'Fashion Week highlights'

3.1 Phillip Lim Fall-Winter '11

Another New York Fashion Week has come and gone. As Fashion Week crosses the pond to London, let’s take a look at some of the New York highlights from last week:

The biker babe gets a sophisticated update at 3.1 Phillip Lim (see above). Leather trousers, skirts and leather sleeves on bright blue jumpsuits were Phillip Lim’s interpretation of the working biker babe who, according to the designer, must also attend lunches and cocktail parties. The most noteworthy pieces were: the functional black coat with large pockets, the wool jacket with contrast sleeves, a tunic dress with beaded sleeves and green trousers with contrast trim. At 3.1 Phillip Lim, function and form is always the rule - never the exception.

Alexander Wang Fall-Winter '11

Outerwear is surely the emphasis at the latest Fall-Winter collection of Alexander Wang. How else to keep warm in Wang’s sheer menswear-inspired tops also in the collection? Models imbuing the cool girl attitude at Alexander Wang paraded around in topcoats with fur sleeves, cocoon-like capes and bomber jackets with thick fur trim. Wang continued to incorporate luxury into his collection by creating satin ribbon skirts that peel away in strips, shimmery pants and tailored vests in fur.

Narciso Rodriguez Fall-Winter '11

Narciso Rodriguez gets graphic in a collection inspired by different art forms. There was a fair share of color blocking with two-toned trousers and graphic prints on long shift dresses. Different textures like silk, wool and chiffon were pieced together to create garments that resembled a kind of moving collage. The entire collection was still modern, but with more street bite than ever before seen.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of datapple.com; yougoglencoco.com; mahryska.com