FASHION

Lord & Taylor decided to take advantage of the hullabaloo that is New York Fashion Week and coordinate their new shoe salon opening.  This was a big and shiny affair, with DJ’s designers, bartenders, and an array of New York’s stylish.

Lord & Taylor knew just when to pop the cork with this one, the fall styles are overflowing.  Fifth Avenue is a shopping mecca for tourists and locals alike, and every noteworthy department store has some form of representation on this street.  Lord & Taylor was one of the first department stores in New York City, so it is fitting that they would make such an entrance.

Dance music, mixologist cocktails and a fashionable scene were all at hand to witness the new look of the store’s 5th avenue and 38th street store.  Shoes upon shoes upon shoes filled tables, shelves and all manner of displays.  Designs from Ivanka Trump, Vince Camuto, Steve Madden, Michael Kors, Frye, Hunter, Converse, Sam Edelman and loads more!  A huge portion of this floor in the store was mapped out with the path to all of your new favorite shoes.

The atmosphere was great for a little buttered up shopping.  Nothing gets people to buy more stuff during a sale than alcohol.  Champagne flutes and heels clicked while girls went gaga over the selection of boots.  Fall is around the corner and you don’t want to get caught in the first cold rain with your sandals on.

The most important part of this new shoe wing, Shoe Obsession, is the color selection.  All important colors are present, and trending styles such as pony, camo, and red and olive suede.  Hunter boots in the most colors we have seen yet were a distraction.  Having good wellies is a survival must in this city.  Converse and Sam Edelman slides tempted right at the escalator.  Stiletto anklets from Michael Kors in camouflage pony were a hot item, as were Coach tan knee high boots.

Lord & Taylor knows fashion, and shopping at one of New York’s original department stores is so simple when it is right in the heart of midtown and surrounded by glitz and glamor.  Snag a great pair of fallsies for under 200 dollars, there are so many great styles to choose from!

Lord & Taylor
424 5th Avenue
(between 38th and 39th Streets)
Shoe Floor
New York, NY 10018

By Danielle Guercio

To the untrained eye, it may not have looked as if much has changed on the men’s jeans scene. But for those working behind that scene, quite the mini-crisis has been taking place. With cotton prices soaring and the economy plummeting, this crisis has not been helped by consumer apathy. Jeans just don’t seem to be as popular as they used to be, especially with men getting more and more adventurous with their dress sense.

But a plan is afoot to save the day, apparently. The big players in the world of men’s jeans are putting together a huge fourth quarter push in an attempt to revive flagging sales – even though, in the bigger scheme of things, sales haven’t dipped that much when compared with other sectors. And the core idea at the heart if this plan is? A “reinterpretation” of colored denim and vintage wash jeans.

This might seem like a tired old formula with little inspiration behind it, but when you look a little deeper there is more to this sales push than meets the eye at first glance. For instance they have decided to concentrate on the premium sector, which has seen significant growth in and of it, and are applying mainstream market trends to that higher price bracket – which may not be great news for the consumer.

Some of the premium brands seeking to capitalize on this sales theory include True Religion, Seven For All Mankind and AG Adriano Goldschmied.

Handcrafted washes certainly seem to be the order of the day. Again. However, newer designs are incorporating innovative tweaks, such as one-of-a-kind shank buttons and rivets made from reclaimed tin signs – a feature that is really hot at True Religion right now. Other companies are also adding their own twists, with Seven For All Mankind also turning toward more vintage washes and away from the cleaner looks it’s best known for.

It may be less trend driven, but trends certainly seem to be the order of the day when it comes to this planned mini-revival. In the meantime, men can start looking forward to all of those out of season jeans that will be going for cheap in the not too distant future!

The end of Fashion Week in New York meant the beginning of another –– Fashion Week in London. As designers send their latest masterpieces down the runway we left here to analyze, compare and add some more trends to our grand theory for Spring of 2012.

Metallic fabrics are a hit on both New York and London runways, a bold statement for those who want an edge in their suits, dresses and t-shirts ensembles. On the runway we see metallic throughout the entire collection at Giles, on layers of draped fabrics at Todd Lynn, mixed with sequins at Sass & Bide and on shimmery skirts at Danielle Scutt. This metallic look adds a bit of fun to the designer’s aesthetic on the runway and a great way to stand out.

