RESOURCE GUIDE |
| MSNBC Home » Entertainment » Lifestyle |
 Stephen Chernin / AP Accordion-style pleats were on frequent display at Sunday's Badgley Mischka show. |
NEW YORK - Working women rejoice: You’ll actually have stylish-yet-appropriate clothes to wear next fall. Even better, there also will be clothes for you to wear to dinner, parties and play dates — with or without the kids.
The collections previewed on the runways in the opening days of New York Fashion Week were mostly wearable. But there were some misses, too, especially the short bubble skirts and knickers that have graced more than one catwalk.
Designer shows continue through Friday with Chanel and Fendi designer Karl Lagerfeld making his runway debut in New York with his new Karl Lagerfeld/Lagerfeld Collection as the finale.
Carolina Herrera: Shirtdresses return to the wardrobe — even as gowns. Herrera turned bright red silk into a basketweave shirtgown, jazzing it up to be black-tie worthy with a beaded belt.
She also sent several suits down the runway Monday morning. The skirt suits, in a rust plaid, were fitted and to the knee, the pants had wide cuffed legs.
An emerging trend for fur is shearing it so close that it looks like soft velvet. Herrera used that technique for the sleeves on a black and brown wool dress that was otherwise simple — and very sophisticated.
Herrera matched coats with cocktail dresses to create a complete outfit, and the chocolate broadtail coat with a turquoise swirl print lining with a pleated strapless dress in the same fabric was a standout.
|
The newest incarnation of her wrap dress, which she first put on the runway in 1975, had a fuller skirt and was made in brushed cotton and suede instead of the classic jersey.
A black belted shirtdress with vertical pleats was one of those chic outfits that easily go from day to night.
Badgley Mischka: It was a subtle shift, but to mark their return to Fashion Week after sitting out a few seasons, eveningwear designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka decided to court the funkier Grammy crowd instead of the more staid Oscar-goers.
Several styles featured accordian-style vertical pleats. The best were a bright yellow strapless cocktail dress with a bow under the bust, and a printed silk satin and chiffon gown in plum, black and white.
The duo also offered a cool daytime look — at least a daytime look for celebrities: sheared mink skirts with unsheared mink hemlines.
However, a shapeless red dress with a separate piece of fabric in the back that stretched from the neck to the mid-thigh hem looked a bit like a boat’s sail — and it was a dud.
The show closed with an unexpected black satin trench coat with a skull made out of fancy beads on the back.
Luella Bartley: Londoner Bartley offered something for the woman who likes the look of both country crooners and punk rocker, but still dresses up in a dress with a pearl collar and bow around her waist for tea with her grandmother.
Shrunken jackets, one in textured leather with studs and another decorated with pearls, looked hip with tailored trousers or super skinny jeans. A light pink patent leather trenchcoat was a lighthearted version of a practical item.
But even the young customer who likes Bartley’s playful style probably would think twice before putting on the puffy micro-miniskirts that looked like Cinderella ballgowns after the evil stepsisters took their scissors to them.
High
MORE FROM STYLE |
 Geisha style is a hit with Westerners |
