LFW: Dark Florals at Christopher Kane, Erdem and Jonathan Saunders

Three designers I am always excited to see collections from are Christopher Kane, Erdem and Jonathan Saunders.  What I normally love from Erdem are their bright cheerful florals, but this season he took his signature look to a darker place and played with lots of deep blues and yellows.  Christopher Kane also followed suit putting out a collection that was rich in texture, hard in form but still girly with florals.  Jonathan Saunders also embraced the fall color palette and kept his collection feminine by also embracing the trend that just keeps coming back for more, florals.

Christopher Kane

LFW: Street Style (part one)

London Fashion Week has come and gone, and although I get a lot of inspiration from the runways, a lot of my inspiration comes from the real women who have their own personal style.  Street style photography is always one of my favorite parts of fashion month, so I compiled some of my favorite images of people who, whether it's bold and zany or prim and proper, have a very unique style.  Enjoy!

NYFW: A breakdown of the best shoes from Fashion Week

Here's some of my favorite shoes from New York Fashion Week.  Derek Lam's gold Oxfords, Oscar de la Renta's Cinderella shoes, Preen's butterfly shoes and Rag & Bone's awesome clunky boots are just some of the high points from the runway.  What are your favorites?!

Derek Lam

Red Carpet Style: Best Dressed and Runner-ups at the Oscars 2012

So, I don't know about you all, but last night's red carpet at the Oscars left me feeling unsatisfied.  Sure there were some high notes like Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen and Natalie Portman in vintage polka dot Dior, but for the most part, I felt the looks fell flat when there were so many amazing dresses to pick from.  For instance, Penelope Cruz, one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, looked matronly, and Michelle Williams' peplum clashed with the bottom of her dress.  Overall, I wanted more pizazz and style and less frumpy.

Here's my top five picks and then some who I think were almost there.  Let me know if you agree/disagree!

Best Dressed:

1.  Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen

OBSESSED: Cool Girl Chic at Band of Outsiders, Rodarte and Steven Alan Fall 2012

There are so many things going right with these collections that I don't know where to start.  Band of Outsiders was prairie meets New York city street chic.  I would want everything whether it be the dresses that remind me of the Midwest or the bandage-topped black dresses that scream urban sophistication.

Rodarte presented a more refined, more commercialized cool girl look that is probably meant to beef up their sales.  However, the collection was still beautiful and dresses like the hand print layered one reminded me why I loved them to begin with.  Sure, the Mulleavy sisters have now been featured in Vogue decking out Taylor Swift in their collection, and they acted as consultants for the Oscars about what goes in to making a red carpet moment, but I think the fame is hopefully only going to make them stronger designers.   I want to think that they will stay true to their roots and keep designing the amazing looks that have a unique aesthetic no matter how well know they get.

Finally, Steven Alan's collection seemed straight from the closet of some indie urban school girl.  I thought the styling was great, and I would want everything from that collection.  It's wearable, flattering and perfect for the fall season.

Band of Outsiders

Red Carpet Style: 24 dresses I'd like to see at the Oscars

Today is the big day everybody!  I'm super excited to see what the celebrities are going to wear on the red carpet, and I know fashion month is still going on, but I threw in some looks from Fall 2012, Pre-Fall 2012 and the spring couture shows.  Some of my picks are serious wishful thinking, but here's hoping some of them show up.  Women like Sandra Bullock, Emma Stone, Chloe Moretz, Rooney Mara and Michelle Williams will be there, so I have a feeling we will be seeing a star-studded and fashion-forward red carpet.

Let me know if you agree/disagree on my picks!

NYFW: Minimalism from Reed Krakoff and Victoria Beckham

Reed Krakoff and Victoria Beckham went sophisticated chic at NYFW.  The two designers kept it clean and simple and instead of mixing prints and patterns stuck to a clean palette or bold colors.  I love Beckham's collared dresses and Krakoff's white coats and jackets.

