[Images via Elle.com]

Inspired by the arid desert landscape, the Ports 1961 show on Friday took the audience by storm. The palette was a muted mix of sandy hues with pops of emerald green and magenta. I loved the bright white peaking out from the warm khaki tones of a swingy cropped trench in the first look of the show. So wearable! So chic!

The models gave off a cool-as-can-be Farrah Fawcett vibe with their voluminous curly hair and shimmering bronze skin. Beyond the desert theme, what unified the show was the beautiful draping. Each look seemed to float effortlessly on the model as she graced the runway with long, sweeping strides.

The show progressed into evening wear with feathery dresses, rose-gold metallic, and some serious Swarovski crystal accents. For those willing to splurge, Fiona Cibani delivers the shimmering sand and sun of the Sahara directly into your wardrobe.

-Lily Oswald

Toni Maticevski

This season Maticevski took more of a slapstick glamour approach to the collection, with sparkles, satin, and mainly filmy, floaty gowns taken precedence. Most edges were left unfinished, giving a very ‘the clock has struck 12 for Cinderella’ type of aesthetic. The footwear collection was both edgy and sweet, complimenting the forlorn, tattered princess look. Most certainly, Maticevski’s gowns could appear on the Red Carpet; we’re thinking Drew Barrymore or Rachel McAdams.

[Images via MercedesBenzFashionWeek.com]

Ports 1961

Inspired by both the past and future, Tia Cibani used shades of tobacco, mulberry, iris and rosemary to juxtapose the superflous with the fitted in her silhouettes. The nod to Pierre Cardin space-age chic was updated with exposed zippers, watercolor prints, and amazing, oversized necklaces. Attention to shoulder detailing was a standout, and the sweaters will certainly make the must-have list for fall 2010.

-Julia DiNardo

Who: Calypso St. Barth
What: Women’s RTW & accessories, home decor, candles, fragrance – savings up to 80%
When: 12/15 – 12/18; Tuesday-Thursday 10am-7pm, Friday 10am-2pm
Where: 260 5th Ave (between 28th & 29th)

Who: Magnes Sisters
What: $40 – $99 a bag
When: December 8th-10th; 11am-7pm
Where: The Collective Showroom, 16 W36th Street, suite 501 (between 5th and 6th)

Who: Ports 1961
What: Prices start at 85% off!
When: December 11th, 11am-7pm
Where: 601 W26th, Suite 875

Who: Opening Ceremony
What: 60-90% off Acne, Alexander Wang, Erin Wasson x RVCA, Jeremy Scott, Opening Ceremony, Vena Cava & more
When: December 11th-13th; Friday & Saturday 11am-8pm; Sunday 12-7pm
Where: 201 Mulberry (between Spring & Kenmare)

Who: Proenza Schouler
What: RTW from previous seasons as well as F/W 2009
When: December 10th-11th, 8:30am-6:30pm
Where: 495 Broadway, 8th floor

Who: Theory
What: Coats $199 and under; Jackets $149 and under; Dresses $119 and under; Sweaters $109 and under; Pants $99 and under; Shirts $89 and under
When: December 7th-9th, 11am-7pm
Where: 261 W36th Street, 2nd floor (between 7th & 8th Avenues)

Who: Balenciaga
What: 40% off select merchandise
When: December 3rd-January 1st, 11am-7pm
Where: 542 W22nd St

Who: Simon Showroom
What: Merchandise by A Peace Treaty, C&C California, Citizens of Humanity, Falls, Goldsign, Iro, Wren *cash only*
When: December 7th-9th, 10am-7pm
Where: 95 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor (corner of 17th Street)

Who: Helmut Lang
What: Women’s merch up to 60% off
When: December 9th-13th, 11am-8pm
Where: 819 Washington Street (at Ganesvoort)

Who: Lauren Merkin
What: Handbags, clutches and accessories up to 70% off
When: December 8th-11th, 11am-7pm and December 12th 11am-4pm
Where: 231 W29th St, Suite 201 (Between 7th & 8th avenues)

Who: AKA New York
What: Prices $20-$100; up to 80% off *cash only*
When: December 10th 10am-7pm & December 11th 10am-5pm
Where: 246 W38th St, Suite 1109

Who: Diane von Furstenberg
What: Up to 75% off
When: December 8th-11th – Tuesday 9-6:30pm; Wednesday 10-8pm; Thursday 10-7pm; Friday 9-3pm
Where: 260 Fifth Ave, near 28th Street

Who: Autumn Cashmere
What: Up to 75% off
When: December 7th-11th 9am-6pm
Where: 251 W36th St, 2nd floor, near 7th Avenue

Who: James Jeans
What: Jeggings, straight & skinny legs $80, bootcut styles $70-$80, one-of-a-kind samples $15-$50
When: December 8th-11th; Tuesday-Thursday 9:30-7:30pm, Friday 9:30-2pm
Where: 500 Greenwich St, Suite 202, near Spring Street

Who: Alice + Olivia
What: Party dresses $179, pants $99, tops $89
When: December 8th-11th, 8am-8pm
Where: 80 W40th St at 6th Avenue

Who: Rag & Bone
What: T-shirts $40 and under, denim $80 and under, dresses $170 and under, blazers $190 and under, leather jackets $450 and under
When: December 10th-13th; Thursday-Saturday 12-8pm, Sunday 12-6pm
Where: 100 Christopher Street, near Bleecker Street

