Category: All

Chris Benz – Fall 2012 – A Little Less Conversation?

For quite some time, Chris Benz was fashion’s pink-haired “it boy.” It seemed the harder he went, the kookier the clothes seemed to get – and it was evident that just about everyone who was anyone loved it. Fall 2012 for Benz, though, was the equivalent of waking up to a shining, crisp New York day, and walking down into the train station only to be met with “Insufficient fare” after swiping your metro card. Heavy expectations carried even heavier disappointment. It seems as though with an increase in attention, designers tend to continue pushing their creative envelopes, but this season, Chris Benz went a little too far.

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Landon Peoples
photos by Stephen F. Bodi
web editor Rachel Reneé

For quite some time, Chris Benz was fashion’s pink-haired “it boy.” It seemed the harder he went, the kookier the clothes seemed to get – and it was evident that just about everyone who was anyone loved it. Fall 2012 for Benz, though, was the equivalent of waking up to a shining, crisp New York day, and walking down into the train station only to be met with “Insufficient fare” after swiping your metro card. Heavy expectations carried even heavier disappointment. It seems as though with an increase in attention, designers tend to continue pushing their creative envelopes, but this season, Chris Benz went a little too far. Continue reading “Chris Benz – Fall 2012 – A Little Less Conversation?”

Timo Weiland – Fall 2012 – A Casual Challenge

Maximum style, minimum effort. That goal is the holy grail for a lot of fashion designers. Nobody wants to look sloppy, and good casualwear does not equal sloppy. Consumers desire to look good but to have the clothes that get them there to be easy to wear. In their second Lincoln Center runway show, New York City’s own Timo Weiland took giant strides towards achieving that goal and capturing the prize of that being for what their brand is known.

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero and Florence Montmare
web editor Rachel Reneé

Maximum style, minimum effort. That goal is the holy grail for a lot of fashion designers. Nobody wants to look sloppy, and good casualwear does not equal sloppy. Consumers desire to look good but to have the clothes that get them there to be easy to wear. In their second Lincoln Center runway show, New York City’s own Timo Weiland took giant strides towards achieving that goal and capturing the prize of that being for what their brand is known. Continue reading “Timo Weiland – Fall 2012 – A Casual Challenge”

Badgley Mischka – Fall 2012 – That Sly Come Hither Stare

Mark Badgley & James Mischka’s creations have spent their fair share of time on Hollywood’s red carpets, but the instant their Fall 2012 runway show started, you knew this was all about Manhattan magic at midnight. A digitally enhanced video of the Gapstow Bridge in southern Central Park was given life with a three-dimensional effect of the moving shadows of trees. Snow fell behind the models as they whisked Badgley Mischka creations out of this winter oasis and down the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Theater runway.

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
web editor Rachel Reneé

Mark Badgley & James Mischka’s creations have spent their fair share of time on Hollywood’s red carpets, but the instant their Fall 2012 runway show started, you knew this was all about Manhattan magic at midnight. A digitally enhanced video of the Gapstow Bridge in southern Central Park was given life with a three-dimensional effect of the moving shadows of trees. Snow fell behind the models as they whisked Badgley Mischka creations out of this winter oasis and down the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Theater runway. Continue reading “Badgley Mischka – Fall 2012 – That Sly Come Hither Stare”

Victor de Souza – Fall 2012 – Espana de Souza

Victor de Souza’s Fall 2012 collection brought valor and drama his past collections lacked. Previously, we’ve seen Mr. de Souza play with lighter fantasies of ballet and romance, but this season, he pulled out all the stops. With floral ball gowns and Victorian maxi skirts, de Souza drew inspiration from Spain (an apparent recurring theme in New York this season), and further carried out that motif via matador tassels, ultra-tailoring, taffeta rosettes, and arm-length leather gloves. “I wanted to go back to the roots of fashion, when it was dedicated and sophisticated, but with a twist. I let the masters of Haute Couture… Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga… speak to me,” de Souza said.

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Landon Peoples
photos by Stephen Bodi
web editor Rachel Reneé

Victor de Souza’s Fall 2012 collection brought valor and drama his past collections lacked. Previously, we’ve seen Mr. de Souza play with lighter fantasies of ballet and romance, but this season, he pulled out all the stops. With floral ball gowns and Victorian maxi skirts, de Souza drew inspiration from Spain (an apparent recurring theme in New York this season), and further carried out that motif via matador tassels, ultra-tailoring, taffeta rosettes, and arm-length leather gloves. “I wanted to go back to the roots of fashion, when it was dedicated and sophisticated, but with a twist. I let the masters of Haute Couture… Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga… speak to me,” de Souza said. Continue reading “Victor de Souza – Fall 2012 – Espana de Souza”

Behnaz Sarfpour – Fall 2012 – Entering Rarefied Air

Behnaz Sarafpour made a much welcome return to the New York Fashion Week lineup with her Fall 2012 collection. Her trademark easy-to-wear designs were still very much in evidence (she lets the models wear flats!!), but the clothes were executed with a subtlety and a level of imagination previously unseen in her twelve year career. Her Resort collection of a few weeks back gave some hints as to this new elevated level of design, but this 20-piece Fall collection far surpasses any of her previous work.