Reed Krakoff

NYFW: Thakoon, Derek Lam and Preen

Three collections I really liked from NYFW were Thakoon, Derek Lam and Preen.  Thakoon's lip and heart print was fun and girly, and I liked the mix of the bold print with the clean and simple silhouette.  I also was a huge fan of the boots and the bold red lip the models rocked.

Derek Lam's collection was probably one of my top five of New York, it reminded me of New York City cool girl combined with a little British invasion and Olsen twins at the end (I know, it's a weird description).  The collared dresses were prim and proper, but the hints of edge like the orange collar or the leather skirt made it not just for the average business lady.  Also, I loved the flowy dresses at the end that screamed Olsen twins, and the way he combined knits with a long hemline, plus can we talk about those gold-toed Oxfords?

Finally, Preen wowed at fashion week with its fun butterfly floral print and clean lines.  The collection read a little too spring/summer for me at first, but toward the end it really swerved into on-point looks for fall with the flared out tops at the waist and collars (WHICH ARE EVERYWHERE).  I liked the navy, black and white color palette.   I think they managed to make a collection that has wearable pieces for an entire year, not to mention the shoes were amazing!

Thakoon

NYFW: Dark Night at Kimberly Ovitz and Tess Giberson

The look was dark and moody at Kimberly Ovitz and Tess Giberson this season.  Both collections reminded me of what a chic and slightly more feminine Lisbeth Salander or Rooney Mara would wear.  I love the jackets at Ovitz, and at Giberson the dresses were flowy and sleek.  These looks scream cool city girl, and I love how the designers played with hard and soft edges.

Kimberly Ovitz

NYFW: Backstage & Beauty (part two)

OBSESSED: Charlotte Free for Wildfox

Shot by Mark Hunter The Cobra Snake.

NYFW: Party dresses done right by Alice + Olivia, Erin Fetherston, Red Valentino and Lela Rose

Alice + Olivia

Glamour Girls Part Two: J. Mendel, Marchesa, Oscar de la Renta and Sophie Theallet

There's so many positive things I could say about these collections.  J. Mendel's plunging necklines are to die for, the purple dress better have a red carpet moment, and the silver dress Lindsey Wixson is wearing is gorgeous and sleek.  Marchesa did what Marchesa does best.  The collection was full of red carpet looks, and I have to say, although the dress looks a little iffy in photos, the gold top and the full voluminous bronze skirt is probably my favorite and possibly a lot prettier in person.

De la renta's longer blue dress is awesome, and I feel like it's different than the sophisticated ballgowns he typically sends down the runway.  And finally, Sophie Theallet's patterns are so bold and bright, but it's the nude polka dot dress that I am obsessed with.  From other photos, I believe it has a red back, which makes it that much more fun.

J. Mendel

NYFW: Urban Sportswear from Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone and Alexander Wang

Three of my favorite collections from NYFW were Alexander Wang, Rag & Bone and Proenza Schouler.  The longer I waited to review them, the more these collections grew on me.  Wang's looks were hard and edgy, and the collection featured the huge trend of gloves and the boxy jacket style.  Rag & Bone mixed patterns and layered like the best of them.  I love the navy and the dark red jackets, and the shoes were to die for.  Finally, Proenza Schouler's boxy jackets and leather details were stunning, and I have a feeling the metallic bird jackets are going to be the IT item on the streets of spring 2013.

Alexander Wang

NYFW: Backstage & Beauty (part one)

OBSESSED: Kirsten Dunst for Vogue Italia

Shot by Yelena Yemchuk.

Glamour Girls: Carolina Herrera, Badgley Mischka and Monique Lhuillier

Few designers do glamor as well as Carolina Herrera, Badgley Mischka and Monique Lhuillier.  I really loved Herrera's boundary-pushing evening wear.  The sequin dress and the black and white stripped column dress are amazing.  Badgley Mischka's collection had some amazing velvet looks and sequin dresses, and Monique Lhuillier's red looks were total stunners.  I really hope we see a few of these looks on the red carpet coming up, maybe even at the Oscars if a celebrity wants them bad enough!

