SeamSters » Fashion Shows

Loving Cathy Pill…

Amy — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:54:39 +0000

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I’m loving these printed pieces by Cathy Pill.

Louise Loves…The Return of Boho

Louise — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:41:13 +0000

Boho looks are definitely beginning to creep back onto the runways this season. I loved the Anna Sui fall collection. It was such a beautiful mash up of rich color and eccentric prints. I especially enjoyed these outrageous embroidered boots.

The Gucci collection was also pretty amazing. Inspired by Russian folklore, the line featured adorable peasant tops and fringed riding boots. I love how they layered thick sashes with skinny leather belts.

Anna Sui vs. Forever 21

Amy — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:38:13 +0000

Anna Sui gave these t-shirts as a part of the goodie bags at her Spring 08 show. The shirt bears the faces of Don and Jin Chang, the owners of Forever 21. The shirt says, “thou shalt not steal”. I love it.

And spring is here again…

Amy — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:36:51 +0000

The spring runway shows have just begun in NY, and I’m loving these Tibi dresses.

Ann Marie on, babushkas and Vera Wang…

Amy — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 14:54:49 +0000

I have to admit that I used to really not like Vera Wang. It was mostly because of her bridal collection, over priced and over loved by the bridezillas I encountered when I was planning my wedding a few years ago. I just didn’t like the people who were buying Vera Wang gowns– they were too snooty, too frivolous, too b****y.

My opinion of Vera Wang wedding dress buyers has not changed, by my opinion of Vera Wang has. I really respond to her non-bridal pieces and those found in her fall collection are no exception.

This show may have been my favorite of all the ones I attended. It was dark and serious, complete with music ranging from brooding Russian classical to Eleanor Rigby. There was definitely a Russian thing going on. Sounds gimmicky, I know, but it really worked. There were military elements and lots of old world layering.

Some of the models even work hand chunky Babushkas.

I actually think this is one time where the runway shots make the clothes look worse. The photos can’t capture the movement these dresses had.

I also can’t seem to find a photo that captures how well she gathered fabric to create new skirt shapes and dress details.

Ultimately, a lot of the detail in this collection is too much for me, too much sparkle, too much lace. You could see that if you take a look at the rest of the collection. Still many of the looks, like the ones I featured here, seemed right on point to me. Maybe I was responding to the theater or the preciseness of the show, but I don’t think so. It was perhaps more about the preciseness of the clothes that has won me over.

Ann Marie…on Twinkle

Amy — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 04:06:59 +0000

In pre-show materials handed out at last week’s show, the clothes for Fall 2007 were described as being for the girl who spends her weekend shopping at outdoor markets, going to a friend’s art opening, or riding around town with her boyfriend on his Vespa.

Sounds pretty good, except for the vespa part. In general, the clothes that came down Twinkle’s runway last week were a little too fancy or skirty for the laid back activities described here. Still, a lot of the pieces were clothes you would actually want to wear.

As always, Twinkle featured a lot of knitwear — chunky bulky knitwear–hats, scarves, cardigans. To be honest, I have often found her pieces to be too bulking and overwhelming, working best on tall and skinny girls, with bodies that are able to handle extra layering and bulk. But on the runway, with the movement of the models, I think I might be changing my mind. The blousey berets that almost all the models work, not only united the collection, they also looked great over messy long hair. And the cardigans were almost doable.

I am a pretty mean knitter… another reason why I am interested in Wenlan Chia’s knitwear. So I was pleased to find out she was finally releasing a knitting pattern book, Twinkle’s Big City Knits: 31 Chunky-Chic Designs, to coincide with her fall 2007 collection. The book features over 30 designs from Twinkle’s past collections, none of this season’s chunky concoctions, but they certainly are variations on the same theme.

These aren’t easy patterns, but they seem to be good ones for the experienced knitter. If you start knitting now, you may get a piece done by next Fall if you are lucky.

I always feel that Twinkle has a few great pieces, but that in general, its nothing incredibly new or innovative (This is how I and many others felt about Fall Fashion Week 2007 in general). That doesn’t mean that if I lived a life where I had to get dressed up for work or better yet didn’t have to work and just had to worry about where I was going for lunch, I wouldn’t love to wear the grey dress below as much as possible.

