fashion week

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The Catherine Malandrino Fall/Winter 2011 presentation was focused on the romanticism of a chilly, stylish Paris with the gritty edge of NYC.

The result? Stunning silhouettes in laser cut black leather, scarlets, purples and emeralds, lots and lots of black, luscious furs, and accessories that already have us thinking of ways to spot fakes. Each piece was tailored to perfection, and while the models were on the skinny side, even for for models, you can see in the lines that these clothes would work on real people, too.

Czech Republic-born Supermodel Petra Nemcova, and one of the newest castmembers of Dancing with the Stars, honored Vivienne Tam at her Fall 2011 Collection show at NY Fashion Week this afternoon by wearing an elegant Chinese-themed dress designed by Tam. The dress is symbolic in red, which is the color of happiness and prosperity.

After the Vivienne Tam show, Nemcova met with Luxist to discuss what she thought of the collection.

"There were three things that I loved," the stunningly beautiful Nemcova told Luxist. "The clothes are very, very structured, which I love. You can see the quality of it. So the structure and quality, and I love the sparkles. They were just amazing. I also liked the fringe on some of the dresses. The structure, the quality, and the sparkles were really standing out. It was beautiful."

Gallery: Vivienne Tam Fall 2011 Collection at NY Fashion Week

Charlotte Ronson's Fall 2011 Fashion Show this evening at the Mercedes-Benz-sponsored Fashion Week in New York was a family affair.

Sister and deejay Samantha Ronson mixed the music for the show, while half-sister Annabelle Dexter-Jones, served as one of the models (see video below).

Annabelle (seen at right) was gorgeous in a stunning military herringbone suede trim riding jacket that was paired with a military silk Caspian dot print romper completed with black lace-up wedge booties.

Ronson's younger sibling has quite a bit of modeling experience. According to her bio, she has modeled in campaigns for Louis Vuitton and Hogan, besides being the face of Charlotte's clothing line.

Ronson's show was superb. The collection is very wearable in mostly sedated colors, including black, coffee and charcoal.

Gallery: Charlotte Ronson Fall 2011 Collection at NY Fashion Week

A highlight of Fashion Week is the Fall/Winter 2011 Collection created by Fashion Designer Jason Wu before a packed house during New York's Fashion Week this afternoon. Anna Wintour, the British-born Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, was seated in the front row along with Hamish Bowles, the European Editor at Large for Vogue (see photo gallery below). Jason Wu was the designer of the white ballgown worn by Michelle Obama to the inauguration festivities.

"I aim to make clothes that look great on women and make them feel beautiful," Wu told Luxist. "They are timeless. These are wardrobe pieces. These are pieces that can be kept for a lifetime. And that is always the way I have done it. I have never been the trendy person. I really want to make clothes that are truly desirable for women."

For his Fall/Winter 2011 Collection, Wu told Luxist he was inspired by the beautiful photos taken by Robert Polidori in his book, "Parcours Museologique Revister", which documented the detailed restoration process of Versailles over a period of 25 years. The theme of contrast runs through the photos and the collection.

Wu explained to Luxist (see video below) that the juxtaposition between the rough undersurface revealed during renovation and the opulence of the decor inspired a mixture of luxuriously embellished fabrics with his signature American sportswear elements. The collection included sharp tailored pants, ascot shirts and charcoal flannel coats. Accents included colorful embroidered Swarovski elements, burned out features and lace detailing. The color palette was restrained with lots of black, white and nude throughput the collection highlighted by shots of bold colors including cerise pink, chartreuse, ultra violet and antique gold.

"This season the color choices was really about working with a restrained color palette," Wu told Luxist. "It is an austere mood that is brightened up by these embroideries and the embellishments and details that were so delightful to me and such a joy to work on."

Gallery: Jason Wu's Fall/Winter 2011 Collection at New York's Fashion Week

Raul Melgoza, the Creative Director at Luca Luca whose Fall/Winter 2011 Collection debuted at New York Fashion Week at Lincoln Center featured designs that were inspired by the adventures to be discovered in the deep woods-the beauty, the color, the fantasy. A bevy of supermodels sat in the front row of the show, from Carol Alt and Petra Nemcova to Irina Pantaeva (see photo gallery below). New York socialites were also in attendance including Tinsley Mortimer and Valesca Guerrand-Hermes.

