NY Fashion Week Fall 2011

Vivienne Westwood is a busy Dame. Dame Vivienne, that is. The iconic London-based fashion designer is one of the rare few who shows her collections in various cities, including Milan, London and Paris. When Luxist had the opportunity to experience her work up-close on Sunday evening when she unveiled her Red Label Fall/Winter 2011 collection, it was on the third day of London Fashion Week. Earlier that day, her Austrian-born husband, Andreas Kronthaler, Vivienne Westwood's Creative Director, noted, they did a fitting with Helena Bonham Carter for the Academy Awards. A busy day, indeed.

Vivienne West's show was larger than life (see video below). It was presented at the grand Royal Courts of Justice at London's Strand, a gothic cathedral-like setting that was befitting for a designer of Dame Vivienne's stature. The inspiration behind her "Red Label" collection show was Lewis Carroll's "Alice through the looking glass" which evoked a feeling of British society and change. Models wore tartan prints, dresses with mis-matched seams, fantastic oversized hats (designed by Prudence Millinery, some were crowns), over-the-top makeup (including gold-painted faces) and hair styles that seemed to defy gravity. A video of the entire show can be seen on Vivienne Westwood's website.

Bold face names at the show included Jo Wood (ex-wife of Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood), singer Paloma Faith, Boy George, former tenns pro Boris Becker, Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes, and contemporary artist Tracy Emin. All were wowed by the show which was as magnificient a production as the Red Label Collection itself. "I am a big fan of Vivienne's, so I enjoyed the show," Nick Rhodes told Luxist backstage after the show. "She always has a few surprises. She is remarkably good at cutting things. So it has always reminds me of the Japanese, but I think they took it from Vivienne. I thought some of things were really exquisitely beautiful. There was one skirt and blouse toward the end that was quite classical. It was a black skirt with a white blouse that I thought was just exquisite---beautiful."

Former pro tennis player Boris Becker was equally impressed with the collection. "I thought, as always, she was spectacular with the different designs and the makeup--one girl was golden," Becker told Luxist. "Her creativity never stops. The Royal Court of Justice is a unique location with a very long runway. The girls did have to walk a long time, but nobody faulted and everyone did a good job."

Gallery: Vivienne Westwood's Red Label Fall 2011 Collection

Today, Ralph Lauren proved exactly why he is in a class by himself. The Ralph Lauren Fall 2011 Collection presented during NY Fashion Week, was timeless, glamorous and dramatic. "It was a masterpiece," André Leon Talley, Contributing Editor to Vogue, raved to Luxist after the show. "It was unmistakably Ralph Lauren. It was a simple masterpiece. He is unstoppable in his sense of taking his classics and giving them new twists and new drama."

Much of the collection was influenced by Chinese fashions, such as a black glossy silk illusion sweater dress, a jade silk panne velvet wrap dress and a red silk shantung embroidered smoking jacket that was shown under a black cashmere cocoon coat trimmed with long hair shearling.

The collection also included glossy smoking jackets, silk embroidered shearling coats, tuxedo jackets, velvet quilted jackets and pinstripe jackets paired with matching vests and trousers. A burgundy silk velvet wrap smoking jacket over a white cotton wing collar formal shirt with black sable tuxedo trousers was particularly striking. Several evening dresses were embroidered and beaded while many had an Art Deco feel.

Ralph Lauren's Asian inspiration was explained by his son David, who is the Senior Vice President, Advertising, Marketing and Corporate Communications for Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. "This past year he traveled to China," Lauren told Luxist. "It was his first trip there and he was inspired by what he saw. The future of our company is very much going to be expanding in China over the next couple of years. It has been in the air everywhere we turn. He is very inspired. For him it was a trip he took through a Ralph Lauren lens and what he saw, which is very different from what exists there, or it even never existed there. It is his interpretation of a China that could and should be."

Gallery: Ralph Lauren Fall 2011 Collection

The Badgley Mischka Fall 2011 Collection fashion show during NY Fashion Week was inspired by old Hollywood glamour, according to its designers, Mark Badgley and James Mischka.

Beautiful gowns were presented with a dramatic backdrop. On a large screen behind the runway, was a fog-filled urban scene that set the mood, as models dressed in gowns made of crepe de chine, chiffon, taffeta and tulle made their way down the runway (see video below).

There were magnificient gowns, including one made of crepe de chine in magenta (seen above) that one might expect to see on the Academy Awards' red carpet. A gold/argent lame and chiffon gown was striking as was a black crushed velvet gown (both from the Couture Collection). There were several pieces presented from the lower price point Mark+James line, including a black matte jersey and tulle dress, black stretch tuxedo twill skirt and pants, and a silver/black gauze lame trench coat, among others.

