Fall 2011 New York

Ever since Givenchy's Fall 2011 show, I've been after the perfect leather pencil skirt to wear with oversize sweaters and neat sweatshirts. Luckily, Patrick Robinson and his team at Gap have offered up a more accessible version, along with several other desirable pieces for the specialty retailer's Fall 2011 collection. In addition to the leather pencil, I'll also take the leather dress, the long flowing skirt, the grey marled sweaters, and those bone-colored mary janes, which I very much hope are part of next season's Pierre Hardy collection. Which looks are your favorites? Click through to view the gallery.

New York Fashion Week is not just home to American or New York-based designers. A slew of out of towners flock to the Big Apple to show their creations each September and February, and we found out why from six of this season's participants. You know what they say--if you can make it here...

Full disclosure: we have a soft spot for California girl Jenni Kayne and her consistently beautiful takes on rich minimalism. Upon arriving at Industria to check out this season’s goods, the show notes told us to expect outdoorsy layers and textural extras “straight from a glamorous grandma with love.” Unfortunately, our grannies were never quite this chic—the pointy-toed d’Orsay flats and neat fur caps paired with many of the looks made comfy simplicity look totally luxe. As for the clothes themselves, they were the sort of thing a city girl might wear if she took to a cabin in the country for a weekend getaway—but still had fashionable friends to impress. Lumberjack looks, these were certainly not! Think chunky cable-knit sweaters paired with slinky, silky maxiskirts, or a tailored coat with a blue fur collar that would be perfect to shrug on to beat the forest chill. A few hits of bright cerulean in the form of a long-sleeved dress and billowy pants provided a welcome color contrast, while a sheer lace shell and a teensy golden skirt dripping in sequins gave the party girls in attendance something to lust after too. Kayne showed once again that she’s honed in on her design strengths—long, lean silhouettes, largely neutral palettes punctuated by pops of bold color, and ageless separates—and is comfortable delivering these sorts of wearable pieces each season. And whether you’re an East or West Coaster, or prefer city over country, that’s a style M.O. we definitely admire.

Perhaps it was telling that we were blasting The Cranberries’ “Zombie” on our way to Nicholas K’s 9 a.m. show this morning. True to their trademark downtown-meets-military aesthetic, brother/sister duo Nicole and Christopher Kunz sent out a collection that My So-Called Life’s Angela Chase would flip for. A mix of goat hair-trimmed leather toppers, cocoon-like parkas (a Nicholas K signature piece), and plenty of velvet separates in autumnal evergreens and burgundies--the looks seemed straight out the 90s grunge-glam movement. And since those endless layers of leather and wool can swallow a person whole, the designers cinched the silhouettes with plaid button-ups tied offhandedly around the models’ waists. We especially love the skirts (cut in both flannel and leather) that riffed off the same vibe with their built-in “belts” fashioned from actual sleeves. Each look was shown with either combat boots or creepers (the indisputable shoe of the moment). Unfortunately, comfy and cool as they might be, stacked-sole flats aren’t always the best for strutting—one model took not one, but two tumbles in her chunky lace-ups.

The Heart Truth’s Red Dress show is not really a fashion show. It’s more of a spectacle of sequins, satin, and celebrities. And that is exactly what’s so fabulous about it. The Heart Truth is a campaign sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, with the “Red Dress” as the symbol at the center of the campaign reminding women to protect their heart health. So to that end, they send a bunch of celebs (and “celebs”) down the runway to an unabashedly girly, happy soundtrack. Unlike regular runway shows where you are supposed to look very serious while contemplating the clothes, here you’re encouraged to hoot, holler, clap, and sing. I love this show. First stop was backstage pre-show, which was a complete clusterfu*k. I was hoping to get close to Dita Von Teese (one of my girl crushes) to grill her about her amazing skin and that red lipstick, but she was nowhere in sight. Denise Richards, Gayle King, Audrina Partridge, and Giuliana Rancic were all roaming around. Big waves and big eyelashes seemed to be the unifying beauty theme.

Kira Plastinina--the Russian teen designer, best known for epic failure in the US market--is showing at New York Fashion Week on February 17. The brand filed for Chapter 11 in January of 2009 with $54 million in debts owed to more than 100 creditors. Somehow, they were able to relaunch last November, under the moniker Lublu. She's even got a store in Los Angeles. (A little background--Kira's dad is a Russian dairy tycoon worth over $600 million. He is clearly her major backer.) Click through to browse some looks from Kira's spring collection. Why we're so fascinated with her, we're not quite sure, but we do know that we'll be at the presentation.