The tribal sensation that consumes much of the stores as we shop for fall this year is here to stay for yet another season. These bold, exotic patterns are mesmerizing on the runway are seen in a variety of forms in many collections, like the House Of Dereon and Burberry Prorsum. Tribal is also the inspiration behind a very futuristic jumpsuit at Peter Pilitto and the many party dresses at Matthew Williamson.

In both London and New York designers take the runway with a more sporty edge by using mesh fabrics –– like Alexander Wang, Vera Wang, Cynthia Rowley and Tibi had during New York Fashion Week. Wang’s collection most utilized mesh by threading it through his entire sportswear collection, and even on his headscarves. For London Fashion week Craig Lawrence did just the same as Wang, and meshed up his entire collection of long dresses, tights and cover-ups. In London the House of Holland also embeds a lot of mesh shirts and cover-ups, while Jaeger London plays with a lot of cutouts that has a similar appearance of mesh.

There were just as much of a tropical floral vibe in London as there was in New York. Designers like Erdem and Temperley London had flowers from top to bottom in simple, loose silhouettes. At Christopher Kane you can see flowers in a variety of different dress shapes and cut-outs. Ashish uses large, bold flowers to make a statement as Matthew Williamson ties light, tropical florals into his bohemian look.

And we can’t forget the snakeskin that seemed to slither down the runway in an array of different combinations. From the head to toe snakeskin jumpsuits at Maria Grachvogel to the snakeskin embellished suspenders at the House of Holland –– this is the “it” animal print for 2012. Designers at (TopShop) Unique and Fashion East also incorporated snakeskin into their collections.

Once again, Fashion Week in both London and New York has opened the door for fashionistas to mix-and-match their favorite trends for next Spring. And remember, have fun with fashion –– just as the designers do on the runway each year.

By Ashley Caputo  

As Fashion Week has come to an end we are left here to decipher what fashion will look like next Spring. For those of you who weren’t able to see all 300-runway collections on the catwalks of New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, we analyzed every piece of garment and created our own fashion grand theory for 2012.

Themes from Fashion Week this year include metallic, bright colors, tropical floral prints and various usage of peplum hemline.

To sparkle and shine, designers have mixed and matched (one of our favorite things to do) metallic designs with casual wear to create the perfect fun outfit. On the runway we see a high-waisted red metallic skirt for Suno, a sequined blue undershirt for Marc Jacobs, gold shorts at Cynthia Rowley and a sequin mini skirt at DKNY.

If anything has stood out the most for us this year on the runway, it is the play on bright colors –– this year has been one of the brightest in years. While some designers went for crèmes and pale colors, most went for bold, ranging from pastels to shades of oranges and corals. Alice + Olivia mixed bright yellows with black and white stripes, Nicole Miller mixed bright orange and yellow cutouts on a black dress, J.Crew combined a bright pink button down with orange suit pants and J. Mendel uses shades turquoises to color block.

Designers couldn’t help but to throw in the tropical floral prints that represent the warm weather of summer and spring. On the runway we see tropical floral prints at Richard Chai-Love, Tadashi Shoji, Bagdley Mischka and Jason Wu. Matthew Williamson’s signature bohemian flair appeared again on the runway, but he wasn’t alone as many designers begin to play around with different prints as well –– Altuzarra, Peter Som and Derek Lamb incorporated a flirty bohemian style into their runway.

Lastly, we can’t forget the trend from the 80’s that has crept its way back into fashion –– peplum, which is a short over-skirt or ruffle attached to the waistline of a skirt, top, or dress. This is hourglass look has been reconstructed by most designers on the runway to fit into their style aesthetic. On the runway was has seen peplum on Vera Wang’s flowy gowns, Thakoon’s Bermuda shorts and Cushnie et Ochs’s leather pants ensemble.

If you follow our grand theory we are sure that you will be ahead of all the shoppers scrounging to purchase what’s in style. Instead, right now you pull out your brightest colors, favorite sequin mini-skirt and floral prints so that you are mentally and fashion ready for the Spring of 2012.

By Ashley Caputo