Gallery: Badgley Mischka Fall 2011 Collection at NY Fashion Week

Betsey Johnson's Fall 2011 Collection, which was presented at this evening at Lincoln Center during NY Fashion Week Fall 2011 was a spectacular production---and definitely is the highlight of the entire week. The "He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not" show was more fun to watch than most of the theatrical productions currently headlining on Broadway--and was a wonderful way to spend Valentine's Day eve.

The collection was colorful and whimsical, as one would expect from the eclectic and charismatic designer. The show started with models (each with a blunt, dark wig) wearing the "Black Tag" Collection, described by the program as sophisticated, sexy and sleek. Each look had a name, such as "Wicked Game" and "Heartbreaker". The collection featured a fantastic black and white leopard print suit and wonderful dresses, including one that was both dramatic and sculpted (accessorized with a black and white leopard shawl and matching hand-warmer). Next up was the "Pink Patch" Collection, which is described in the program as "Affordable (under $100), Accessible and True-Blue Betsey". The fantastic footwear worn by all of the models throughout the show, called the "Lizzzy-L" collection (seen on the model in the above photo), was provided by Steve Madden and is available exclusively at SteveMadden.com and Steve Madden's mobile site for a limited time.

Gallery: Betsey Johnson Fall 2011 Collection

After her models walked the runway, employees of Betsey Johnson's fashion empire strutted the runway, too, wearing what looked to be pieces from previous collections while wearing blond Betsey Johnson-look-alike wigs. The "real models" included store managers, regional managers, design assistants, stylists, the knitwear designer, and even the VP of Retail Operations. The "real models" were of all shapes and sizes. One was pregnant (she looked adorable, by the way) while the last to walk (more like dance down) the runway was the lone male in the group (a store manager, named Seth Lefkof, according to the program) who revealed his identity after tossing his wig into the audience.

Carmen Marc Valvo's Fall/Winter 2011 Collection which was presented last night was glamorous and elegant. Valvo, the designer-to-the-stars (many of whom were presented at the show) featured a collection made with such rich fabrics as chantilly lace, chiffon, organza and tulle.

The show was presented at the Nasdaq Marketplace, with all attendees seated along long winding corridors, with the models passing by only a few feet away. Katie Couric, Star Jones, and singer Kat DeLuna all in attendance.

Highlights of the beautiful collection included exquisite cocktail dresses and formal evening wear including a latte metallic lace gown, a persimmon iridescent silk chiffon and lace gown, and a black strapless lace gown with multi-tiered chiffon applique. (See video of the show below).

"The collection was inspired by ballerinas this season," Valvo told Luxist backstage after the show (see video for full interview). "I gravitated towards them for their sense of beauty, poise, their grace, their elegance and their sensuality and femininity. So I wanted the collection to evoke that sense of beauty and movement. It is a collection full of romance and poetry. Lots of laces were employed, silk chiffons and metallic tulles."

Gallery: Carmen Marc Valvo Fall 2011 Collection

Derek Lam's Fall 2011 Collection which was presented at NY Fashion Week this morning was nothing short of glamorous.

"In this collection, I have used new combinations to make clothes that look fresh, fluid, weightless, yet also appropriate for the Fall/Winter season," says Lam. "Some of the new combinations are logical: sleeves and backs of heavier weight clothing are made of slippery cloths. The usual layering of clothes are lightened, the arm slips easily under coats; the bulk is eliminated where you don't want it."

There were tunics in flannel, doubleface jersey and military gabardine that were combined with liquid twills and laundered poplins on bottom. Dresses were sewn with jersey bodices attached to wool felt skirts and vice versa so they look sleek and also tailored. Evening dresses had leather bodices, with laundered satin or poplin full skirts, for a kind of raw and casual glamour.

"I think that Derek Lam is one of the great American designers who has given American Fashion Week something very unique and sophisticated," Andre Leon Talley, Contributing Editor to Vogue, told Luxist backstage after the show. "The clothes are modern and they give modernity a new definition. They are clothes for women who work, who are grown up and who are refined. The sense of luxury of fabric is extraordinary. The glace leva jean skirt is one of my favorites. A varsity stripe on a trouser with a red leather car coat is wonderful and is the way women want to dress. I think he is exceptional. I am always more and more impressed each season with his work and I think this is one of his most outstanding moments in his career."