Fall 2011

Last season, Prada's yellow and green sleeveless print dress got a lot of face time on the covers of some major fashion magazines, topping off at ni

We have many youthful memories (fond or otherwise) of wearing flared pants, maybe even full blown homemade bell bottoms (those DIY jeans for our hip

Long Nguyen is the co-founder/style director of Flaunt. PARIS--Light, airy, heavenly, and ethereal are usually not words used to describe a fall/winter collection, but they were the precise words to utter about the Givenchy fall 2011 haute couture by Riccardo Tisci. It was presented last night at the spacious Hôtel d’Evreux on Place Vendôme, where two models wore long white sleeveless gowns, with small pieces of lace forming floral patterns. Each of the Givenchy couture presentations since fall 2010 have been a hard lesson in couture techniques, and this collection was no exception. The 10 looks divided into three rooms--Angels, Bird of Paradise and Clouds--were truly remarkable.

Long Nguyen is the co-founder/style director of Flaunt. PARIS--Yesterday, prior to the anticipated Dior show, far from the madding crowd of fashion frenzy, Bouchra Jarrar presented her fourth collection with a show at the reception hallways of the sumptuous Théatre de l’Europe. Built in 1779, it's now one of France’s six national theaters. Her collection--17 looks mostly in light grey, deep blue, and black--featured jackets with sharp v-neck lapels, crisp tropical wool pants, a navy wool v-neck blazer with side closure, a strapless dress fitted to the body, and a hand knit zippered vest made of blue and grey interwoven yarns--distilled the essence of couture: Perfectly made clothes without the needs for a single ball gown.

We spotted prairie girl-inspired looks--think Peter Pan collars, voluminous maxi dresses, and Americana plaid prints--on the fall 2011 runways of Steven Alan, Y-3, Rodarte, Marc Jacobs, and Chris Benz. Though fashion folk have been stocking up on these styles, it's undeniable that the trend is pretty man-repelling. Recently, an outfit comprised of a sweater layered over a black maxi-skirt prompted one of our friends to dub us "Amish." Luckily, for those of us hoping to give the look an edge and some sex appeal, former Project Runway runner-up Daniel Vosovic imagined what would happen if the prairie girl moved to New York City. The result is his fall collection. We recently got an up close and personal look.

Banana Republic showed their fall collection yesterday on the second floor of the Bowery hotel, set to a live, soulful soundtrack by A Fine Frenzy. For fall, Banana Republic is falling instep with the '70s trend in a major way--looks were described as "Dunaway-esque" on the line sheet. Creative director Simon Kneen sent out menswear-inspired pants and drape front pencil skirts in browns and camels paired with knits in mustard, tomato and plum over silk blouses. There were flashes of winter white too, as well as animal prints here and there on lady like gloves and swing coats. The collection felt luxe, cozy, and inviting despite the steamy temps inside the venue. Also The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi and Samantha Bee were inexplicably there. New campaign stars maybe? That would be awesome. Check out the fall collection.

For fall Madewell wants its young ladies to take a tip from roughhousing English schoolboys and wear suspenders with slouchy printed pants or well worn denim paired with checked work shirts layered (in that perfectly disheveled Madewell way), under chunky cardigans. But she's not all tomboy. There are lust-worthy printed maxi skirts to be belted and worn with ankle boots with bright red laces. As always, there was a lot to lust after--from the soft slouchy striped sweatshirt tops to the camera bags to bold geometric jewelry to sturdy outerwear that included a blanket/poncho hybrid I wanted to crawl into right then and there. Unfortunately it didn't seem appropriate in the meticulously assembled old-time-y school room office hybrid Madewell had assembled for their fall presentation.

SAN DIEGO--Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing recently stopped by the department store's Fashion Valley location in San Diego to give a small crowd of loyal customers a tutorial on spring trends. (Hint: coral is the color of the season.) But between summery looks from Dries Van Noten, Chanel, Gucci and more, he chatted with us about Tom Ford’s "spectacular" womenswear collection, sticking with Dior and why he may chase you down and steal your shoes.

Our favorite collections of Fall 2011, arranged in alphabetical order. Did your pick make the cut?

moreApparently a memo about snakeskin boots is being sent around the fashion community, with varieties of the style appearing at Prada, Dries Van Note

The Fall 2011 shows are 75% over, and we're pretty comfortable calling braids a world-wide trend. Can we blame/credit Alex Wang's S/S 2010 collection for the current plaitmania? Hard to say, but you couldn't go more than 50 feet without seeing a braided model. They were loose and boho at Rag and Bone and Erdem (and Mara Hoffman topped hers with turbans). Rachel Roy and Erin Fetherston were channeling the St.Pauli Girl (or yodelers). Alexandre Herchcovitch and Nanette Lepore got complicated with their braided updos, and Etro flirted with cornrows.

There are a lot of over-the-top head pieces in this world, most of them living on the head of Anna Dello Russo, but hats that looks like cats are certainly a new breed of toppers. Would you rather sport Anna Sui's realistic looking cat hat or PPQ's stylized version?

