sunday started off with a sophisticated dkny presentation, steeped in black, brown, and grey with shots of red and kelly green. it was a study in great american sportswear, in the same vein as michael kors, but injected with more youth. basics like matching houndstooth suits, sleek day dresses, pencil skirts and cropped flannel blazers were paired with long leather gloves, black tights, and polished lace up booties. even the evening wear was grown-up, with a pinstriped off the shoulder dress, deep v-neck knot waist jumpsuit, and a cropped fur bomber over jodhpurs.
at hervé léger, the clothes were as slick as the runway where three models took a tumble (the runway was made of polished wood). max azria expanded on the bandage dress vocabulary by adding texture: velvet, beading, ruching, and exotic leathers. everything was tight and short and sexy, but none of it was vulgar. i’m sure front row starlets january jones, lucy liu and joy bryant approved.
finally, the showstopping (literally) event of the day was diane von furstenberg. camera crews were filming the show, and other crews were filming the crews filming the show. the stars of the city, olivia palermo and whitney port were “working,” (as in working the crowd), and the crowd (me included) was getting anxious with the whole thing, wondering when it was going to start. when it did, the clothes did not disappoint. calling her collection “nomad,” dvf explained that what a girl needs now is clothes with some pizazz. she delivered, even as the styling was a bit all over the place. break apart the crazy layering and prints and there were some covetable pieces to be found, like print trenchcoats, sequin tunics, cozy knits, leather leggings, and colorblock day dresses. and as diana ross blasted from the speakers, miss ross herself jumped up and gave the other diane a hug as the show closed. a fitting end to a wild show.
stay tuned the rest of the week for reports from carolina herrera, william rast, marc/marc by marc, narciso, proenza, and more…
pics from coutorture
