Rebecca Taylor Spring 2012

Have you had too many grey skies this fall and winter?  Getting ready for a wet spring? It seems Rebecca Taylor thought about that too.  There were several laminated hooded jackets that seemed designed to deflect precipitation.  

The color palette also had a mottled, watercolor blue tinge.  Knits had a certain fishnet quality, sequins made tops look wet.  I'm just waiting for the weather to warm up to jump in the pool...

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General Idea Spring 2012

I find Geek Chic hot on a man.  Give me a smart, funny, quirky guy any day over a dumb muscle boy.  The General Idea customer looks like a creative type, artsy, cultures, possibly was raised or spent time overseas.

The spring collection had a mix of stripes and patterns together.  Pops of color that were masculine, but brighter than earthy.  Cable knits, graphic ties, relaxed pants made the looks comfortable the American guy who is a little outside the box.  I really appreciate this label for striking that fine balance for guys to look fashion forward without having to be flamboyant.

Oh, and glasses, I love guys with glasses.
 

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Tadashi Shoji Spring 2012

 Take a stroll though an exquisite Japanese garden for Spring...Tadashi Shoji's collection had a bunch of pretty frocks that reminded me of elegant orchids.  The ombre pastel shades and artful use or ruffles must have done it.
Another trending pattern for Spring were stripes, though I usually see them in graphic prints in casual sportswear and not elegant dresses like these:

More on the garden theme...Dreamy transparent painted blooms...

We only had one actual snowstorm so far in 2012 in NYC, and I am already feeling the effects of seasonal effective disorder...Sigh.  Thanks for the peeks of sunshine Mr. Shoji.

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Win a Trip to NY Fashion Week! - #NYFW Survival Kit

Mariana, aka Ms. FABulous in the photographer's pit at Lincoln Center

Gird your loins...NY Fashion week is almost here.  Anyone who is working in some capacity can say good-bye to sleep for the next few weeks.

Designers are biting their nails waiting for their samples, praying models won’t be naked on the runway.  Publicists are swimming through tens of thousands of egos and invitation requests.  Photographers, journalists and bloggers are gearing up and sorting itineraries of conflicting shows…And I love it!

I have worked on all sides of the runway in my career.  This season, I will be going as blogger and photographer.  I am culling my looks together for events where I need to be chic (particularly excited about Kohl’s Rock & Republic Launch Fashion Show and Party!)  

Alternatively, I am also stocking up on hard toe boots, layered clothing and memory sticks for shows where I'll duke it out in that pirate's crew they call the photographer's pit.  

My Fashion Week survival kit: 

-Water and raw almonds (counter balance those cocktails and lack of meal times)
-iPhone with my essential NYFW apps: Fashion GPS, Yelp, Instagram, HootSuite 

-Foldable slippers (only non-humans can wear platform heels for 16 hours a day)

-Compact for beauty touch-ups (ok, realistically, blotting when you sweat in the photo pit) 

Have your invite yet? Glam Media is sending Fashionistas to NY fashion week with a full-on makeover at Rock & Republic, tickets to the big runway show, airfare, hotel and spending money.  RSVP through their sweepstakes right here. 

Kohl's provided compensation to me as an incentive to blog about the Rock & Republic launch event.  The opinions expressed herein are those of this author, and they have not been reviewed or approved by Kohl's in advance.

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Naeem Khan Spring 2012

Awards season is in full swing...That means lots of gowns down the red carpet.  Do you have enough frocks lined up?  Naeem Khan is one of the more regal designers out there.  He dresses royalty from all reaches of the planet.

For Spring 2012, he had a mix of sexy, bright, pastel and floral.  The best gowns had dramatic silhouettes or intricate beaded flowers.  The body hugging sleek dresses that were the most simple were also the most sexy.

Some of the looks were too long and too covered up, giving an impression of suffocation (though I suspect those are for princesses of more conservative religious countries).  There was a small group of printed floral looks, (pants on a one piece, dresses with a Bo-peep shape) that didn't work for me either. They just left me scratching my head as they felt out of place among such elegant creations. Then again, Mr. Khan probably has a more diverse clientele than most designers, so he has more divas to please.

Whichever look you choose, you are guaranteed to make a grand entrance.

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