Finally, I am still feeling the bib detail on shirts and dresses. I know that the bib front has filtered down, considering I have been buying bibby shirts at stores like forever 21 for months now. I am going to hold on to it though. Maybe the bib front will just become another style, like a turtleneck, as opposed to some sort of trend.

(photos courtesy of coutorturefwk’s photo set on flickr)

More from Ann Marie…on Badgley Mischka

Amy — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 03:17:32 +0000

When you hear Badgley Mischka, you think evening gowns. You think red carpet. That is why I was so surprised that it was their sportswear that I found to be most strong at last week’s show.

I really liked their first look (above), a bell sleeved dress over a camel turtleneck, even though it might be too dressed up or fussy or Saks Fifth Avenue for me to actually wear.

This season, the designers decided to show pieces from all of their collections, which include Couture (your Hollywood starlet dresses) Platinum (dresses that are supposed to be more affordable, but still set suburban ladies back 500 to 1000 bucks) and sportswear. I liked the below looks as well, mainly because of the sleeves.

As far as those gowns go, I have to say that I was disappointed. There was really only one dress that I thought was great- this empire waisted
lacey concoction:

The rest were all too fussy, or ornate for no reason. There was a lot of metallic here and although its a trend seen in other shows as well, I don’t think it works. These dresses were high end metallic and they still managed to look lackluster and shabby in person.

In general, I think your average Hollywood actress, like the pretty Rachel Bilson who front row at the show, is more likely to grab something from their sportswear collection then their couture one.

Amy’s favorite pics from Anna Sui…

Amy — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 13:43:09 +0000

I love all the cute conversational patterns that Anna used even more than usual in this Fall 07 show (especially the clothes pin print in the upper right!). The colors are so lovely, the interplay of the freezing cold blue and the warm marigolds and oranges look great against one another.

Ann Marie on Erin Featherston…

Amy — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:26:05 +0000

It must be nice having beautiful, famous friends. Full disclosure– I have sort of a crush on Zooey Deschanel, mostly for her acting (if you haven’t seen All the Pretty Girls, you should), also for what seems to be her own style, AND because she is so darn beautiful. So, when earlier this week, designer Erin Fetherston began her show with the lovely Ms. Deschanel’s singing the standard, “Dream A Little Dream,” you know I was going to be predisposed to like it. (I think that was the point.) The song helped set the mood for a lovely, starry show filled with a lot of floating clothes.

Featherston herself is quite beautiful and now famous. The 20-something designer was born in California, but has lived and studied fashion in Paris the past few years. She first gained recognition showing her clothes in Paris, (and perhaps because of her friendship with another Hollywood starlet, Kirsten Dunst.) This is her second season showing at NY fashion week. Her clothes are light and girly, (for some maybe too girly) but always precious, and I think I mean that in a good way.

She showed mostly dresses and coats, with shapes that weren’t new- bell skirts, smocks, 3/4 length bell sleeves– mostly in muted grey, silver, white and black. But they were quite beautiful in person. What I liked the most were these chiffon or organza veils or capes attached to some of the later dresses; she did them in these beautiful peacock, botanical, and floral patterns. Perhaps they are more like a short train attached to the sides and along back a few of her dresses.

I am not sure how practical these cape/trains are for everyday city life.

And like I said, these clothes may be too girly for most of us. Still we can look at them and pretend to be a gorgeous fair skinned, fair-haired, American girl living in Paris. (review by Ann Marie)

Annie Marie, on Marc Jacobs

seamsters — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 04:16:48 +0000

Last night was marc jabob’s show. It is always the hardest ticket to get (hence, I did not get a ticket, although the press people were really nice about turning me down), and a highlight of new york fashion week. At last night’s show, he made news again, this time by shedding all the layers and volumes that he has been championing for the last few seasons, in favor of these really narrow silhouettes and really tailored looks– slim jackets, pants, and blouses. The color pallet is also different, featuring mustard yellows and tomato reds. It’s like these women have just stepped out of vintage Vogue magazine illustrations, complete with wide brimmed hats and gloves. Jacobs himself has also shed some– he is looking skinnier then ever, and even lost all of the hair.

(reviewed by Ann Marie)