Whitney Port may have finally proven that she can be taken seriously as a designer, after she presented a collection that felt both vintage and fresh simultaneously. With quintessentially feminine cocktail dresses and heavily embellished shorts (love!), Whitney Eve amped up evening wear in a vibe that felt refreshed and perhaps slightly Cali. The shattered, kaleidoscopic prints and luxe velvet fabric felt unusually classic in jewel tones, a rare treasure to behold, when done well. Whereas the peplum blouses, textured cardigans, and laid back suiting are sure to become the go-to work wear for the young, modern girl, Port’s signature layering pieces were present, with the mix up of eclecticism and whimsical femininity that caught our attention. A keen eye like Whitney Port’s may be exactly what today’s girl-on-the-go needs for Fall 2012.

-Alana Quagliariello

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Max and Lubov Azria chose to tell a wild tale of good-girl-turned-bad in a collection centered around bondage dresses. However, the unexpected twist came at the bottom of one of the dresses where we saw an obvious pleating detail. It gave the clothing space for some breathability and movement, while it remained form-fitting up top. The models juxtaposed hard and soft while caged into their apparel via thick leather harnesses, buckling them in around their waists and shoulders. Still, nothing looked too dominatrix thanks to the dresses hitting around mid thigh in length. In an otherwise serious fall palette of black and browns, we did get pops of peach and red, not to mention some fur and studs.

-Alana Quagliariello

[image via WWD.com, Xiang Zhang's collection]

Fresh, young talent. So fresh, they aren’t even out of school yet. These lucky few were given the opportunity students only dream of, the chance to present a collection at Lincoln Center in New York Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2012. With industry professionals dispersed throughout the audience at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, debuting their collections is the opportunity of a lifetime for many of these students as the national and international fashion community mingle together for this fashion conundrum.

Academy of Art

Since 2005, the School of Fashion has been premiering the collections of recent graduates so as to help launch their careers. This year, nine students showed eight women’s wear collection and one men’s wear collection. Amy Bond was inspired by complex shapes, but made complexities appear clean. Black, gray, and ivory formed a collection of wool dresses, jackets and pants that were minimal and refined.

Xiang Zhang used Plato’s Theory of the Golden Rectangle to determine the proportions of his designs. White cotton shirts maintained a certain edge when paired with silk pleated skirts. Deanna Pei-Ju Lo wanted to create a collection that “borrowed from the boys.” Nonetheless, she created subtle femininity with black leather and metallic dresses and tops. Donghyuk Dan Kim looked to vintage military uniforms to construct his men’s designs. The clothing from the American West inspired him to create brown vests, plaid wool/leather jackets and a fabulous wool/leather plaid parka.

Farida Khan’s “unconventional beauty” came to life in a geometric way. Clothing was laminated and vinyl giving it a futuristic polished feel. Kate Y.K. Lee defined her seams with sharp, angled lines. Pulling from the sculptural elements of architecture, she created tweed tops, navy leather leggings, and wool check dresses, tops, and pants. Jeanette Au’s color palette enabled her to stand out from the crowd. Her mohair metallic tops popped in deep sapphire, silver blue, platinum, copper, garnet and ruby. Sergei Diagliav’s Ballet Russe inspired the sweaters, dresses, coats and capes. Finally, Jade Juanyu Liu used a unique layering technique to create a shadowy effect. Copper fur dresses, coats and vests created space with dark heather wool skirts and quartz bonded tops.

[Image via TheUpcoming.com, Yuya Kubohara's collection]

Vantan Tokyo

Vantan Design Institute is the first and only design school, among all the educational institutions in Japan to participate in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NYC. The school prides itself on producing graduates with highly developed design techniques as well as business skills. Graduates hope to become active young designers on an international level. Cheryl Chee’s “Preservation of Me” maintained a very neutral color palette of black, white and beige, except for a gorgeous green lapel jacket, our favorite piece of her collection. Masato Miyata’s use of prints helped explore his idea that “to hide=to show.” Fun peaches and blues gave a girly feel to an otherwise menswear inspired collection of collared shirts and pants.

Yuya Kubohara’s “Graphical Girl” made amazing use of color with orange and gray being the most dominant pair. The leggings and jackets felt youthful and fresh, with detailed sleeves that demanded attention. Cheung Siu Yan had nature in mind as she created what we want to describe as the “gothic mermaid.” A blue and green watery print met black leather to create long dresses and skirts. But, it was the side pleat pant that really gave movement.

One thing is for sure; there is great talent amongst the young designers.

-Alana Quagliariello

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[Images via ELLE.com]

Handbags

JCrew (pictured above) absolutely nailed it with their ladylike collection of handbags for spring 2012. Blue, orange, green, yellow…did we mention leopard?! Perfectly practical, but still extremely fashion forward.

[Images via ELLE.com]

Clutches

I simply can’t pick a favorite, so let’s call it a tie. Proenza Schouler (at top) mixed textures to create tweed clutches with chunky chain detail straps, while Chloe mixed accessories to make what looks to be a bracelet-bag combo. Gotta have it!

