Fashion Week Coverage

Every fashion week the biggest highlight for me is entering the world of a designer whose aesthetic is so composed, his collections always so utterly beautiful I have a hard time leaving at the end of the show. I am speaking of Oscar de la Renta, a man that is a permanent fixture of both the fashion world and the American design world.

Icy blues and pale pinks glided down the runway for Oscar de la Renta Fall 2012, some with so much volume that the gowns took over the entire width of the runway. We were taken into a fairy-tale world where Cinderella met the embellishment Queen. Simple yet gorgeous headbands adorned with crystals held back full, wispy hair, and ladylike shoes pranced down the runway. The fishnet stockings were an unexpected addition but they worked so beautifully against the femininity of the clothing.

Most important to note is that the bags from Oscar de la Renta are taking a major stride forward, with a much more contemporary-cool feel. Structured clutches offset with fur and stone accents added a modern touch to the collection. Oscar never lets us down and the success of the collection could well be seen from the applause and smiles across everyone’s faces, including Anna Wintour’s, during the show’s finale.

Images via Vogue.com

Unfortunate Lana Del Rey bag aside, Mulberry sent what seemed like dozens of fun, mostly awesome handbags down its runway for Mulberry Fall 2012 over the weekend in London. Not everything worked perfectly (I’m looking at you, trompe l’oeil flaps and buckles), but there were so many options available that it seems as though everyone should be able to find a covetable piece within this collection.

My vote goes to the bright orange (Pantone was right!) calf hair Alexa, but perhaps you’re more in the mood for a Mulberry buckle turned slyly into a turtle? A smart boucle shoulder bag? A leather satchel with a fur gusset? Enamel studding of both the tonal and non-tonal variety? Whatever you want, Mulberry has it, and most of it is pretty damn lust-worthy. When a collection features this many different ideas, that’s saying something.

Images via Vogue.com

If you only look at one set of detail shots from New York Fashion Week, make it Proenza Schouler’s. Not even for the bags, necessarily; most of these pieces will come to retail in a very limited way, with the well-known PS1s and PS11s dominating the Proenza handbag landscape. No, look at these photos for the closeup of what’s around them – the cuff details, the immaculate and inventive weaving, the tiny touches added that make a garment so special – and you’ll see why so many people lose their breath praising the brand.

The story of Proenza Schouler’s brilliance has always been in the closeup for me, and these clear, crisp shots from Vogue explain why. These are garments unlike ones that you’ll find at a mid-range chain in a few months because Proenza does things that are genuinely difficult to produce and expensive to design, even in the capacity of a Zara knockoff. The bags are fun too, don’t get me wrong, but they don’t tell the entire story.

True to her brand’s aesthetic and identity, Rebecca Minkoff made sure every attendee of her fashion show not only had the opportunity to see her Fall 2012 collection but also made sure they got to rock out while the show took place. The talented and highly energetic Theophilus London performed while models strutted down the runway wearing Rebecca’s upcoming looks. The entire show had more of a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show feel than a demure and stuffy catwalk feel, which was greatly appreciated.

As for the clothing, we saw glimpses of multicolored sequins and lots of dip-dying. The Rebecca Minkoff girl is contemporary, cool, and knows precisely what she wants. Her personal style matches her easy-going but super cool lifestyle, and this is precisely the Rebecca Minkoff I have come to know and love. In fact, I would be thrilled to wear every piece of this collection and I most certainly plan to.

Most importantly, let me get to the bags. The handbags did not stray from Rebecca Minkoff’s usual offerings, instead we saw updated versions of the coveted Morning After Bag among others. Of course, there will be plenty of new bags but these we will see upon closer inspection once we visit the showroom.

It’s become a seasonal tradition; immediately following the livestream of the Proenza Schouler show, the brand puts a couple of bags from the collection on its website for immediately pre-order. Sometimes they’re runway bags and sometimes they’re not, but for Proenza Schouler Fall 2012, they’re versions of the most eye-catching accessories from the show. And they’re furry.

The Proenza Schouler Akira Satchel and Proenza Schouler Large Chieko Clutch are both leather-backed bags covered in natural deer hides, the use of which represents something of a first for Proenza. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can’t recall the brand making fur accessories in the past. As is delightfully typical, though, Jack and Lazaro have chosen to take the fur trend in a different direction than all of the designers who use fox, rabbit or Mongolian lamb. Check out the clutch after the jump, or pre-order them via Proenza Schouler for $4595 and $1215, respectively.

Images via Vogue.com

Marc by Marc Jacobs’ runway bags tend not to reveal a great deal about what the entire accessories line will look like when it comes out. For his diffusion line, Jacobs generally only reveals one or two shapes or ideas in the hands of his models; as you all well know by now, the eventual retail line will contain dozens of shapes, sizes and colors in a litany of different sub-lines. Some will be familiar, others will be entirely new, but at least a few of them will throw me into a tizzy, all at a price point that stays under $600.

Most of those bags don’t find their way onto the runway, and Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall 2012 marks yet another season in which we’ll have to wait to see the best of Marc’s handbags. What was showed on the runway was fine, but not inspiring; the geometric shape is one that’s easily locatable from inexpensive brands, and the iteration covered in bulbous studding seemed a bit late on the trend. The hobos with front pockets and tonal contrasting materials were the easy bright spot.

Images via Vogue.com

In a season where several major American accessories designers have opted to go with straight-up whimsy and humor, 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2012 took a much more intellectual approach. Building on the widespread critical success of his 31 Hour, Minute and Second bags from Spring 2012, fall’s runway collection marked a continued exploration of handbag structure and the ways that modern women interact with their accessories. Most of the larger clutches revealed small cosmetic bags inside, and the portfolio bags sported smaller exterior attached pouches.

The runway didn’t yield many must-haves, but for a designer like Lim, it usually doesn’t. The accessories magic comes when these ideas are then married with the commercial wisdom that creates great handbags, and I have every faith in him that in a few months, we’ll see just that. After all, that’s how the 3.1 Phillip Lim 31 Hour Bag came about, and everyone’s in love with it. Check out the rest of the bags from the show after the jump.

This morning Vlad and I attended the Ralph Lauren Fall 2012 Accessories preview at their Upper East Side boutique. Sometimes I forget the beauty that Ralph Lauren has to offer, but being there in person today reinvigorated me and reminded me precisely what it is this iconic brand is all about.

Very magical and elegant, Ralph Lauren’s upcoming fall collection is filled with exotic skins, furs and ladylike shapes. Extremely polished, the Ralph Lauren wearer is the well put-together woman who is confident and allows her accessories to make the outfit. Simply put, she is my kind of woman.