Fashion Month: The Mediocre, Meh, and Magnificent
Well, the first week of Fashion Month has passed in a blur of Instagram posts and endless WhoWhatWear articles. Now, I’m here to give you the low down. You may be wondering what this “Fashion Month” is that I speak of; “Fashion Month” is the general chaos that happens in the fashion world throughout the month of September, and into October. New York Fashion Week is the first show, and is followed by fashion weeks in London, Milan, Paris, and Berlin.So, without further ado, here are NYFW’s mentionables, including: the mediocre, the meh, and the magnificent (in that order):The MediocreMarc Jacobs: "Marc’s Army" must have missed the memo that Balmain already did the whole army thing, and a lot better at that. Jacob's collection was clunky and underwhelming compared to Olivier Rousting’s genius. The only pro was the pleasure in seeing his makeup-less supermodels looking super average (Gigi, Kendall, and Candice included).
Donna Karan New York: Oh look! Sportswear. *Sigh* DKNY's looks resembled too much of everything else and not enough of itself, if that makes any sense. As well, their haphazard use of the word “urban” to describe the collection has sparked a lot of discussion regarding black culture in fashion.
Alexander Wang: I am normally a huge fan of Alexander Wang, but I am tired of this sportswear fad, and the inclusion of these looks isn’t at all surprising. His Tron inspired pieces do earn him a couple of points, however.
MehMcQ by Alexander McQueen: In a few words: plaid, metallic, and grungy. The kind of girl who wears McQ is the not-so-It-Girl who is still cooler than all of us. The only issue that I had was that it felt a little too Nasty Gal and a little less designer.
J. Crew: I wanted to include J. Crew, because although they stayed safe and went very J. Crew, they also threw in some more daring looks that I applaud Jenna Lyons for. I’m just curious to see what these pieces actually look like in store, as J. Crew’s quality has very clearly decreased over the last five years.
Milly: Based on the pieces I’ve seen in various stores, I didn’t expect this sort of attitude from designer Michelle Smith. But, she did surprise me with her street style inspired looks and produced some near perfect garments.
The Magnificent10 Crosby Derek Lam: Lam successfully encompassed androgyny and femininity all within the same collection and I’M OBSESSED. This beautiful collection, however, is sure to be ripped off by Zara any day now.
Elie Tahari: This brand continues to enthrall me. They have the most gorgeous suits (aka real world clothes) that actually makes the thought of working in an office bearable, yet they still breathe so much originality into their more casual looks. This collection is all about fringe, texture, and draping, and it is gorgeous.
Kaelen: Winner, winner, chicken dinner. This relatively young collection came out strong this year, and I fell completely in love with the designer, whom I previously had never heard of. The designer of the eponymous brand, Kaelen Haworth, accomplished quite the feat: she took the season’s most popular trends (culottes, black and white grids, and florals) and did them better than everybody else. Boom.
Yours Creatively,Emilie Nolan, Online ContributorPhotographs: http://mbfashionweek.com Check out Emilie's fashion blog here.
