another fashion season has come and gone and while i was looking through photos online, i was struck by how i wasn’t blown away (or at least feeling satisfied) as i had been in seasons past. i think the biggest takeaway i had is that in season’s past, i felt new york lagged behind london, milan, and paris, and this time around i was hard pressed to find five collections from the latter three cities that truly wowed. critics loved prada, givenchy, stella mccartney, chloe, and miu miu in paris and gucci, balmain, armani, and marni in milan, and i just wasn’t feeling any of them. so without further ado, my best of the rest of fall fashion week…do you agree that this season wasn’t as strong overall or were you so impressed that you can’t wait for fall to come?
1. giambattista valli: valli was masterful at daywear (parkas, jodhpur pants, metallic tweed suits, draped skirts) and eveningwear (the traditional gowns in brocade or sequins, or a swarovski-encrusted tracksuit).
2. bouchra jarrar: a tightly focused collection of 15 looks included a red leather a-line dress, high waisted pants, and coats with attached scarves.
3. bottega veneta: tomas maier’s forties-esque collection was romantic and feminine without feeling stuffy. the looks had mostly skirts and dresses, but the pants option—a relaxed, cropped, wide leg—seemed fresh (and it’s keeping with my newfound love of menswear style trousers).
4. antonio berardi: inspired by brazilian architect oscar niemeyer (who passed away last year), berardi created structured pieces with curved peek-a-boo panels or side beading that was exposed when a woman walked.
5. dior: where else can large scale houndstooth, big bowed swing coats, crochet, leather bustier dresses, and andy warhol drawings come together so effortlessly?
all pics from style.com
