Fall 2012 New York

There are only a few people in this world who are so iconic, all you need to say is their first name, and everyone knows who you're talking about. Whitney. Madonna. Jesus. Iman. Last night, the legendary supermodel fêted the launch of her new fashion and lifestyle website, Destination IMAN (yes, that's IMAN in all caps) along with a host of fashion notables.

After 300-plus shows, it's no wonder we're still reeling. But while the calendar may have been jam-packed, there are only a few collections that really make headlines--which is why we've compiled the ultimate crib sheet of the season's most important shows and what all the major critics had to say about them. We've poured through every review (we mean that literally) for qualifying adjectives and other bon mots from The New York Times' Cathy Horyn, Eric Wilson, and the International Herald Tribune's Suzy Menkes; Style.com's Nicole Phelps and Meenal Mistry; Vogue.com's Sarah Mower, Hamish Bowles, and Mark Holgate; Samantha Critchell for the Associated Press; Lynn Yaeger for New York, and a host of other friends and bloggers. The result is a comprehensive guide to the season's most well-reviewed shows--from Jason Wu to Marc Jacobs. Which designers came out on top? Flash back with us now. You don't have to take our word for it.

Two-Face was a great Batman villain because he was torn between the best and worst of humanity. He was a true monster, a being caught between things.

New York Fashion Week, everyone is tired and no one is sure what day it actually is. That said, today proved to be an awesome one for us. We saw Yoko Ono, Lil' Kim, Nicki Minaj, Ricky Martin, Tyson Beckford (yum), and all in one day. Oh yeah, and some truly inspiring clothes from Proenza Schouler and Marchesa, among others. Check out all our pictures in today's gallery!

After six days of fashion week, we are still going strong. (A lot of Valentine's Day chocolate is definitely helping carry us along.) Today we took in shows from Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Diesel Black Gold, and saw quite a few girls in leopard coats - on and off the runway. Check our our pictures from today to see New York Fashion Week from our perspective.

On day five of fashion week, just about everyone has traded in their heels and dresses for sensible boots and jeans. It was then, of course, that Chris Benz presented a collection founded on the wonders of dressing up. And, might I add, I've never felt so underdressed in my life as I did standing in front of the glittery gold curtain and impeccably-dressed models at Benz's presentation. "I feel like people really understand how to be casual and chic, but there’s something to be said for dressing up for a cocktail party or a holiday party," said Benz, "We looked at a lof of old footage of Judy Garland and Dolly Parton, and figured out how we could channel that kind of spirit into the modern wardrobe."

We’ve always thought of the 1940s as being a rather destitute time in American history thanks to the second World War, but not in Jenny Packham’s dreamy world—she prefers to remember that era as the heyday of the vampy femme fatale, which is why it makes perfect sense that Forties-fanatic Dita Von Teese was front and center at yesterday’s catwalk show (dressed in a chic fall 2012 Packham cocktail dress to boot). And after previewing her fall 2012 offering (you can watch it too, here), it’s no wonder that today’s screen sirens (like Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Beckinsale) and fashion’s favorite royal (the Duchess of Cambridge) often call on Packham to dress them in her stunning creations for their official red carpet appearances.

The Karen Walker collection is founded on three staples: obscure prints, comfortable (but stylish) pieces, and tons of navy. But the pleasure of Karen Walker is that even though she has developed such strong staples, she finds little ways to add surprise into each collection. Did fall 2012 have navy, prints, and look unbelievably comfortable? Yes, but there were so many new moments for Karen Walker too.

A huddled mass including famous names like Brad Goreski, Angela Simmons, and Coco Rocha herded into Alice Tully Hall on Monday to view the Rachel Roy

We've made it to day four of New York Fashion Week without any bruises, ticket crises, or flu symptoms, if you can believe it. Today we saw some of our favorite people, like Susie Lau, Lindsey Wixson, and Jenny Kang, and some of our favorite shows like Thakoon, Zac Posen and Victoria Beckham. Forget brunch, our Sunday was full of NYFW.

