Today in Fashion Week: September 25th

Hello again! Milan Fashion Week is winding down, as is Fashion Month itself. And though we’re slowly but surely mapping out the season, we’re not ready to say goodbye just yet. Now let’s get on to those shows!

Jil Sander

Raf Simons is nothing if not a minimalist, but unlike other designers who have tried it on for size recently, he’s quite good at it. You see, Simons understands that minimalism is not all about muted colors and things we’ve already seen before. For him and the handful of other truly adept minimalists, the aesthetic is all about stripping away distractions to get right down into the nitty gritty of innovation. That was especially true of today’s Jil Sander collection, which can only be described as wildly inventive. The plays on volume and length in heavy, wide floor length skirts are memorable and sure to have a great presence in the editorial world when it comes to be that time. Also especially important here is color. Simons is a master of the “pop of color” against neutrals that strengthens its impact, and he put that skill to good use here with a wide array of brights like orange and hot pink. All in all, it was a greatly powerful collection, and is definitely in contention for best of the season so far.

Today in Fashion Week:February 26th & 27th

Ok, ok. I missed a day. Actually, two days, if you count the fact that I am writing this in the wee hours of February 28th. But, then again, I’m my own worst critic. Let’s catch up.

Versace

Last season, Donatella Versace interrupted the progress of her collection with an endeavor that, though well received by some, I felt did not live up to the success of her previous collection. That collection, the Fall 2009 effort, was a masterful showing of modern graphic sophistication with edge. This season’s turn is more logically connected to that show than the one shown for Spring, with its strong fusion of minimalism and modernity. No one does sexy like Versace does, but I think it’s a collection like this that shows that there’s more to the brand than that. Because, after all, a woman needs more in her toolkit than weapons of mass seduction. Every now and then, pants seem like an appropriate choice.

Today in Fashion Week:September 24th & 25th

I sure chose a bad day to be late. The Milan shows kicked off yesterday and they’re crammed into a minuscule period of 5 days. Today is the second day, but I’ve also got the first (which includes Prada, freak out now) to get out of the way. So let’s waste no time!

Prada

Ohhhhhhhhh Miuccia. I’m a well established devotee to her artistic wiles, which she certainly seems to be abound with. Every season, without fail, she delivers a collection that summons edicts of disappointment and bewilderment. And every season, inevitably, her collection is plastered across the magazines, the signature pieces repeated so often they become like dear friends to us. This season, she shied away from so of her more off-kilter pieces and offered a collection that seemed, dare I say it, accessible. Of course, accessible really only counts in fashion if you’re of model age and proportions. But (relatively) accessible it was. The look was, as mentioned, youthful, with takes on the suit shown with cut-off shorts, the kind done in dressier materials she invented at her men’s show this season. Also on the shorts front were Bermuda shorts, an inevitable return with the reemergence of biker shorts, which were also present in the collection. But perhaps more notable were the series of photo prints she showed on dresses and jackets alike. High-contrast beach scenes more colorful than a Bollywood film were juxtaposed against rigid, dull-colored fabrics. Elsewhere, Prada experimented with a sort of expensive-looking fishnet, draping it in ways that slyly exhibited the hard-earned Summer figure. All in all, it’ll stay on our minds all throughout the Spring season, but it won’t come to be known as one of her strongest moments. Of course, when your weakest is this strong… Full Show Here.

Met Fete

Kate Moss & Marc Jacobs

Last night’s annual Costume Institute Gala (paying tribute to models as muses and chaired by Justin Timberlake, Kate Moss and Anna Wintour) drew some familiar names to its red carpet, although a number of classic muses were noticeably absent over a reported rift between model-favorite Azzedine Alaia and the exhibition’s curators. Bad blood aside, the stars came out and had their usual array of good and bad looks. See the best ones by clicking

Today in Fashion Week: February 27th

Rawr. Maybe it’s the distinctive Milano cookies (I made the same quasi-joke last season. I remember.) but I’m excited to see what the designers are offering today!

Jil Sander

If anyone can do stark minimalism to a T, it’s Raf Simons. Certainly his latest collection for Jil Sander has an impressive number of sharp, sleek pieces, but this season hardly compares to the last. I think Spring made the most convincing case for a minimalist, because it still dressed it up and expressed new ideas. This season, it just feels plain.