Carolina Herrera

 

NYFW: Street Style (Part Two)

Here's the final rundown of my favorite looks from New York Fashion Week.  I am going to jump on the bandwagon and say that I am totally obsessed with the Clarins sisters and their style.  I had read a couple articles about them before, but after seeing all these amazing photos of them, I think they might take my MVP award for street style, along with my long-time favorite Kate Foley.  In the words of the "Sh#t Fashion Girls Say" star, they are "so chic!"

NYFW: Street Style (Part One)

Here's some of my favorite looks from New York Fashion Week fall 2012.  There was lots of fur, lots of cowl necks and lots of layering.  Also, I'd have to say the most popular item was the Opening Ceremony cat shirt, which (I just squealed a little when I found out) is only $99 online.  Who rocked your favorite look?

OBSESSED: Suno Fall 2012

Suno is quickly becoming one of my favorite designers at NYFW.  I love the way the designers mix patterns, and I feel like they take a really fun approach to fashion.  I adore the black and white tree dress, and I really hope someone cool wears it to a semi-important event because it deserves some attention.  As a side note, not that I don't love Rachel Bilson, but I don't think she did my favorite dress from their spring collection justice at her Shoemint event.

As for trends, Suno captured the dark floral and the mixing patterns trends, I am obsessed with their floral shoes, and my only negative comment is that I am not crazy about the bedazzled looks at the end only because they are not my style.  What do you think?  Hit or miss?

Favorite Looks from Day Three of NYFW

I am super excited about this post today because three out of the four collections below I have never reviewed.  Calla, Christian Cota and Wes Gordon are new designers to me, and I am loving the way they mix prints.  The funky vibe from Calla and Christian Cota is great, and I adore the pretty and prim look Calla went for as opposed to the incredibly stylish Mexican desert look Cota channeled.  Also, Gordon's lace pieces are to die for, and I love the deep yellows and reds Cota and Gordon used to bring their collections to life against the sea of inevitable black that comes down the runway during fall.

Last but not least, I love Jill Stuart's fall floral collection.  The pieces are simple but make a statement are embrace the dark floral trend and collared dress look that is so popular on the runway this week.  I love the lace shirt mixed with the floral skirt, and the cut out dresses.  I know Stuart's collection goes a whole different way than the other three before it, but there's something fun and put together about it that ties it in with my favorite looks from day three.

Calla

OBSESSED: Jason Wu and Peter Som Fall 2012

Two of my favorite collections so far have been Jason Wu and Peter Som.  While Jason Wu went a little different than I expected, his glamour looks were spot on.  I wasn't as crazy about the Asian undertones and the Chinese hats, but his last five or so looks were gorgeous and worthy of any red carpet.  Peter Som's sophisticated structured looks were amazing, and I loved his big fur coats that lifted his looks from simple to chic.  

What did you think?  Were Wu's and Som's collections hits or misses?

Jason Wu

NYFW: Favorite Looks from Day 1 & 2

We're three days in to New York Fashion Week, and I know I say this every season, but my goal is to get through the whole month in a timely manner and talk about some of my favorite backstage, beauty, runway and street style looks.  First, I'll start with my favorite runway looks from day one and day two of NYFW.

So far, I haven't seen a whole lot of new trends emerge.  Florals have gotten darker, collared dresses are still in, and designers are still all about mixing patterns and textures.  My favorite of the collections below are Helmut Lang and Rebecca Taylor.  Lang's looks are edgy and sophisticated with pops of a burgundy/umber color that has shown up a few times already on the runway.  Taylor's last two flowy sheer floral dresses are to die for, and the last one is rocking a cap sleeve, which was pretty big on the runway at Jason Wu.

Stay tuned for a more in depth review on one of my new favorite designers Suno and a look at the genius that is Peter Som, Jason Wu and Rag & Bone!   I'll try to keep you all as up to date as possible, but in the mean time, follow my Tumblr for quick posts about my favorite looks so far.

Charlotte Ronson