Miss Sixty Spring 2009: Contemporary Urban Glam

Photos courtesy of nymag.com

Layered looks and contrasting prints in luxe silk, soft jersey and light nylon create the Miss Sixty superheroine, glamorous, sophisticated and edgy for Spring 2009. There is a multitude of stripes and plaids and psychedelic and butterfly prints, with a vibrant palette including yellow, lime, brown, navy and pink, as well as nude, black, ivory and champagne.

“There is a lot of pop-art, 60s, 80s and rock & roll. There is a lot of influence of Warhol, Pollock, Lichtenstein and also very bright color”, explains designer Wichy Hassan.

Accessories are a must with each look, from elastic belts and patent leather clutches to striped knee-highs and bangles. Shoes include platform sandals with stacked heels and leather peeptoe booties, sandals or pumps.

The collection includes harem pants, jumpsuits, strapless rompers and jumpers, dresses with bubble hems and trousers with drawstring hems.

Rosa Cha Spring 2009 – Rich Luxury with Swarovski Detailing

Photos courtesy of nymag.com

Rosa Cha sizzles with sexy, luxurious swimwear for Spring/Summer 2009, with Swarovski crystal mesh details on the v-neck bikini tops, one piece suits and mini dresses. There was also sphere and metal embroidery to the neckline. For a more simplified look, there were bikinis and one piece swimsuits with leather belts. Swimsuits styles included one shoulder, strapless, deep v neck and corselet.

The color palette includes optical white, off white, orange, leaden brown, green, some green prints and striped “preces” print.

Key looks included an orange one piece with leather belt, orange/optical white strapless one piece with interlaced straps, bikini with spheres embroidered to the neckline, long kaftan “preces” print with stripes, off white lace deep v neck with Swarovski crystal mesh detailing and deep v neck with Swarovski crystal mesh with all lace slip.

Lacoste Spring 2009: Summer Fun in the South of France

Photos courtesy of style.com

Reminiscent of childhood vacations, Christophe Lemaire explains that Lacoste’s Spring 2009 collection is about “the South of France or Italy on the Mediterranean coast with pine trees swaying in the cool breezes, crickets chirping and effortlessly chic couples lounging lazily by pools planted in groves of olive trees.” Sporty yet elegant, the palette is set in soft grey and khaki hues, dusty pinks and off whites in cotton chiffon and linen fabrications. Looks included long shirtdresses and piqué swimsuits for the beach, and braided leather belts, Greek-goddess like sandals and high heel T-bar slip-ons.

The second theme of the show is the “Sunset Group,” which includes hooded terry cloth bodysuits, strapless terry cloth jumpers and striped polo dresses in sorbet tones of peach, melon, and orange. Men’s looks included light dip-dyed sweaters and striped polos. Lemaire’s favorite men’s piece is the elastic waistband trousers. \

The last theme of the collection centers on the debut of Lacoste younger, less expensive yet fashion-conscious line. These pieces have a 60s look, trendy, fun and fitted. It is a mixture of mod and street golfwear in black and white, green and magenta. For guys there are updated polos with a smaller collar and a heavy piqué jacket. Girls’ looks include graphic black and white checker print mini dresses and checkered blousons that fold up into a bag for on-the-go ease.

BCBG Max Azria Spring/Summer 2009: All In the Draping

Photos courtesy of style.com

A play on proportions and a focus on draping, gathering and flowing fabric exemplify the classic, modern BCBG Max Azria style. The Spring 2009 season is centered on the fabric itself, manipulating the fabrics to accentuate and flatter all body types. Black/grey belts draw attention to the silhouette on jumpsuits, shirt dresses and gowns while knit tanks and slips are worn underneath for a layered look. Grey leather platform sandals are worn with the majority of the looks.

The color palette is tonal with flashes of color. Tonal colors include dove grey, light wineberry, light mauve, pearl blue, taupe, dusty rose, gravel, heather grey. The stand-out colors include orange, fuschia, dark teal, marine blue and dark purple. There are also a few looks in basic black or white, including a white jersey front drape dress and a black glossy featherweight vest worn over a black micro-sheen jersey dress.

Key looks include a taupe/fuschia sateen color blocked dress with charcoal knit slip, dark heather grey jersey dress, marine blue shirt dress and dark teal micro-sheen sateen dress.