In its eighth edition, the YSL Manifesto is one of my favorite parts of Fashion Month. And this image, a collage of backstage stills from last season's show, inspires me, even after a month of catwalks.

more Ferragamo, Topshop and Marc Jacobs are all seeing spots for fall. We like to call it Cruella-chic.

Marc Jacobs' collection was lauded for it's commitment to the faux. Say, don't those skirts look like Marni's spring 2009 collection? Who's discs are

Monique Lhuillier opened her fall show with something strange: leopard print. But Hollywood starlets who turn to Lhullier for her pretty and purposefully not--sexy looks need not fear this new beast. When Monique Lhuillier does animal print, it's Dolce & Gabbana Lite: watered down, diluted spots, tamed in a way that renders the print elegant, tranquil, calm- never cougar. Lhuillier is a lady, after all; or at least, her customer is, and one who needs a whole lotta graceful evening wear at that. For fall, the designer delivered accordingly, in lace, chiffon, and heaps of black that colored a departure from the indigos, plums, and fuschias she showed for pre-fall.

You meet a guy, and he’s everything you expected from a Southern gentleman.  He’s handsome and polite, has a strong gait, watches Alabama football, drinks bourbon.  And then you meet the woman with him.  She’s mired in warmth, sophistication and charm.  And you sigh as you realize she’s his woman, from her chiffon gown to her motorcycle jacket. This was the couple we encountered over and over at Billy Reid’s F/W 2011 presentation at the penthouse of Milk Studios. Deeply Southern, steeped in tradition and comfort, tied to American craftsmanship with every look, cut and stitch.

Rachel Roy held her fall presentation this morning at the Library for the Performing Arts, and was clearly in the mood for some eclectic layering. The models, sporting Heidi-style braids interwoven with printed fabric scraps (a fabulous DIY beauty idea if ever we saw one), wore a number of wallpaper-floral pieces, among them silk carrot pants and chiffon frocks. We liked that Roy seemed to have drawn on several multi-cultural ways of dressing; one striped lamé dress mimicked the cut of a Japanese kimono, while several pieces in a red-and-purple "Peruvian tweed" were definite standouts. Meanwhile, a head-to-toe navy look featuring a belted, bugle-beaded tunic topped with a slouchy knit coat hit the perfect note of relaxed refinement. For fans of Roy's famous trenches, fall's capsule line of coats were thoroughly denim-centric. In addition to the blue-jean takes on the classic topper, several of the trenches were cut from lace, satin, or jersey but dyed a deep shade of indigo.

Arriving midway through a presentation is the best way to understand exactly the impact a collection has. Yesterday, when I arrived at Chris Benz at 5p.m. on the dot, the David Rubenstein Atrium was so crowded I couldn't move without accidentally bumping another Benz-lover. But I'm not complaining; all the hubbub inside means that Benz's collection may be now more popular than ever. After his ode to Paris last season, Benz returned to America for AW11, citing his days in Savannah, GA as his inspiration for fall. The mix between art school kids (Benz mentors at SCAD) and ladies who lunch was perfectly struck, with mixed plaid ensembles that could walk from Williamsburg to Barney's without feeling out of place.

Clad in elbow-length suede gloves, pearls, draped dresses in icy tones, and delicate scarves resting atop up-dos, the all-star model lineup of Donna Karan's fall show had unmistakable airs of Grace Kelly about them as they floated through the Chelsea space.

Michael Bastian has said that the inspiration for his F/W 2011 line for Gant was a cross-country ski gang, which is both hilarious and apt. Last season was preppy, naughty lacrosse boys (naughty, but not like Duke Lacrosse naughty)—so how perfect to look at cross country skiers for winter? The collection is a ribald, playful take on winter-wear, cords tucked into unlaced boots, rakish pullovers, cool flannels, puffy coats and thick woolen sweaters abounding. As for these last items, when discussing the heritage trends, Bastian had told me at the GQ/CFDA Best New Menswear Designer awards (for which he was nominated), “How many snowflake sweaters does a guy need to have?” I guess the answer is, Just a few more. But that’s fine, and fitting with a collection that is as warm and snugly as it is hip and sexy.

Citing a trip out west as inspiration, designers Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs created a collection worthy of a fierce Native American chieftess. Feathers extending from slick buns acted as accessory to sexy form fitting black dresses with cutouts and elastic cording, as well as flaired trousers paired with leather tops.

For his fall collection, Thakoon Panichgul juxtaposed the luxury and opulence of the fashions of Versailles and the vibrancy and prints from the tribes of Africa. And what better local to show the collection than New York's own palace, the Plaza Hotel? From the gate, Panichgul's royal blue and orange plaid puffer jackets, asymmetrical dress, and peplum skirt brought life to the ornate ballroom. There were red velvet booties fit for Louis XIV, and trains and ruffles that we could picture a modern Marie Antoinette in. The designer's tribal influence was imagined in long printed vests, red and black striped cropped pants, and colorful chokers.

Whether it's because of his short-but-storied past or undeniable talent, Olivier Theyskens has brought a new excitement to New York fashion. Maybe it's simply because he's creating signature looks on a mid-level marketing exec's budget. His latest capsule collection for Theory, where he is the brand's new creative head, was both wearable and directional, without losing site of his new vision for the label.