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
web editor Rachel Reneé

Behnaz Sarafpour made a much welcome return to the New York Fashion Week lineup with her Fall 2012 collection. Her trademark easy-to-wear designs were still very much in evidence (she lets the models wear flats!!), but the clothes were executed with a subtlety and a level of imagination previously unseen in her twelve year career. Her Resort collection of a few weeks back gave some hints as to this new elevated level of design, but this 20-piece Fall collection far surpasses any of her previous work. Continue reading “Behnaz Sarfpour – Fall 2012 – Entering Rarefied Air”

Carlos Campos – Fall 2012 – Love In Menswear

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Landon Peoples
photos by Ned and Aya Rosen
web editor Rachel Reneé

Just when the industry began to yawn at color blocking, Carlos Campos revisits and revives the ongoing trend with poise and panache. A good designer is not bound by the cycles of trends, they instill them. There’s something so effortlessly airy about the Carlos Campos Fall 2012 menswear collection that one just can’t stop looking. The clothing, bereft of any typical attention-seeking embellishments in fashion, tells the story of a somber man who spends 50 years on a park bench waiting for his one, true love. Continue reading “Carlos Campos – Fall 2012 – Love In Menswear”

Reem Acra – Fall 2012 – Acra Ascendant

It’s been a fascinating experience to watch Reem Acra’s growth as a designer. In her earlier work, Ms. Acra was more feminine and flirty, then in the middle of the last decade her pieces became more form-fitting. Her love of metallic embroidery and stone and crystalline accents began to emerge and her work began to become increasingly capable of creating those jarring moments that send the red carpet photographers into a frenzy. For Reem Acra’s return to the runways of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (she’s been showing in her Fifth Avenue atelier for the past few seasons), she turned up the volume on the glamorous sexiness that is quickly becoming her new signature.

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Charles Beckwith

It’s been a fascinating experience to watch Reem Acra‘s growth as a designer. In her earlier work, Ms. Acra was more feminine and flirty, then in the middle of the last decade her pieces became more form-fitting. Her love of metallic embroidery and stone and crystalline accents began to emerge and her work began to become increasingly capable of creating those jarring moments that send the red carpet photographers into a frenzy. For Reem Acra’s return to the runways of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (she’s been showing in her Fifth Avenue atelier for the past few seasons), she turned up the volume on the glamorous sexiness that is quickly becoming her new signature. Continue reading “Reem Acra – Fall 2012 – Acra Ascendant”

Monique Lhuillier – Fall 2012 – Noir Now

After Monique Lhuillier’s radical foray into slinky urban goddesses with her Spring 2012 collection, her very pretty and demure Pre-Fall collection left me wondering if she was searching for some middle ground of artistic expression. Her Fall 2012 collection left no doubt that she’s not searching for anything, she’s showing that she can do both styles with ease and brilliance.

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
web editor Rachel Reneé

After Monique Lhuillier’s radical foray into slinky urban goddesses with her Spring 2012 collection, her very pretty and demure Pre-Fall collection left me wondering if she was searching for some middle ground of artistic expression. Her Fall 2012 collection left no doubt that she’s not searching for anything, she’s showing that she can do both styles with ease and brilliance.

Continue reading “Monique Lhuillier – Fall 2012 – Noir Now”

Venexiana – Fall 2012 – Kati’s Heavy Metal Lace Elegance

The most packed house I’ve ever seen in the Studio space in the tents at Lincoln Center created a charged atmosphere that awaited the Fall 2012 collection of designer Kati Stern’s label Venexiana. Stern stands out quite a bit from every other designer at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. She does things her own way and is utterly indifferent to any and every convention in fashion. Mrs. Stern is a lover of the excessive and the over the top, and her clothes mirror this attitude in every respect.

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
web editor Rachel Reneé

The most packed house I’ve ever seen in the Studio space in the tents at Lincoln Center created a charged atmosphere that awaited the Fall 2012 collection of designer Kati Stern’s label Venexiana. Stern stands out quite a bit from every other designer at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. She does things her own way and is utterly indifferent to any and every convention in fashion. Mrs. Stern is a lover of the excessive and the over the top, and her clothes mirror this attitude in every respect. Continue reading “Venexiana – Fall 2012 – Kati’s Heavy Metal Lace Elegance”

Jenny Packham – Fall 2012 – Molten Sultry

British-born and Central St Marten’s-trained Jenny Packham has had success in almost every conceivable area of fashion that interests her. World renowned couture and bridal designer, check. Red carpet go-to for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, check. Worn by relevant royalty, check. Made clothes for movies, James Bond no less, and television, Sex and The City even, check. What was left to do? Take Manhattan, apparently.

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Charles Beckwith

British-born and Central St Marten’s-trained Jenny Packham has had success in almost every conceivable area of fashion that interests her. World renowned couture and bridal designer, check. Red carpet go-to for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, check. Worn by relevant royalty, check. Made clothes for movies, James Bond no less, and television, Sex and The City even, check. What was left to do? Take Manhattan, apparently. Continue reading “Jenny Packham – Fall 2012 – Molten Sultry”