Fashion Week Olympics - Which city wins gold?

Fashion month is the jam-packed time a few times per year where hundreds of designers present their runway shows in one of several international cities. Though many countries host their own fashion week in order to showcase offerings from native designers, the four main venues that host well-known talent are New York, London, Milan, and Paris. As pictures, reviews, and videos of the designs, backstage commotion, and front rows of every show are delivered instantaneously to eager, global audiences, this month can be as exhausting as it is exhilarating. I, for one, was guilty of experiencing anxiety when I wasn't able to check my phone or computer for hours while at work, as I knew that style.com and New York Magazine's The Cut would have already posted  several new blog articles and runway pictures and I was dying to scroll through the new content.

The fun part about checking out fashion week pictures is being able to play judge and jury, similar to the way audiences decree which films look worthy enough to see when viewing previews at a movie theater. More and more websites are foregoing the act of waiting to post runway pictures until an accompanying review is able to be displayed alongside it. Instead, live streamed videos and pictures are posted alongside a small blip which reveals that the review will be posted later (after a writer has had time to write it). Everyone wants to see things nownownownow, which means that we can no longer wait for a style writer to compose a stream of sentences to sum up the feel and look of a designer's collection before we actually see pictures and make our own opinions. And I'll admit that when a slew of new shows roll in, my scrolling finger gets its fair share of exercise as I vie to see every.single.look from every.single.show two.times.through.

As the shows roll in and we see trends popping up, it's fun to compare designer's seasonal aesthetics against each other.

Which designer's use of lace was preferred? 
Whose equestrian-chic undertone was most appealing?
Which grunge throwback was most appreciated?

And so on.

Here are a few trends with offerings presented from various designers, with various cities; designers being compared. In this international fashion match-up, who gets your vote for each trend?


1. Best Little White Dress (LWD)

New York: Robert Rodriguez via Style

London: Temperley London via The Cut\

Milan: Blugirl via The Cut

Paris: Elie Saab via The Cut

2. Best Menswear

New York: DKNY via The Cut

Milan: Salvatore Ferragamo via The Cut

Paris: Saint Lauren via The Cut

3. Best Mod

New York: Kate Spade via The Cut 

Milan: Moschino via The Cut

Paris: Louis Vuitton via Style

4. Best Print

New York: Mara Hoffman via The Cut

London: Erdem via Style

Milan: Mila Schon via The Cut

Paris: Christophe Lemaire via Style

5. Best shoes

New York: Narciso Rodriguez via The Cut

London: Tom Ford via The Cut

Milan: Versace via The Cut

Paris: Elie Saab via The Cut

6. Best peplum

New York: Christian Siriano via The Cut

London: Peter Pilotto via The Cut

Milan: John Richmond via The Cut

Paris: Giambattista Valli via The Cut 

7. Best blazer

New York: Donna Karan via The Cut

London: Antonio Berardi via Style

Milan: Just Cavalli via Style

Paris: Paul and Joe via The Cut

8. Best glitz

New York: Marchesa via Style

London: Giles via Style

Paris: Talbot Runhof via The Cut

9. Best gown

New York: Zac Posen via The Cut

London: Antonio Berardi via Style

Paris: Elie Saab via Style

Runway beauty trends for NYFW

This is a hopeful forecast of some of the artistic beauty and hair that will be seen on this week's series of runway offerings for S/S 2013. Fingers crossed that at least a handful of designers will dig deep into their penchants for elaborate, dramatic beauty to give showgoers a real treat on the runway by way of dazzling runway beauty. I mean, dazzle us with great clothes and accessories too, but...give us a little extra.
For a little inspiration, here are a few shows that had amazing, one-of-a-kind looks that makes their collections utterly unforgettable.

A)Alexis Mabille's S/S 2012 Couture show featured models whose faces were painted to match the exact color of the gowns that they were wearing, replete with a giant, similarly colored paper flower propped atop their manes. According to Style.com, Mabille was inspired by a photo of a model with a pink umbrella over her head through which the sun's rays cast a pinkish glow onto her face.
My immediate reaction upon seeing these photos was to believe that Mabille was actually influenced by the talking flowers in Alice in Wonderland. Granted that is one of my favorite movies, so I am definitely biased, but it makes me happy to believe that that is where the real inspiration came from.

