 |
| Courtesy of OscarPRGirl Thank you to everyone who emailed, tweeted and left comments on this blog letting me know that you couldn’t wait to hear my thoughts on New York Fashion Week. I read each and every comment and never would have imagined there would be readers awaiting my views. I’m truly humbled. I’m always torn about how to approach Fashion Week here. As you all know, I’m most concerned with carefully considered design. I’ve been attending the collections for years and that experience has shaped my very precise sense of style. The collections really teach you to admire workmanship or gorgeous fabrics that are custom made in house from a far without the need to consume. Perhaps Sally Singer said it best; “People who are interested in style -- designers, stylists or the girl or boy on the street -- get an idea and fixate on it, and for their whole lives, that's their ideal…. Yet every season, there's a way to connect your personal aesthetic with something new. You intuitively think, ‘I want something new that updates who I am, but at the end of the day I'm still myself.’" I can’t wait to share the subtleties that will inevitably make their way into my autumn wardrobe. As for my week, all I can say is PHEW. This coming from a girl who regularly gets a little under four hours of sleep a night. Every season there are more shows. In previous years, I’ve been hesitant to say that there are too many shows; but this season hit an all time high. I can’t help but wonder if some amazing stories have been lost in so many presentations and shows… |
February 17, 2012
New York Fashion Week- An Introduction
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
i love that quote by Sally Singer. i excerpted that Paper interview with her last year on my blog too...so inspiring and true!
ReplyDeletemiss sophie- Me too! I've reread the article from time to time over the past couple of years. It makes me nostalgic for how excited I was when it was finally announced (such a drawn out process) that she would be the EIC of T.
DeleteNow that's a pearl of wisdom. I think it's important to maintain a sense of individuality while remaining appreciative of the new and latest designs but not taking it all too seriously.
ReplyDeleteChocolate, Cookies & Candies- I like the sound of that:)
DeleteThat's exactly it. It's about authenticity. Once you truly have that down there's a way to appreciate the new while still be you.
Oh I have to work on not taking things too seriously. I'm so bad about that.
Sally Singer is so brilliant. I don't know if anyone could have said it better.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment I think I might invest in a cocoon-shaped skirt or dress over the next few months, but am in no rush. I do love the cocoon shape - must be my fondness for vintage Balenciaga. I picked up a glorious Carven coat in the winter sales and it's definitely helped me fall hard for that silhouette.
Ammu- Yes she is!
DeleteOh! I love cocoon shapes. It's such a flattering shape for all body types. Ah vintage Balenciaga:)
I love the Carven coat you picked up. I'm such a coat person. I think it's one item I regret not buying when it first came out.
Ha! I am pretty sure the camel version of that coat will end up on Outnet soon enough ;)
DeleteAmmu- You know, I've never found anything that works for me size wise on the Outnet? I do know readers who swear by it though:)
DeleteCamel is always so pretty!!!
I apply the same criteria to Outnet as I do to Net-a-Porter. And I know my measurements well enough to get it right if I order clothing.
DeleteI love my Carven coat - am actually going to be pretty sad when winter ends imminently!
Ammu- Knowing measurements is key for ordering clothing. I guess I mean that when I see things that I loved but let go they're never available in my size on outnet. Perhaps it's a sign that it just isn't meant to be.
DeleteI can only imagine you would be sad- it's so stunning. Coats are one of my favorite things about cool weather.
Doesn't that suck?! I find that happens a lot to me as well. That's why I tend to snap up what I like at full-price if I can afford it.
DeleteI actually picked up the Carven coat from Farfetch.com, because it was the only website that offered it in black. My first luxury purchase from a non-Massenet site ;) and I have to say, the service was great. Camel is gorgeous, but I tend to prefer coats in darker colours.
Yes! It's a sore spot for me. I'm rather pragmatic when it comes to shopping, so when I truly love a piece, I’m willing to pay full price. I’m a difficult fit and when I see things that I love that fit well they always get scooped up long before sale.
DeleteI’ve had good experiences with Farfetch.com. I was impressed. I will always love NAP:)
I prefer coats in dark colors too. I think the Carven coat looks best in black. It just feels much more elegant/formal to me and maybe more versatile. I do like the idea of a very classic car coat in camel. Not sure if I would invest in one, but I always think they look pretty.
Yes! Tell us what you saw! If there was one dress that you could buy, which would it be? I'm hoping to buy one beautiful dress per year starting this fall (I'll be 30 and I think I finally deserve it.) By the time I'm 80 I'll have 50 beautiful frocks!
ReplyDeleteAmber- You know I will;)
DeleteI always feel like I need to take a minute to think about it all. There's so much going on all at once.
A dress a year is brilliant. A beautiful dress is always worth investing in and 30 deserves something wonderful:)
One dress... That's so hard. I'm such a dress person!
Love the quote! I also feel that fashion week showings have become more and more overwhelming as the years go on. I remember being in college and feeling really having a good sense of who all these designers were at fashion week because there weren't as many. Now, I look at style.com and feel completely swamped with the sheer number of designers showing. It's gotten so that I haven't even looked at any collections this fashion week. I guess I just don't really care as much now that I have a network of like-minded fashion blogger contacts who will probably catch a whisper (if not actually follow the shows themselves) of something that really sticks to the ribs of my aesthetic and I'll find it on a blog or tumblr that I frequent. In that sense, media-rich blogging systems like tumblr has been a great filter for the collections that could be swamping my screen right now!