Carol Alt talked to Luxist about her devotion to the fashion house. "When I was out of the fashion industry because I was doing movies for 10 years and I really wasn't around they immediately invited me back to the front row, "says Carol Alt. "They were really mensches. When someone is good to me, I am loyal for the rest of my life. You really have to slap me in the face for me not to come back here."

Melgoza's told Luxist his inspiration for the Fall 2011 collection is the story of a woman who is a running through the woods as she discovers the beauty, the color and the sanity that exists in the woods. The collection was presented at Fashion Week on Thursday, February 10 at Lincoln Center in New York. (See video for a backstage interview with Melgoza).

"As she starts her journey, she is in very tailored, equestrian-inspired silhouettes," he told Luxist. "She is wearing a lot of laces and transparent and sheer fabric as if she is shedding her very layered looks as she ends her journey."

Gallery: Luca Luca Fall/Winter 2011 Collection at Fashion Week

The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection 2011 Fashion Show kicked off Fashion Week at Lincoln Center in New York last evening. The celebrity-studded affair celebrated the national awareness campaign for women about heart disease. Celebrity models included Ann Curry, Audrina Patridge, Camila Alves, Denise Richards, Dita Von Teese, Eve, Gayle King, Giuliana Rancic, Julianne Hough, Laila Ali, Linda Gray, Natasha Bedingfield, Patti LaBelle (see photo above and video below), Suzanne Somers (see photo below) and several others (featured in slideshow below). Watch the full video of the show on MyDaily.

There were plenty of celebrities in the audience to watch the presentation, including actor Matthew McConaughey and Apprentice-winning Bill Rancic, who were both there to cheer on their significant others (Camila Alves and Giuliana Rancic, respectively).

Many of the participants have a personal connection to heart disease, which motivated them to become involved in the show. "It turned out to be a lot of fun---now that it is over," The Today Show's Ann Curry, who was stunning in Carmen Marc Valvo (see slideshow below), told Luxist. "It wasn't so much fun leading up to it because I was kind of nervous. I have never done anything like this before."

Gallery: The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection 2011

Raul Melgoza, the Creative Director at Luca Luca whose Fall 2011 Collection will debut at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York next week, is not your run-of-the-mill fashion designer. Not by a long shot.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Melgoza has a resume that would likely impress the suits on Wall Street just as much as the creative types in the fashion industry.

After earning a degree in finance from University of Southern California, Melgoza worked for American Express's financial advisory division before taking a position with the U.S. Treasury. But he has known since he was a young boy that he would one day end up in fashion.

"When I was seven or so, I remember watching an episode of the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous with Robin Leach that featured Oscar de la Renta," Melgoza told Luxist. "Being of Latin descent, I immediately felt connected to this man and to this world that I did not know existed."

Later on, while attending business school, Melgoza took a marketing class and became aware that he could converge his interest in art and design and his knowledge of commerce. "That led me to research design schools," he recalls. "I knew that business was just a foundation and that I didn't want to do it for the rest of my life."

Gallery: Luca Luca's Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

Last night, W Hotels celebrated what's new and next in fashion with an event at the W Times Square that celebrated the W Hotels Fall 2011 Fashion Next designers Tess Giberson, Michael Angel, Amanda Ross (W Hotels Global Fashion Director), Mandy Coon, Frank Tell, and Mara Hoffman (see photo above).

Alexandra Richards (seen below), daughter of Patti Hansen and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, served as the guest DJ. The statuesque blond, who is an actress and model in addition to being a professional DJ, was a great fit for the event which celebrated the rising stars of the fashion world.

Fashion Next is a program of W Hotels that fosters and supports emerging designers during fashion week and beyond. In addition to partnering with W Hotels during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Fashion Next designers will travel to W Hotels globally for exclusive trunk shoes, design limited-edition pieces for W's next Global Glam fashion and accessories collection, and collaborate with W on other fashion projects through the season.

Luxist had the opportunity to speak with a few of the Fashion Next designers about their Fall 2011 collections, including Mandy Coon, Michael Angel and Tess Giberson. Each described their inspiration, the materials and color schemes they used for their collections and much more.