The best of London Fashion Week Spring 2013

Unlike with New York Fashion Week, where I liked a few pieces in each designer's collection, but from a lot of designers, regarding London Fashion Week, I found myself liking a lot of pieces in a few collections. This is very unlike me.
I, for one, like novelty and options. For instance, I get panicky when people ask me who my favorite band or singer is because I don't know how to tangibly measure that. When I listen to a CD from a band, I usually like a few songs, but I'll only love one or two (Michael Jackson's Thriller album is the sole exception to this rule).
So, London's fashion week had me swooning over pieces by Giles, Temperley London, Antonio Berardi, and Erdem, with a few pieces by other designers rounding everything out.

Giles' offerings boomeranged from the hard-edged white and black minidresses to the airy, pastel-hued gowns that floated down the runway. I admired the ability of the house to encapsulate the multifaceted sides of womens personalities - and their closets. Sure, I would love to attend a gala in a glittering chiffon gown, but I'm equally determined to find a dress that will suit my regular daily needs while in the city, too.  Not to mention that addition of a fuchsia lip that can transition from day to evening.

 Via Style

 Via Style

Via Style

Temperley London was all about the dresses and the skirt. Dresses, skirts, frocks, and gowns. All there, and all resplendent. Whether it be a vibrant red column dress, an a-line summery white halter dress, or a semi-sheer periwinkle dream in tulle...it's all gorgeous.

Via Style

Via Style

Via Style

Antonio Berardi has mastered the glittering-but-not-in-a-princess-or-fairy-way of adding cool girl chic to any of his outfits that are dazzling, but not fruity. He combines minimalism with decadence and succeeds each time.

Via The Cut

Via The Cut

Via The Cut

Via The Cut

Erdem hosted hodge-podge of snakeskin, florals, brights and pastels all wrapped into the most ladylike dresses of the season. That's the secret, isn't it? If you want to get a bit wild and wear animal print, you can do so almost anywhere, provided that the outfit bearing those details is demure and ultra-feminine. Noted. 

Via Style

Via Style

Via Style

And others, such as:

Burberry  and David Koma

Best dresses of New York Fashion Week Spring 2013

Dresses are, without a doubt, my favorite in the clothing genres. Dress = a do-it-all garment that can portray confidence as well as modesty, grace as well as strength, and can be stern or relaxed. It's quite a democratic piece of clothing, and I'm certainly not immune to its appeal. And while I tend to gravitate toward pants (corduroys especially) when picking out my daily wardrobe due to their simplicity and ease of wear (never know when I'll need to sit indian-style on a given day), I'm a dress fiend at heart. And here are some of pieces that have stolen that heart...for this season, at least.

First up, Donna Karan's ballet-esque neutrals via The Cut

Vera Wang's royal purple, off-the-shoulder dress via Style

Vera Wang's lacy cobalt and black dress via Style

Victoria, Victoria Beckham lemon sorbet minidress via Style

Donna Karan silky turquoise viaThe Cut

Sophie Theallet's festive orange dress (which will easily transition from spring to fall) viaThe Cut

Farah Angsana's bejeweled nude sheath dress via Style

 

Narciso Rodriguez's light and gauzy dress viaThe Cut

Chado Ralph Rucci's hot pink sleeveless sheath dress via Style

Kate Spade's pastel, nouvelle YSL Mondrian dress viaThe Cut

Jenni Kayne's fuchsia casual-yet-elegant floor-length dress via The Cut

 

Honor's nude and neon yellow lace trompe l'oeil dress via The Cut

LWDs (little white dresses) of New York Fashion Week Spring 2013

Simply put, these are the white pieces that make me all googly-eyed and weak in the knees. Some of these frocks are lacy, ladylike and flouncy while others are sexy, structured, and cinched. All are amazing.

LWDs

Ralph Lauren via Style.com

Calvin Klein via Style.com

 

Donna Karan via The Cut

Nina Skarra via Getty Images (not so little, and not a dress, but white and lovely nonetheless)

Robert Rodriguez via Style.com

Caroline Herrera via Style.com

Carolina Herrera via Style.com

Marissa Webb via The Cut

Dean Quinn via Style.com

Cushnie et Ochs via Style.com

DKNY via Style.com

DKNY via Style.com

Diane von Furstenburg via Style.com

Christian Siriano via The Cut

Christian Siriano via The Cut

Behnaz Sarafpour via The Cut

Honor via The Cut

Hair and makeup of New York Fashion Week

Though it seems to be the couture shows that bring out the drama and flair in runway beauty, the Spring/Summer 2013 shows in New York gave us some lovely looks to feast our eyes on. Nothing was over-the-top; instead, makeup artists and hairstylists seemed to home in on highlighting natural beauty. If there was a dramatic element to be seen, usually it was focused on a single feature, and the rest flowed gracefully into a more natural domain.

1. Oscar de la Renta's dewy skin and candy-striped bouffants

To be honest, if someone had told me before the show that beautiful, decadent gowns would go hand-in-hand so well with streaked hair, I might have been reticent to think it would look good. But not only did it look good, I couldn't have imagined it any other way. The spark of pink in the hair provides a nice jolt and adds a cheeky touch to the opulent clothes.

(photo c/o Vogue)

(photo c/o Vogue)

2. Nina Skarra's"your-hair-but-better"

Usually, fashion week runway hairstyles fall into one of two groups: the first being the beautiful looks that are completely impractical and/or impossible to recreate on one's own and the second being looks that are...uninspiring, thus not prompting anyone to want to recreate them. Skarra's gentle, cascading waves don't look overdone, prompting me to try these styles out. (Alas, without a professional stylist with me...my waves will probably turn into krinky kinks.) I also like the fact that extensions weren't added to models' hair so as to create one uniform look. Instead, gentle waves were carried out regardless of length or hair type. So democratic.

(photo c/o Getty Images)

(photo c/o Getty Images)

3. Nomia's strong brows

To be honest, I almost always roll my eyes when the new beauty trend of the season turns out to be "strong, defined brows", because I feel that half of the population has strong, defined brows, in which case, the look will always be - regardless of "season" - part of the "in" crowd. But this show stood out to me because it seemed that the goal of creating intentionally uniform, dark brows was to enhance each model's eyes.

(photo c/o Getty Images)

4. Tory Burch's soft fishtail braids

I'll let you in on a secret. Nobody in my family knew how to braid hair, and as a kid I always longed for pretty braids like some of my friends had (looking at you, Jill). I think that I can find some Freudian theory as to why I am still attached to braids even in adulthood. Love 'em. Just recently learned how to braid my bangs and I almost made a cake for myself...I was that excited. And then these hairstylists at Tory Burch come along and make these braids that look sooo easy. Such teases, they are.

(photo c/o WWD)

5. The Row's elegant, yet slightly disheveled chignons

These chignons look like they've been loosened up after a day at the office or after a night of dancing. Either way, they are pretty and seem to indicate relaxed glamour.

(photo c/o Bella Sugar)

6. Marc Jacobs defined brows and Twiggy liner

There I go again with my "strong brow" infatuation. What has this season done to me? But really, the brows work so well with the mod, winged shadow and liner that these models are sporting. Francois Nars, the founder of the Nars cosmetics line, was in charge of the makeup, so it all makes sense as to why it was so perfect.

(photo c/o WWD)

7. Anna Sui's pastel manes

This (and Oscar de la Renta's) show is proof that the trend of My Little Pony-hued hair isn't  slowing down any time soon. Which, personally, I'm quite happy about because I'm obsessed over Kelly Osbourne's lilac 'do (Exhibit A). 

(photo c/o Fashion Rising)