Live from New York.. It's New York Fashion Week, The Recap

During Ready-to-Wear Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2013-2014, I am writing recaps of the shows from each city (aside from London) for the Vogue Paris Huffington Post UK blog. Keep a look out for Milan coming next week, read more posts from the Vogue Paris blog on Huffington Post UK Style and see all the shows for Fall/Winter 2013-2014 on Vogue.fr.

Today, I bring you New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2013-2014 and a look at some of my favorite shows from the Big Apple...

Marc Jacobs RTW Fall/Winter 2013-2014

After a black and white clear-cut collection for Spring/Summer 2013, Marc Jacobswanted to dive into the greyer areas of life for Fall/Winter 2013-2014. The designer showed a collection that mixed and matched the simple with the elegant and even the wild, as models walked the atypical catwalk in mohair sweaters and silky tops or glimmering sequins and fox furs over high-waisted hot pants.

Tommy Hilfiger RTW Fall/Winter 2013-2014

“Savile Row meets Ivy League” was the theme at Tommy Hilfiger Fall/Winter 2013-2014 as all types of prepster patterns took stage. In menswear suiting materials and English heritage fabrics, London tailored looks had an American feel as the schoolgirl style blended into a structured workingwoman’s ensemble.

Victoria Beckham RTW Fall/Winter 2013-2014

Victoria Beckham presented a standout collection at New York Fashion Week this season. While maintaining Posh Spice’s iconic sex appeal, models in menswear inspirations and longer lengths than usual had vibrant block colours and prints splashed over the dolman-sleeve tops that have been spotted across many runways for Fall/Winter 2013-2014.

Diane von Furstenberg RTW Fall/Winter 2013-2014

Models with fresh, pretty make-up, hair loose at their shoulders and smiling faces walked the catwalk for Diane von Furstenberg Fall/Winter 2013-2014. In suede, leopard print and bright colours Diane von Furstenberg reverted to her roots, paying homage to her famous wrap dress.

Prabal Gurung RTW Fall/Winter 2013-2014

The warrior women of Prabal Gurung’s Fall/Winter 2013-2014 collection were buckled head-to-toe with harnessed chests and legs wrapped in belts. Mixing and matching fabrics the designer presented a hardware heavy, military-inspired collection.

And a bonus collection that I particularly enjoyed...

J. Crew RTW Fall/Winter 2013-2014

Synonymous with American preppy staples, J. Crew designer Tom Mora found a way to add some eclecticism to the classic cuts. Inspired by a recent trip to Morocco, his collection of girly embellishments with boyish cuts for Fall/Winter 2013/2014 appeared in vibrant colours, Moroccan rug prints and sparkling arabesques.

See the entire review on the Huffington Post blog and keep an eye out for the Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2013-2014 recap.

xx, Q.

[source: Vogue Paris, Style.com]

2013 Agenda Update

The Quinntessential Style Agenda has been updated with Parisian events and Fashion Weeks from all over the world. More to come...

xx, Q.

[image: Style.com]

Proenza Schouler Spring/Summer 2013: Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez celebrate 10 years

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez celebrated their 10th anniversary heading design at Proenza Schouler this Spring/Summer 2013 Fashion Week, and to mark the occasion, the New York design duo decided to go back to essentials and honor the label's classics in their spring collection, including electric blue motifs with black zebra stripes, colorful python, woven leather, futurist shoes, punky handbags and touches of acid green that cropped up throughout the entire show. Metal rivets, A-line skirts, zippers and psychedelic prints were just a few of the New York brand's standard design codes immortalized this season with a soft 1960s reinterpretation. Skirt suits appeared in colorful leather patchwork and graphic motifs, and black crocheted tops were paired with glossy black leather skirts. Prints appeared as postcards sent from the forest, the sea, the beach and the city, and dresses had origami pleating in patchwork designs, resulting in wearable inspiration boards. The last look out was a dress printed with a crowd of people and sprinkled with fluorescent pink studs on the bodice, and metal rivets on the skirt. With the crowd of people and the vibrant stud and rivet confetti, the designers amped up the party vibe and set the mood to celebrate their florid Spring/Summer 2013 collection, and 10 years of divine creativity. 

By Jennifer Neyt, translated by Quinn Connors

See the review with the collection, backstage, details and front row galleries on Vogue.fr in English.

Find more of My Vogue Translations on Pinterest.

xx, Q.

