From New York…Bridal Fashion Week is Now With a Look Back at NY Fashion Week

With all of the Fashion News Happening in our own city (Houston) of late, it’s been difficult to find the time to focus on the week of fashion I missed this season from New York, choosing to stay home for the birth of my newest family member. However, as I prepared for my first treck to another Fashion Week in NY, this time for many of fashion gals biggest day…..NY Bridal Week, which started yesterday, planning that trip has made me finally take a hard look at all of the great fashion that I missed seeing live last month. So I will be sharing with you some of my favorite collections, many of which I would have seen live and some of my favorite looks from them.

The best news is that a select group of those designers will be showing at Bridal Week as well……Monique Lhuillier, Naeem Khan, Marchesa, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Jenny Packham, to name a few as well as others that are well-established for what they do best….Bridal, and that would be Anna Maier, Romona Keveza, Inez de Santos and more.

As I speak of my venture to Bridal Week, let me be clear, my role here is as a stand-in. Joan Pillow, has her own lifetime event not to be missed….hubby Jon is a finalist in the Iron Man compeition in Hawaii. So stepping up to the plate (I say that with due respect to our fabulous Astros!), will be me, as a filler for Joan, with all of her vendors. It’s exciting for me to be here in NYC for a new fashion experience and a great opportunity for the Pillow twosome to live a dream!

So, staying in a New York State-of-Mind, here are just a sampling of my highlights of the Spring/Summer 2016 NYFW Shows…..

Tibi

I’ve chosen Tibi as my first because it was early in the schedule and one of the first I checked to see online. It’s very typical of the in-demand look that designer/owner Amy has created in that she knows her customers (I’m one!) that likes simple lines with a sexy, vibe. Her color palette is dominated by neutrals and what I call soft greyed hues(blush). You know a designer collection has made it when you walk in a room and everyone recognizes your ‘Tibi Top’ and can’t wait to tell you how many colors they own it in. Warning here: Buy early, if you hesitate for long you lose out on the most popular styles….anything with shoulder-interest is so hot it sizzles….and so will you when you have it on!

Carolina Herrera

Carolina, whose style in all that she does is always so impeccable has taken a step back in time, venue-wise, and showed at the Frick Museum, where she did an exquisite spread for Vogue many years back (Thank you, Mark Sikes for posting that image recently). So her collection which WWD described as one of ‘beauty and gentility’ was shown against the Beaux Arts grandeur of the Frick’s covered courtyard. Focused on shades of ‘pink and pleats’, it was a controlled dream of a show. “This is my rose period”, Carolina quoted to WWD. Her other big theme was ‘transparency’, a him of peek-a-boo handled with discretion.

Lela Rose

Our Texas-born gal, Lela Rose, never disappoints. She and her collection/show were described as bubbly. Her offering this season was a “blazing palette, shimmering metallics, hand-cut floral appliqués, magnified floral prints and quirky details.” She accomplished a fun but elegant quotient in looks such as her deep coral polka-dots filled shirtdress, a citron gown with hand-cut floral appliqués and more!

Oscar de la Renta

Many have said that this collection for Spring is Peter Copping’s finest collection to date for Oscar de la Renta. He is coming in his own, adding his personal touches and modernization while still paying homage to the man. He moved the venue for starters to the Prince George Ballroom, giving it an intimate yet grand couture salon feel. In homage to the namesake designer, he had a red carnation, his favorite flower, on each seat and the entire collection had a latin flair which Copping researched and personalized. There were flamenco jackets, ruffles and flowers and lots of red, starting with his opener for the show, in ruby Red! The collection was forever feminine with a touch of Copping modernization to complete the newest look!

Victoria Beckham

Another designer that I like to wear, is Victoria Beckham, so again, her collection was an early check-out for me. As a woman who says she is feeling carefree in a life so packed with designing, family, traveling and a multitude of projects, Beckham said in a chat with WWD’s Bridget Foley, “Not that that influenced the collection intentionally but is subliminal,” as seen in her uncomplicated, easy-wear daytime clothing. Prints are there in different ways; her Asian inspired coat is on my ‘must have’ from the collection. All-in-all, her designing is certainly changing and much less body-clinging as in the past.

Tory Burch

Tory Burch is a show I’m never happy if I miss. I did watch her live-stream from my home in Houston, this year, and immediately instagrammed the finale so that my followers could see it immediately. The beauty of the Tory show is that you know that although it will have a point-of-view (Island paradise), it will have a variety of colors and textures and this season was no exception. There were island embroideries, bold colors of blue, red and of course, a Tory signature, orange, as well as metallics and high-tech fabrics that offered sheen. Nature played its part in a representation of linens, cotton shirtings, artisan touches as seen in peasant looks and fringe.

The big added news for Tory Burch is the addition this season of Tory Sport…..I plan to do a special on that, hopefully if I can find the time while in New York City to make it downtown to her pop-up shop on Elizabeth Street. This collection is only available online and in that pop-up shop downtown New York City.