Favorites from New York Fashion Week Fall 2012, Pt. 2

Derek Lam
I love the feminine colors and floral prints mixed with tough leathers and masculine silhouettes in Derek Lam's new collection. He's one of few designers who can make patent leather look chic (Alexander Wang is another, but I thought his show pushed the envelope all little too far).

Carolina Herrera
I love how artistic and painterly Herrera went with her fall collection, using contemporary yet soft prints. The coat in the second photo almost looks like a Rorschach test. Not a fan of the helmet hair though.

Prabal Gurung
Okay, this might be my all-time favorite collection of the season so far. The blue Prabal uses is absolutely mouth-watering and looks radiant with the reflective satin, a material I normally abhor. Then he works in a bright gold, which contrasts perfectly with the blue (there's a reason so many high schools chose that combo for team colors). I like the sci-fi feel of the whole show too — it's weird in a cool way. The white top in the fourth shot is particularly rad — I love how the floral cluster appears to explode off her torso.

All photos via vogue.com

New York Fashion Week Fall 2012 Favorites

Rodarte
Looks like leather and shearling are here to stay. Can't say I'm disappointed!

Preen
As usual, Preen whips up the best prints: ladylike yet dangerous. And don't throw out those wedges just yet — it's a platform party!

Naeem Khan
It doesn't get must more Oscar-ready than this. Khan's ultra-glam collection was inspired by the bindi — a small dot Indian women wear on their foreheads.

Oscar de la Renta
Oh, Oscar. Is there nothing you can't do? The man's been in business for nearly 50 years and he still manages to stun each season. I'm trying to get one of my girlfriends to buy an Oscar de la Renta gown for her wedding. Mostly so I can live vicariously through her. Siiiigh...

Araks
I hadn't heard of this up-and-comer until recently (apparently she's best known for designing the lingerie Scarlett Johansson wore in Lost in Translation), but it's safe to say this collection is one of the best best displays of sculptural minimalism yet.

All photos via style.com

That's it for now! I'll post more as the photos trickle in.

Alice + Olivia Fall/Winter 2012

Photos courtesy of style.com

Just a few of my favorite looks from Alice + Olivia's Fall/Winter 2012 presentation at New York Fashion Week yesterday. How cute is this black and white set? It totally fits the "Parisian glam girl" vibe of the collection. I'm digging the sleek palette of blacks and whites with sudden bursts of cherry red, hunter green and sunflower yellow. The prints are dreamy too — I need to own the blazer in that last shot. And that yellow and black flower-print cocktail dress in the first photo? Dear lord. I'm sending it a mushy Valentine.

Snapped at New York Fashion Week

Half the fun of attending the shows at New York Fashion Week is dressing up and getting snapped by street fashion photographers, which happens pretty much every time you walk in and out of Lincoln Center (at least if you're wearing something interesting). But it's impossible to keep track of which photographer is shooting for which blog/magazine/website.

Most notably, I was shot by Tommy Ton for Style.com (I recognized him, and he only shot my torso — his signature move — while I was wearing this outfit) and by Marco Scozzaro for Vogue.it, but neither of the photos made it online. I now have Scozzaro's business card though, which features a photo of a naked fat man on one side.

Here are a couple shots I've managed to find:

This one's from BeautyBlitz.com, a national beauty website. They wrote:

"You could spot Mary O'Regan's vibrant red hair from a mile away. She accessorized with a vintage scarf tied as a headband and a rosy lipstick - the perfect combination!"

I'm flattered to be featured alongside some of my favorite bloggers, including Kelly Framel of The Glamourai and Christina Caradona of Trop Rogue. My entire outfit is vintage, except for the necklace, which is by Bionic Unicorn.

The shot above was taken by Mayuko, a Japanese fashion blogger. She wrote:

"I first missed her in taking a photograph. However when I saw her again, I spoke to her immediately. She is very fashionable, she knows how to match her clothes and also she is a fashion blogger."

This outfit is also all vintage, except for the same Bionic Unicorn necklace, which — let's face it — I wear with everything. I'm actually wearing it with a t-shirt as I write this!

Leftovers from New York Fashion Week

Douglas Hannant - this show took place in the historic Plaza Hotel off Fifth Avenue. The audience consisted almost exclusively of middle-aged, botoxed ladies-who-lunch. It wasn't really my scene, but the clothes were surprisingly lovely. Very tailored and luxurious. Hannant knows his customer.

Desiderata - I went to a show at Lincoln center highlighting emerging Argentinian fashion designers, and this collection by Desiderata was the best. I like its youthful, casual, feminine feel.

Monique Lhullier - No real surprises here, but she sticks to what she does best: eveningwear. Look for these gowns on the red carpet come award season.

VLOV-QuinQuin Wu - This was the cheesiest runway performance I attended. The music was clichéd techno over which a low, robotic voice boomed "V-L-O-V." Subtle, much? And the collection was made up of stiff, uniform-like menswear that made the models look like Star Trek communists. 

Zang Toi - I wasn't a fan of these clothes, but the crazy avant garde hair and headwraps were fun. And then, of course, there's Kirstie Alley, who came out in the finale look, which made her look like Ursula from The Little Mermaid.