New York Fashion Week Coverage: Day Seven

Click HERE for Day Seven Fashion Photo Slideshow
*Photos by Patrick Butler

Another day, another fashion show. Or ten. There were a lot of major and minor designers showing Thursday (from Vera Wang and Calvin Klein to up-and-comers such as Chris Han and Lyn Devon). The rain had subsided (yea!), the humidity had broken (double yea!) so the fashion flock was back out en masse in their towering Louboutin booties and fur, fur, fur! (Seriously, I think I've seen more fur this week than I have, well, ever.)

VERA DOES VAN DONGEN

Citing Dutch portraitist Kees van Dongen as her inspiration, Vera Wang went out one of the spectacular collections of the week (and possibly her finest to date), by turns funky, elegant - and always, always, unmistakably Vera. Sculpted yellow embroidered brocade jackets topped slouchy jersey tees and hip-ruched skirts. Pop Art-bright floral bustle back tunics were paired with slim hammered satin leggings. And slouchy cashmere cardigans showed up atop nubby wool skirts and bejeweled bodice "pompadour" dress and satin pajama pants - just the thing for a modern day Marie Antoinette. And, as always, thanks to the designer's forgiving cuts, Wang fans can have their cake and eat it, too.

PHI, FI, FO, FUM I SMELL THE SCENT OF BOREDOM!

At Phi, meanwhile, designer Andreas Melbostad sent out a collection that referenced the work of Helmut Newton - or "decadence reinterpreted," as the designer put it in his show notes - vis-a-vis skintight lace dresses with red or neon girdle-like underwear peeking through (think: Betty Grable-meets-Bettie Page), along with polka dot minis with more VPL (actually, it was visible everything) and fur-trimmed parkas that hewed to the punky side of the street. Unfortunately, Melbostad riffed on variations of these same three looks - over and over and over - for the duration of the show, so by the time the last of the 31 looks came out, I had a terrible case of deja vu. The best part of the presentation, in fact, came at the end, when a horde of about 100 fashionistas squeezed into the 16th floor freight elevator and a cage descended upon them before the doors closed, making them look for all the world like a very well dressed herd of cattle waiting to be led to slaughter. "Now that's a Helmut Lang moment!" observed an editor friend.

ANARCHY IN THE US

Phi isn't the only label paying homage to the '70s and '80s punk/new wave movement. Thakoon sent out graffiti print, Westwood-inspired tartan pieces earlier in the week, Alexander Wang's entire left-of-center evening wear collection was a tribute to all things ripped, shredded and deconstructed ("embrace the flaws!" he told me), Karen Walker riffed on Edwardian punks, and Marc by Marc Jacobs was awash with bright plaid silver zippered shifts, neon pink buckle boots, and funky striped sweaters.

FRANCISCO COSTA'S FEELING ORDERLY

The designer based his fall collection on the idea of order ("as in sharp, strong," he told me). The jumping off point for this ultra-sleek, ultra-modern outing was, interestingly, a fabric travel valet from the 19th Century, a photo of which ran in WWD earlier this week. "That's a men's valet from a turn-of-the-century boat trunk- somebody's trunk," Costa told me backstage post-show. "So that kept things in order, you know? You have your shoes, your clothes. So that's the point that's been brought further [in this collection]. It's very precise men's tailoring for women." So there you have it. From inspiration to execution, in a nutshell. Of course, the designer also showed several razor cut geometric coats that flapped open in the front like a surgical incision (revealing the glittery pieces beneath). So maybe there's also a more current inspiration (Nip/Tuck or CSI, say) at work here, too.

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL WHO'S THE MOST FABULOUS OF THEM ALL?

Mini runway trend: Mirrored backdrops, as seen at the 3.1 Phillip Lim show Wednesday and the Vera Wang show today. Lim's show was all about "fleeting glances," and the paneled mirrored backdrop reinforced the idea of strangers glimpsing one another in passing, like stylish ships in the night. At Wang, the mirrored backdrop served a more practical purpose. Many of the ensembles had really interesting back details -peplums, bustles, beaded chiffon swags, gowns that tied behind the knee - so the mirrors allowed the audience to really see all the lavish details, both coming and going. Plus, it made for a pretty sweet photo effect.

INVITE OF THE DAY

Speaking of mirrors, Zac Posen's invite took the form of a bevel-edged mirror. Given this, I was expecting a collection that riffed on narcissism, maybe, or paid tribute to the coke-fueled glamour of Scarface or Casino. Wrong. Posen's fall collection was inspired by cartoony heroines like Minnie Mouse and Olive Oil as seen through the prism of (I smell a trend!) Helmut Newton. Translation: frilly, Betty Boop crinolines, exposed garter belts and trompe-l'oeil tuxedo dresses. "I think humor is important in fashion," said Posen.

MODEL DOWN!

Posen sent model Karen Elson out in a big one-shouldered tulle ball gown at the finale of his show but, unfortunately, she tripped just as she hit the runway, landing with a thud on her knees. The audience gasped, but Elson burst out laughing and couldn't stop. Ever the trooper, Elson was helped to her feet by passing model Olga Sherer and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs (who was sitting nearby) and continued her walk to the photo pit, where she gave the photographer's a comical "what can you?" shrug - all the while grinning from ear to ear. The audience responded with a huge cheer, and gave her a spontaneous standing ovation as she made her way back up the catwalk. 02.08.2008