ReplyDelete0000- It's such a great quote and exactly how I think about fashion week. It's very fashionable to say that you don't care about fashion or runway; that it's all about "personal style" but for me personal style was definitely forged by having those experiences.
DeleteThere have always been a lot of designers showing at NYFW and so much more going on than what makes it to Style.com. I think the sheer number of shows has been on everyone's radar for at least the last 5 or 6 years, but no one has a good answer of what to do. Everyone showing and having access is part of what makes NY so great and open to young designers. It's complicated. I love Paris Fashion Week, but the structure and politics in place makes it almost impossible for someone just starting out to get the press, support or placement they need.
Blogs are a great way to stay connected, but I always keep in mind that some of things that I loved the most don't register in the live feed or even in professional photos.
Sounds like you had a full week! Would love to hear what stood out for you....
ReplyDeleteminima/maxima, a blog about minimalist style
petrichore- Yes, it was a full week.
DeleteI'll definitely be posting about what stood out. It's such a mix of things. Some of the things I loved were purely sartorial, but there were also things like how someone's running their business that stood out. Can't wait to share.
I think it's a lot different for those lucky, glamorous girls (I'm talking to you) who are invited to attend the shows. I don't think rushing around to 300 plus shows compares to trying to catch yourself up on Style.com and feeling swamped. It's different. How many shows can one person humanly make it too and still be fresh and objective.
ReplyDeleteI did notice that there was more nonsense being covered alongside people really showing things of note. You're too polite to say it, but you have to question why some of these people would show in this setting. I love Steven Alan but I was a bit confused about why that's being talked about in the same vein as people really doing innovative things. It just seems so inconsiderate to add show after show/ presentation after presentation to busy people's schedules when there are other ways to show.
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on relying on blogs to review collections. What I love about this blog is that it's not just someone whose style I adore, but you clearly have so much knowledge. I find that lacking from the fashion blog world.
Anonymous- I like the way you think. I've been thinking through all of these things since Fashion Month started.
DeleteI do think there's a very real concern that when there is so much noise, nothing stands out. Steven Alan was one of the examples of the week that people kept honing in on, but there were lots of them. I think there are so many people doing relevant, interesting things that could benefit from something other than a tremendously expensive runway show or presentation. Perhaps a designer is working in a way that requires a bit more clarity. Maybe then it's an intimate studio visit for editors and press. Maybe it's showing online or maybe you have a specialty/made to order business and it's a trunk show. The main reason why Prabal Guring showed his second collection online was because it just didn't make sense to add another show (that people were going to break their necks to see) to the schedule when there's no reason why ICB can't be shown virtually. It was about considering people schedules and as you said being humble.
You can read a bit about my thoughts on fashion criticism here-http://unpetitbijou.blogspot.com/2011/09/bit-of-nostalgia.html. There are some amazing blogs out there that approach the whole idea of fashion in a really engaging intelligent way.
I agree with both of you. In India, where I live at the moment, we have four fashion weeks every season. I mean, it's a big country and all, but it is a tad ridiculous. And while it's great to give a platform to new designers, I often get the sense that many are not ready to show their work and the work simply isn't good enough. Some of my favourite designers show very rarely, preferring to host small sessions instead for a tiny audience of shoppers.
DeleteAmmu- I find India's fashion scene quite interesting. I try to follow the best that I can by looking at trade publications and WWD. It's hard to balance wanting to give everyone opportunity with making sure that young designers hone their skills. There's nothing worse then when a collection isn't ready to be shown and the ideas aren't fully flushed out.
DeleteSome of my favorite designers don't show every season and I love that.
what a wonderful quotation! I always wonder about how to describe my love of fashion week - I love fashion and clothing and find it very exciting. But also have a very particular and plain personal aesthetic, meaning that I often only admire the shows from afar, knowing that I wouldn't wear 80% of the pieces. every season I want to see new things that I could imagine making their way into my wardrobe, but also that fit with my pre-existing ideals.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear which designers, shows and individual pieces stood out for you! :)
Fen- It’s such a great quotation and so relevant to how I think about it all. There is something about fashion, clothing, seeing a new proportion that’s exciting. I know exactly what you mean about having a very particular aesthetic. I think there are so many ways to be inspired by the runway. At the end of the day, I find things that fit into my ideals and lifestyle the most inspiring.
DeleteI love shows that evoke a mood. I think so many designers upped their game when it came to that this season.
Lindsay, I always love to hear your perspective on the fashion industry. Even as a person from the outside looking in, I feel overwhelmed at how MUCH there is! {And my exposure is just at the tip of the iceberg!}
ReplyDeleteSamantha-Thank you! It's so nice to hear that you enjoy hearing my long rambling posts on all things fashion. There's always so much passion behind them.
ReplyDeleteYes, there's so much out there. It makes it so difficult to discern what quality is or what you truly want.