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]

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]

Vendredi en Couleur: The Return

New month, new start right? Well, this isn't exactly a new start, but a restart. A restart of Vendredi en Couleur! In the spirit of spring, this week I've actually picked a pattern. You're guessing floral print, right? Wrong. Springtime for me is when I like to break out my navy and white polka dots. My outfit choice for those warm, blue-sky days, is my polka dot silk dress paired with a splash of red for a vintage look. Over the past couple years, this retro print has made a comeback and now dots the garments of fashionistas everywhere from the runways to the red carpet to the chicest soirées. We're seeing big, small, sheer, subdued, and vibrant dots on dresses, separates, tights and even shoes.

With so many different ways to wear this pattern, how do you decide to wear your polka dots?

xx, Q.

Unfortunately the sunny days have been lacking in Paris recently,
so I opted for this H&M polka dot bouse instead of my springy dress.

Spotted: Oliva Palermo in Bensoni Spring 2011 at the amfAR Inspiration Gala Dinner last May.

How blogger, Atlantic-Pacific, wears her polka dots: Equipment blouse and Madewell scarf

Emma Stone modeling dotted ensembles for the July 2011 issue of Elle.
See more dotted images here.

Adorable Free People Black Dot Romper, 66.74€.

Karen Walker Navy Polka Dot Viscose Kerchief: $110 NZD.

Marc Jacobs Fall 2011 RTW - Chloe Memisevic

Burberry Prorsum Fall 2012 Menswear.
Even men get to have some polka dotted fun. 

I don't care what they say, this little cutie pulls off the stripes with spots look.

This outfit is perfect.

[source: Elle, Anna Kharina, Heat World, Chictopia, Free People, Karen Walker, Style.com, tumblr, Anatomy of a Trend]