Twinkle Spring 2009: Classic Tailored Pieces and Sophisticated Prints

Photos courtesy of nymag.com

Twinkle brings us femininity with classic, tailored pieces and sophisticated prints inspired by iconic actress Jean Seberg.

The color palette is centered on black, white, cream and grey, while mixing in sapphire blue, pale pink, mint green and lemon yellow to create Twinkle’s Spring 2009 prints – Honeydrop, Secret Garden, Etoile, Dreamer’s Journal, English Rose and black and white Peekaboo.

Silk hand knits, viscose cotton, silk stretch georgette and cotton cashmere were used in creating knitted jackets and dresses, print blouses, skirts and dresses, camisoles, and high waisted pants. Solid and print bangles also accessorize the looks.

Gen Art’s 14th Annual Fresh Faces in Fashion

Photos courtesy of wireimage.com

This year Shannen Doherty hosted Gen Art’s 14th Annual “Fresh Faces in Fashion” Show at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom on September 4. 2008. Six womenswear and two menswear designers showcased their Spring 2009 collections on the runway, and four accessories designers exhibited their installations.

In collaboration with Gen Art, select designs from JF & Son’s spring collection were immediately available for purchase on YOOX.COM a few hours after the show. YOOX.COM even shows streamlined video clips of the available looks. JF & Son designers Jesse Finkelstein and Kathryn King combine modern design elements with traditional fabric techniques, as they incorporate embroidery, beading and paint into their collection. Looks available at YOOX.COM include a short sleeve blouse with wide crew neck and crêpe knee length skirt with gold sequins, a silk crêpe sleeveless shortdress and a long sleeve shirt in sheer chiffon paired with two-layered organza and crêpe palazzo pants.

Ideeen designers Junko Hirata and Atsuko Yanase showcase a mix of plaid and flowery prints, transparent layers and knitting techniques with colors including black, white, yellow and grey.

Sariah’s focus is on custom prints and beautifully draped dresses. Sariah Carson’s prints are uniquely hand painted on high quality silks and vividly portray a work of art with bold colors including blue, yellow, red, purple, emerald green and turquoise.

Sister-duo Natalia and Julia Alarcon combine their personalities and Spanish heritage in creating Lialia, striving for modern, classic elegance. Lialia’s Spring ’09 collection “La Dolce Vita” is inspired by summers spent on the Mediterranean coast and Italian nightlife and cinema. The collection includes bold red/white floral prints and a yellow sapphire bow front gown.

Richard Ruiz showcases Japanese influence with fluid, comfortable dresses and separates in silky fabrics. Looks include playful prints with purple or yellow, and a long white dress with a grassy garden print at the bottom.

Crhee designer Christina Rhee’s inspiration stems from the movie Gattaca and musician Prince. Rhee uses natural, breathable fabrics of cotton and silk, making her pieces wearable while adding a modern twist. Her favorite look in the collection is a black shirt dress with opaque panels. The collection includes several classic separates and dresses in black, white and silver.

Menswear designers Hyden Yoo and Philip Sparks both showcased edgy, modern looks that could be pictured on the male characters on Gossip Girl. Yoo’s preppy fashion-forward looks include a cardigan with elbow patches paired with shorts, plaid jacket and a navy suit with a khaki vest and salmon-colored scarf. Colors include natural tones - khaki, white and light grey, mixed with navy and black pieces. Sparks’ spring collection is inspired by ‘the preps, the jocks, the slackers and the greasers of 50s youth.’ Linen/cotton suit details include double pockets and covered buttons while casual, athletic pieces have cargo pockets. Sparks’ looks include a grey leather jacket, a plaid cotton Havana shirt paired with white cotton knit gym shorts (sported by Ronnie from Make Me A Supermodel), grey cotton twill blazer with black India tape trim and a bright yellow v-neck sweater with grey pants.
Antoinette Lee designs edgy, sophisticated leather handbags inspired by her everyday life in New York City. Her spring collection centers on a neutral/muted palette, and is also showcasing higher-end lux styles.

Eugenie Huang’s concepts stem from her observations in biology, vectors, mechanisms, music and training in architecture when designing her jewelry line Deka Ray.

Heutchy men’s shoe designer Wells Stellberger creates Italian leather shoes that are classic, contemporary and simplistic.

TNC Studio collection designer Tanya Cicanovic creates leather accessories consisting of bags, gloves, belts and hats as well as jewelry that combines Swarovski and vintage hand set crystals. Her inspiration is mythological-inspired.