Nordstrom at NYFW

Vera Wang: Show Noir

Vera Wang's fall 2010 collection is called, "The Bride Wore Black." The designer focused on texture, volume, cut and composition through various fabrics—all in black.

The backdrop for her runway was an expression of texture created through sculptural, white layers. Vera always has the most interesting backdrops.

The show notes really tell her collection's story:

"Film Noir as a contemporary metaphor for youth, romance and sophistication tinged ever so slightly with a sense of mystery. A new and deliberate emphasis on day and tailoring tempered with sleek silhouettes, sporty underpinnings and feminine elements. Dresses reflect careful draping, unusual mixtures of dressy and day fabrics and for obvious night, gossamer layers of embellishment constructed on sheer stocking sheaths of stretch tulle. Giant dramatic fistfuls of distressed pearls create a sense of extravagance and disheveled glamor."

I loved the collection. Favorite pieces: pants with slit bootlegs floating snugly over shoes, paper-bag pants with athletic stripes—like dressy track pants—gloves in textured black leather and a scalloped organza skirt. A Nehru collar cut-away jacket with hook-and-eye closure was one of the best jackets on the runway.

Phillip Lim: Seventies Lite

Strolling across the runway to get my seat at the Phillip Lim show, I saw that it was covered in a marble pattern in a palette of ivory, camel, gray and black. The same marble pattern was also used as the back drop.

(Phillip Lim's backdrop)

(Phillip Lim's runway)

The same palette from the marble strolled down the runway for look #1 in the form of an exploded-check mohair skirt.

Look #2 had the same exploded check in a cape coat over suede flared jeans. This flared pant leg looked truly modern as opposed to the ultra skinny pants we've all been wearing for seasons now.

There were seventies moments throughout the collection in strong pieces that every Phillip fan is sure to love. Extreme asymmetric hem dresses, a black waxed motorcycle jacket, shearling bomber jacket, a Windsor-blue tuxedo blouse, steel blue tuxedo jacket and of course, those flared jeans.  

Here are Phillip's thoughts behind the collection taken from his show notes:

"Somewhere in the air between disco and punk lives a woman boiling with youthful revolt but distinguished by unexpectedly classic style. Her clothes are meticulous, but her way is easy. She says goodbye to dreamy glitter and too much skin, a confident enigma with nothing left to prove.

Her look is modern, polished, streamlined. Her obsession with baroque flourishes surprises many and amuses her to no end. She has this punk rebellion, so she will cut her dress. But it seems cut by the wind, for this was where magic happened, somewhere in the air between inherent and apparent."

The last look is an example of one of the "cut" dresses mentioned in the notes.

Sophie Theallet: Pure and Simple

Chirping birds and harp strumming greeted us as at CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner Sophie Theallet's show. I was excited to see the designer's collection after hearing the buzz about her over the last couple seasons. 

The lovely fairy-tale themed, dress-focused collection began with a feminine, peasant style frock. Several soft, silky seventies-inspired dress silhouettes followed—looking fresh in shades of navy and burgundy punctuated with the occasional bright fuchsia or orange look.

 

Her French heritage played out in sweet foulard prints, rich velvet and shiny satin. Scrunched-down suede boots and shearling wrap jackets provided the attitude that kept Sophie's dresses from being overly sweet.

The focused, 34-look collection gave me a clear picture of Sophie's soft, but minimalist—truly award winning—sensibility.

Thakoon: Lived-in Luxury

Designer Thakoon Panichgul set a cerebral tone using an echoing heartbeat as "music" when we entered his show space. Models passed through glowing white sculptures lit from within.

Look #1 was a gray cable matelasse cape-sleeve hooded jacket, black merino asymmetric cardigan and black canvas jersey paired with gray merino wool layer leggings. The jacket was like a luxury-class hoody.

The matelasse fabric was the first indication of Thakoon's dedication to texture in this collection. Other fabrics included rumpled velvet, fox and mink furs, double-faced twill, burnout velvet and leather.

Technically advanced but familiar silhouettes included pullovers, bomber jackets, shift dresses and track pants. The color palette ranged from gray to black and ivory to yellow. Tiny pompoms were an unexpected and whimsical detail that actually worked for a fall collection .

 

Narciso Rodriguez Does Mixed Media

Typically a minimalist designer, Narciso Rodriguez focused his Fall 2010 Collection on mixing fabrics, textures and color. The show opened with a black wool, twill coat with a circular silk Mikado inset. 

One thing is true for this season—there is no shortage of beautiful coats to choose from. Shearling is showing up everywhere, and we adored the black shearling jacket and jersey top paired with a wool and silk Mikado skirt.

Then came softer and more draped shapes than we're used to seeing from Narciso. And in a black-heavy season, we loved the striking jade, aqua, bronze and brick textured silks he used in dresses with sexy side cut-outs. The last look of the evening was a black textured silk dress with a bronze studded embroidered jacket.

For a futuristic look, Narcisco accessorized with big round box hats made of leather and wool—but don't try this look off the runway...at least not this decade.