[credit: vogue.fr]

Oscar de la Renta Spring/Summer 2013: Upper East Side Debutantes and 1950s Prom Queens

With Fashion Week raging, Oscar de la Renta was the eye of the New York storm, putting the whirlwind of shows on pause and reminding us all that we were in fact in New York City. As the absolute master of Made in the USA opulence, the designer created the perfect Spring/Summer 2013 collection for a young Upper East Side debutante. Models exuded fresh femininity and elegance, channeling Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. For daytime, looks floated between the flawless elegance of an ecru tapered pant and the luxury of a knee-length dress or skirt, all embellished with embroidery, lace, flowers and pearls. Without going over the top, red roses decorated models' necklines and diamante heart-shaped earrings circa 1995 sparkled on their ears. The collection's delicious palette made us crave a stop after the show at Magnolia Bakery, with its cupcake colors like golden yellow, candy pink, Curacao blue and mint green. Model's walks were airy and delicate, with heels decorated in flowers and bows, and their hair was coiffed into Stepford Wives' beehives infused with a streak of neon color. For nighttime, the collection offered dresses fit for a 1950s prom queen with voluminous skirts in eye-catching colors, and garment embellishments that were almost to haute couture standard. With silvery pearls glistening like shells, ostrich feathers drenched in vibrant pink, diamante embroideries, 3D flowers, iridescent brocade and cascading tulle, not once did we feel visually over-stimulated. On the contrary, we were left wanting more. 

By Jennifer Neyt, translated by Quinn Connors. 

See the review with the collection and details galleries on Vogue.fr in English.

Find more of My Vogue Translations on Pinterest.

xx, Q.

[source: vogue.f]

Tommy Hilfiger Spring/Summer 2013: Summer in the Hamptons

Tommy Hilfiger brought guests to the Chelsea Market in New York City for the presentation of their Spring/Summer 2013 collection, and seated them on a suspended footbridge with a view of the Hudson River. Lit with miner's lamps lightly blowing in the wind, the show had the perfect New York summer's end ambiance that made us feel like we were still on vacation, taking us back a couple weeks to sitting in the sand and enjoying the sun. The show began on a festive note with the hit song had us dancing all summer, I Follow Rivers by Lykke Li, and for Tommy Hilfiger, stripes will be the hit of next summer. We saw them in variations throughout the collection, appearing as mariner-striped shirts, pajama suits, uniforms and menswear-styled blouses in washed-out vintage colors characteristic of the preppy label. Continuing the nautical-chic effect, stripes were also found on menswear-styled suits, long evening dresses, cardigans, polos and blouses. The retro sportswear-inspired wardrobe will manifest next season in long backless dresses tied with gold braided rope and styled with espadrilles. This whimsical collection provokes a feeling of summer in the Hamptons with your closest friends, watching the August shooting stars while enjoying a beachfront bonfire. Tommy Hilfiger's fresh, summery and relaxed-chic wardrobe is already giving us spring fever.

By Jennifer Neyt, translated by Quinn Connors.

See the collection and details galleries on Vogue.fr in English.

Find more of My Vogue Translations on Pinterest.

xx, Q.

[source: vogue.fr]

Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2013: A Circus of Geometrics

While I continue to work on my articles for Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013 over the next few days, I will post my editorial translations from Vogue.fr of a few New York Fashion Week shows. French text by Jennifer Neyt, English translation by Quinn Connors.

"The main inspiration this season is the t-shirt," explained Marc Jacobs backstage at his Spring/Summer 2013 show. After a last whimsical season exploring dreamy, imaginary lands, the designer has returned to a more concrete idea of fashion, but that's not to say he didn't lose his illusionist's knack of surprising his audience, and injecting shock and awe where it's least expected. Compared to last year, the show's decor was more minimalist in appearance but in actuality, everything was a puzzling trompe-l'oeil. As the looks progressively popped up one by one, they were distorted and split by the distorting mirrors surrounding the runway, in a tricky game of reflections. The first look out was a white t-shirt with a black barcode printed on the front worn simply over black panties. T-shirts magically elongated into dresses with Bridget Riley-esque optical illusion prints sectioned off into stripes, checks and houndstooth, catching the eye and altering perceptions. Skirts were worn below the knee and paired with cropped tops showing off models' navels. A Mickey Mouse black and white sweatshirt passed by, in a nod to the designer who spoke backstage about his favorite childhood Mickey t-shirt. The prim and proper models wore flat, pointed Mary Janes  that curled at the tip ever so slightly, and delicate floral shapes blossomed on cuffs and ruffled around their necks in a very jester-meets-mime spirit. In the Marc Jacobs circus, all of the garment details accentuated the theatrical side of the center ring event, and the optical effects were even more mesmerizing on the evening dresses. Patterns gradually morphed from bodices into skirts in a gradient effect of checks and stripes, and trompe-l'oeils were present even in the cutting, as an awe-inspiring evening dress rippled down the runway with a skirt cut into strips that cleverly blended into the striped motif of the dress. During the finale, the models returned from the mirrors in a geometric formation, plunging the audience deeper into the designer's contemporary retro vision of the season.

See the review with the collection, backstage, details and front row galleries on Vogue.fr in English.

See more of My Vogue Translations on Pinterest.

xx, Q.

[source: vogue.fr]