NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FW11.
Another technicolor dream by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. The FW 2011 presentation showed very bold colors and tribal like prints which the boys told the Times were all produced on a computer. Incorporating black into every look and squared and triangle lines meeting to form...forms on almost every look is very interesting and appealing. Very native in color and form, but also very fitting and flattering. The collection is not afraid of color and statement prints. The fit of the dresses is very attractive with a cross over shoulder to waist fit. The pieces that stand out to me are the velvet tribal printed pants in Looks 23 and 25. The fit is a drop crotch harem fit...AMAZING. Also, the mustard colored waxy like leather trench in Look 19 is perfect. It brings a perfect color to the all black look and is what I hope, a talked about piece and used in numerous editorials next Fall. The Proenza girls are going Native, but not too native... The boys have done it again keeping their aesthetic close and giving a new take to the fashion gone wild look. PERFECT.
RAG & BONE.
Fur varsity jackets, leather kilts, plaid, and STRUCTURED, STRUCTURED, STRUCTURED! Royal-electric like blue and orange, (two of FW11 big color trends) used full on in some looks which gives the last few looks a uniformity to the patterns in the first looks that are more layered. Two interesting aspects to the collection that caught my eye were the Y-lined knee-high socks/half-legging hybrid and the quilted leg-warmer like covers that add to the uniform effect in way of resembling shin guards or knee-pads...fashion shin-guards, if you will. British designers David Neville and Marcus Wainwright give their FW11 a modern collegiate like feel without being too literal. I wish I could get my hands on one of the silver-maroon fur-chested-leather-sleeved varsity jackets in Look 4. AMAZING.
THOM BROWNE.
With Thom Browne's first collection as a Womenswear designer was of course going to accent what he does best. Simple, yet interesting pieces with his signature Americana like red-white-and-blue lines. Very theatrical shapes with an egg-oval waist in coats and oversized eyelashes on every model gives the models female quality since the looks are more androgynous charged rather than leading towards male or female. Thick and luxurious fabrics are covering every look, and the only skin on the models showing is their face and arms. Plaid, wool, and fur...perfect for a fall wardrobe, and what I find perfect about Thom Browne from his previous Menswear and showing now in his Womenswear is that even though the pieces are bigger and stand out more, they are still practical and VERY well made. Where as most people might not see a circle or oval pattern from head to toe flattering, well look again. FW11 Thom Browne. (first collection as a Womenswear designer.) 5 STARS.
Photo credit to STYLE.com & ELLE.com