And how about B) Chanel's Resort 2013 collection and C) Chanel's F/W 2012 RTW shows? The setting for the Resort collection was in the much-storied and magnificent palace of Versailles where - appropriately enough - models were decked out in pastels with Easter egg-colored bobs, rich peachy-pink eyeshadows and Chanel insignia beauty marks as throwbacks to the opulent days of Marie Antoinette's court.

 (Above photos c/o style.com)

And the ready-to-wear show was no less beautiful, with models sporting eyebrows bedecked in an array of glittering materials, including beads and sequins, while maintaining an otherwise sparse, minimalist facade.

(Above photos c/o style.com)

D) Bernhard Willhelm F/W 2012 RTW show was magnificent in its employment of gender-bending beauty theatrics that showcased models embodying Jekyll and Hyde two-faced versions of themselves, with one side firmly grounded in reality and the other side...not so much. When all elements of the show work together to create a beautiful tableau, then I'm hooked line and sinker.

 (Above photo c/o glamour.com)

(Above photos c/o vogue.it)

But perhaps the label that consistently produced elaborate and dramatic beauty looks was E) Christian Dior when John Galliano was at its helm. Galliano loved the big and the bold, as he took iconic beauty looks (50s glamour, sex kitten, etcetera) to new, exaggerated heights. And the results were nothing short of spectacular. The following pictures were from, respectively, Dior's F/W 2008 RTW show, the S/S 2007 Couture show, the F/W 2010 Couture show, and the S/S 2010 Couture show.

(Above photos c/o style.com)

I hope and pray that during this fashion week that designers will send out some beautiful hair and makeup eye candy along with their seasonal wardrobe offerings.

Fall/Winter 2012 - My favorite runway pieces, part one

When New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks are taking place, my mind tends to wander from other tasks at hand. As a matter of fact, whole hours have been known to seemingly disappear within a span of a few minutes. Sometimes I start scrolling through the posted runway photos on my phone to the point where my stomach growls and I realize that I've been scrolling for...two hours. I become so entranced that it's like I've entered the matrix of fashion.

At first, I take screenshots on my phone of the looks to which I'm instantly drawn. I then go scroll back through all of the shows to see if I notice any recurring themes that are apparent throughout several shows. I'll be sure to scroll through once more to take a peek at accessories and the backstage beauty, and then I'll check to see if any front row dwellers showed up looking spectacular. Then on to peep the dazzling peacock-like display of street style that can prompt inspiration, confusion, intrigue, envy or fatigue.

Basically, this is a month-long digital scrolling fest. My right index finger needs a vacation afterward, but my mind is sated.

Though every line is lovely, here are some of the pieces that most resonated with me (all images c/o nymag.com):

No. 1 - Dennis Basso's tangerine gown
The vibrant hue, the semi-sheer, sparkling bodice, the plunging - but not overt - neckline, the pleated, swirling skirt and the fingerhole sleeves have combined to create a masterpiece of a gala gown.

No. 2 - Belstaff cropped wool jacket
When a longer or heavier coat isn't the right fit for the occasion, this hazelnut number is a great substitution.

No. 3 - Belstaff long wool coat
However, should a heavier coat be just what is called for, I would immediately encase myself in this cinched, tri-tone number.

No. 4 - Carlos Miele nude blazer + gown
Refined, upscale boho.

No. 5 - T by Alexander Wang tulip racerback dress + leather pants
Dress it up, dress it down, add color, or don't. The possibilities are endless. The dress shape is unbelievable; structured, yet simple.

No. 5 - T by Alexander Wang shirt dress
Change the color, add leather pants and lose the t-shirt portion, and you've got the previously mentioned dress. See? Versatile to the max.

No. 6 - Oscar de la Renta metallic-tinged periwinkle dress
This dress is what every woman's inner child wants to wear. If one were to create a single dress inspired by Wendy from Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Cinderella, this would be it.

No. 7 - Anna Sui royal blue caftan
For as long as I can remember, I have collected flowy fabrics in the form of saris, wraps, pashminas, shawls, etc. This airy, gold-flecked caftan would be a dream to wear.