind of sophisticated wildcat Clark Gable chased all across Asia, and who wasn't affected by the Great Depression because she never got depressed." They drew from the styles of Amelia Earhart to Norma Shearer, a tan oversized cardigan, a flight jacket, long hemlined skirts and a Technicolor dress. Using menswear fabrics they created a variety of structured pants meant for a woman who means business.

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