[Image via Style.com]

Shoes

Celine really wowed with their take on the platform heel/pump for the upcoming season. Basic black or the marriage of black and red, simplicity says it all. Even more incredible, with your ankle strapped in, these shoes look totally wearable – dare I even say comfortable?

[Images via Style.com]

Sunglasses

Frameless sunglasses at Fendi felt interestingly academic. Deviating away from the line’s normal sexuality, the glasses definitely added to the serious, studious woman, a style rather novel for Fendi.

[Images via Style.com]

From left to right: Givenchy, Donna Karan [Images via Style.com]

Jewelry

Bracelets: The stacked multi-colored bangles at Carolina Hererra proved that wrists should not be left naked. The more, the merrier come Spring 2012.

Necklaces: Donna Karan went wild with her tribal-inspired neckpieces strung with wood and plastic. Meanwhile, Givenchy’s statement shark-tooth pendants give “sharp” a double meaning.

Fashion Week SS12 was an accessory-studded event; which piece is your favorite?

-Alana Quagliariello

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Tribal

This season, the tribal trend was an easy one to spot, thanks to its brown, orange, cream, and black color palette, canvas and raffia fabrics, braiding, and darker beading. We loved the pieces that represented the trend at Proenza Schouler (pictured above), as well as at Herve Leger, Donna Karan, and even at Diane von Furstenberg. You can start to take steps toward the trend by incorporating it into your look now via an accessory; a handbag, a pair of earrings or necklace, or shoes.

-Julia DiNardo

[From Marc Jacobs Collection]

Blue

Among the most favored trends of this year’s SS12 season is the primary color blue. The gorgeous hue stood strong as a solid, complimented a multitude of prints, and popped up on nails. A royal blue flower petal print seduced at Jason Wu, while Marc Jacobs welcomed various blues into his layer-heavy collection. Daring blue midnight sapphire nails appeared more than once at 3.1 Philip Lim, Jen Kao, and Sachin & Babi. Yet, if I had to choose one shade, I’d suggest sticking with the classic, yet contemporary navy. Take a cue from both the Tory Burch and Rag + Bone runway collections on mixing navy with orange, with white or with other shades of blue. Let’s just say blue is “cool” in more ways than one for spring!

-Alana Quagliariello

[From Jason Wu]

The Peplum

Peplum accents are all the rage on the Spring 2012 runway for New York Fashion Week. This glamourous addition come in any size or fullness, giving a fun adornment to a solid color. With a peplum, it feels as though your outfit came with a built-in accessory, as the beautiful ruffle adds a personality of its own. The trend was seen on various runways this season, such as Jason Wu, Badgley Mischka, and Vera Wang. Cynthia Rowley went for a bolder statement. with peplums found in vibrant prints, paired with tailored pants gave a rock and roll vibe on the runway.

-Ambika Makin

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New World Records: Royals and Weddings [TresSugar]

-Alana Quagliariello

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Prabal Gurung:

Prabal Gurung’s F/W 2011 collection showed that he is not afraid to push the boundaries of his own design aesthetic.  The collection had an “undone” quality but still was red carpet worthy.  There was a multitude of midi lengths and rigorous fits that kept well with the “undone” quality of the collection.  Degrade furs were echoed by the colored streaks in the models hair and off-shoulder sheath dresses were shown between floor length bias cut chiffon gowns.  The collection proved that Prabal Gurung has been able, thus far, to  successfully push his design margins.

[Images via Style.com]

Alexander Wang:

Alexander Wang’s sexy, cool, tough girl attitude that has built his brand, was returned to the runway this season with a heightened sense of luxury.  Smart split-up-the-side navy knits were paired with glitter drainpipe jeans.  There was also unique cocoon like outwear that was original, but still wearable. The aim of Wang’s collection was to evolve his voice from his signature of slouch and jersey, found in his lower-priced pieces.  He accomplished this with hand knitted chunky knits, needle punched appliqué, and the use of finer fabrics, such as silk. Wang also experimented with hybrids of more standard designs, like a blazer turned fur coat and a tuxedo jacked with puffer sleeves.

-Dana deBoer

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Diane Von Furstenberg’s F/W 2011 collection entitled, “American Legends,” was anything but minimalist.  Wide-brimmed hats set the tone, paired with silken dresses, printed pants, and all things signature to the brand.  Diane von Furstenberg obviously has no fear of color or asertive prints, as decades have proved, and  vibrant hues were present throughout with the most standouts found in  various hues of green.

-Dana deBoer

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[Images via Style.com]

Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s inspiration for this season’s Rodarte collection was undoubtedly the American Plains.  The color palette was neutral and earthy-with the exception of the bright red show closer. The collection was steeped with silk gowns, long skirts, and leather pieces.  It was also exquisitely hand-crafted.  The appliqué on the pinafore tops and skirts was appliquéd were not made by a machine, reinforcing the high price point of these items.

-Dana deBoer

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