You can always count on there being a few heartwarming surprises at a Rachel Antonoff presentation--on top of a collection of sweetly wearable clothes, of course. And, needless to say, yesterday's presentation did not disappoint. Let's start with the clothes and then get to Mr. Wendy (the cat supermodel) and the amazing performance by Alia Shawkat. (Yes, I asked her about Arrested Development.) For fall Antonoff diversified her line, with a larger variety of pieces, from two-toned pants to embroidered dresses to a red miniskirt with a change purse sewn in as a pocket. There was a dynamic range of color and print, with easy separates for day, and elegant dress options for night. The starting point for such a mature collection, was actually an activity Rachel did with her mom as a child.

Today the Fashionista team was busy running all over Manhattan to catch shows from Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, Altuzarra, Band of Outsders, Rachel Antonoff, Wes Gordon, and so many more! In between taxis, subways, and the occasional pedi-cab, we managed to take a few snaps of NYFW through our eyes. Click through the gallery to see everything from Gisele backstage at Alexander Wang (yes, this happened and we almost died) to a real cat posing with models at Rachel Antonoff!

The room was already buzzing when we arrived at the NAHM presentation. Piano music swelled in the background as we navigated past press, bloggers, and assorted fashion folk to get a good look at the fall collection. You could hear people gushing in conversation: “It's gorgeous,” “so wearable,” “I need those shoes exactly right now.” It’s hard to believe that it was only a year ago that Alexandra Hilfiger (yes, that Hilfiger) and Nary Manivong showed their debut collection, consisting mostly of shirtdresses highlighted with feminine detailing. But oh, how the brand has grown in that time.

Yigal Azrouël's fall collection is going to make you look long and lean, guaranteed. (Though that probably isn't a big concern of Camila Alves, who was sitting front row sans Matthew McConaughy; she's sort of built that way naturally.) The runway, which was set up at the Highline Stages, was a bit of a minefield for the models. A cobblestone walk, plus lots of protruding sewers, plus high shoes means that there are going to be a few stumbles. And there were, but luckily no models went down. When I wasn't holding my breath for the models and actually paid attention to what they were wearing, this is what I saw:

After three seasons of showing in the official Fashion Week tents, Cynthia Rowley went rogue and held her Fall/Winter 2012 show at the Frank Gehry-designed IAC Building (a.k.a. Diane Von Furstenberg’s husband Barry Diller’s offices or that funky white structure, on the West Side Highway, that looks like an odd snow formation.) But once the show started (roughly 30 minutes late—early by fashion standards), it was pretty evident why the venue choice was kind of genius. The New York-based fashion designer is an art aficionado in her spare time and for this showing, she displayed a pretty impressive black and white mosaic of flat screen live-action video from the catwalk as a backdrop to the actual runway show--a perfect match to the building's super sleek and modern facade. The lovely and youthful Rowley can always be depended on for her playful, art-inspired designs and the same can be said for her line-sheets. This time, she listed “mechanics, cobblers, & leathermen”, “women artists making big, strong work” and “Rachel Feinstein’s carriages” as inspirations, plus “Youtube breaks” and “Portlandia clips” as recess activities.

It's the first day of New York Fashion Week! We're optimistic, wide-eyed, and really looking forward to the rest of the week, even though we know by Monday we'll be grumpy and our feet will hurt. Today, though, was a great kick-off to the AW12 season. With shows from Richard Chai to Creatures of the Wind, today was a day for great fashion, and we rubbed elbows with our favorite fashion friends like Leandra Medine and Giovanna Randall. Take a look at NYFW from our perspective. We'll be sharing our photos with you all week!

Lauren Moffatt's fall collection was right up our alley--almost literally, as it took place across the street from our former office (and only 3 blocks from our current one) on Mott St. at The Old School. We couldn't imagine a more relaxed, unpretentious, and adorable start to to fashion week. From the perfect venue to the staging of the presentation to the clothes themselves, everything was an example of Moffatt's unrelenting attention to detail. Moffatt, who is as lovely as her clothes, told us she has always loved the simultaneously buttoned up and undone look of school girls and the venue lent itself really well to the concept.