Who: Vera Wang
What: Bridal & bridesmaid dresses 25-75% off
When: December 12th, 9am-5pm
Where: The New Yorker Hotel, 481 Eighth Ave at 34th Street

Who: Olive & Bette’s
What: Trina Turk, Cynthia Steffe, Velvet, Splendid, Free People, Nanette Lepore, Theory, and more up to 75% off
When: December 10th, 8am-7pm
Where: 384 Bleecker St at Perry St

Who: Miguelina
What: Prices range from $25-$195
When: December 9th-11th, 8am-8pm
Where: 20 W36th St, near 6th Avenue

Designer Tia Cibani is an avid traveler, something that is always apparent in her globally-inspired shows. For Ports 1961′s Spring 2010 collection, “Fleure,” her destination of choice was Japan. Elements of oriental design were woven through the nature-heavy collection, from geisha-inspired hair and makeup to Obi sashes, kimono silhouettes, and Origami. The palette consists mainly of earthy tones, ivories, crimsons, lavendars, and pale pinks strewn against different fabrics and textures, such as silk, cotton, metallics, and linen. Though many of the pieces were literal takes on traditional Japanese style of dress, they were nevertheless modern and wearable.

-Sarah Nason

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This week I had the pleasure of attending the Ports 1961 pre-spring 2010 collection. Held above their Meatpacking District store, the event was a warm, intimate gathering that gave me plenty of space and time to individually touch and examine each piece; a rarity and experience that enhanced my interest and appreciation in the collection. Dubbed “The Tea Room Collection” and inspired by the 19th century Art Nouveau artistic collaboration between Charles Mackintosh and his wife Margaret MacDonald, the collection was steeped in hidden details, lustrous fabrics, and smartly tailored accents. There was a bit of beading work applied to some jackets, tops and dresses (see left), while other looks stood out for their rich hues of silky plums and nudes (my favorite is the dress at right).  Speaking of favorites, Ports 1961 was kind enough to send me creative director Tia Cibani‘s top five looks, seen below.

For current collections and more info, visit Ports 1961

[Images via Style.com & Elle.com]

There’s been a major time lapse since my last one-liner show review, so I thought it was time I put up the final installment of the extremely brief New York Fashion week reviews! Here’s the remaining four from the last Thursday of fashion week – enjoy!

Brian Reyes: With the teetering models aside, the strong collection executed amazing pleating, tailoring and prints, which will surely give other designers in his league some heavy competition!

Rebecca Taylor: Girly comfort dressing that one can wear over and over and over again via cozy knits, feminine ruffles, and a tiny bit of leopard print

Ports 1961: Inspired by India, Tia Cibani chose to work with dramatic shapes in a mostly pale color palette, which made the pieces of color pop even more.

Christian Siriano: It was love at first sight, with all of the sharp cuts (the jackets!!!) and expected drama present (head pieces!) with an amazing surprise — his incredible Payless shoe collection!

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We know we know — we’re a little behind with the fashion week coverage!

We’ll make it up to you right now, with several reviews from today, since hardly anyone has posted anything about them yet!

• Ports 1961

We loved the live music, compliments of the Cowboy Junkies during the show, which lent nicely to the collection theme of the Pacific Northwest and feminine lines that compliment and lengthen. We found a bolder (both in design andcolore palette) collection than in the past with Ports, although we preferred metallic trim to all over metallic shimmer and shine. The fabrications we loved were the meshy lace dresses, tulle, jaquard, and lame’, which traditionally would have worked more for f/w collections. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the artistic “runway frou” which included large petruding masks that resembled something out of The Lion King, the musical.

• Sergio Davila

Taking his queue from 1930s immigrants, Davila delivered an easy collection full of classic sportswear pieces such as cardigans, henleys, bermudas, and casual trousers. The collection was largely for men, but we did enjoy the few women’s looks, in particular the cut-off trousers. At retail, we can definitely see this doing well, as the clothes have a familiar feeling to them, with the thick gauge cardigans and thin, gauzy henleys taking center stage.

• Melani von Alexandria

Unfamiliar with this designer, we weren’t sure what to expect. Sometimes skipping a meal or a power hour of writing is difficult to rationalize when a show is off-site, but in this case, we were glad we took the risk! The collection was as lovely, sweet, and sophisticated as the young designer, who impressed us with her tailoring skills and cohesive collection that left us wanting to see more. Loose, flowing silhouettes channeled a modernized 1920s vibe in soft neutral colors such as cream, peach, taupe, and midnight. Her dresses were by far our favorite, although she also proved to us that she nows how to cut a mean pant.

• Gottex

We’re happy to go on the record saying that all the years we’ve seen a Gottex show, we’ve yet to be let down. Just when you think that nothing new can be added to the swimwear category, Gottex goes and does something completely refreshing. Everything from nautical motifs to classic Grecian paraded down the runway, and Gottex really knows how to smoothly group and transition the show from one theme to the next. Interesting halter one-pieces caught our eye, and we are really starting to believe that the one-piece is the new bikini. We loved the completely oversized anchors and interlocking rings, and applaud the company for revisiting the early 1990s via neon swimear. We also saw loads of cream-colored swimwear with such an amazing drape that it would take the most skilled and delicte of hands to execute. Last of all, we must thank Gottex for avoiding the monokini — we couldn’t bare to see another one of those on the beach next summer!