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Nicholas K
Always the first official show of the week, Nicholas K is like a fashion amuse bouche: It awakens my appetite for the new season. Signature Nicholas K themes were in heavy rotation—great-looking jackets, draped tops, slouchy pants—but the color scheme this season seemed desert-inspired, beginning with sandy beige and transitioning to a delicious sunset orange (or rust, as it was called in the program). However, I later discovered, according to the press release, that the designers were inspired by the '70s Charleton Heston movie Soylent Green, which explained the super-groovy retro-futuristic styling and the earthy palette. "Soylent Green is people!"

Kaelen
Due to a meeting that ran over, I sadly didn't quite make it to Kaelen, but Mina did, hence this beautiful photo. Mina's review of the show via text message: "Nice! Less boho than previous years." My take? I like the more minimal, sophisticated direction she's taking, and I spotted at least one gown (the black with the nude cutouts) that would look amazing on my style idol, Gwyneth Paltrow.
Photos by Mina Kim



Chadwick Bell
For spring Chadwick Bell actually did take inspiration from the desert, the Southwest to be specific, yet with a more minimal, austere interpretation via nude, black, and white minimal dresses with sculptured peplums and really interesting sheer insets. These eventually gave way to a more ornate series of guipure lace looks in green, pink, and gold. In spite of these striking contrasts, the collection had a uniting factor in that everything was quite ladylike, with reasonable hems and bra-friendly shapes. This was the first show I ever attended with a piped-in fragrance, and I will say, Scent of Nirvana by 12.29 smelled, you guessed it, like heaven.


Tadashi Shoji
For spring 2013, Tadashi Shoji took a tour of Venice, Kazakhstan, the Gobi Desert, and Xi'an, resulting in a sweetly feminine collection heavy on lace, particularly of the Chantilly variety. Overall, the silhouettes were a bit looser than normal (you can eat dessert!), however there were some sexy banded lace gowns, which could be the thinking woman's bandage dress. More good news for comfort lovers: The shoes were either kitten-heeled or flat. Overall, colors were bright, with blue and jade green dominating, but my favorite looks were a series of watercolor ikat-print gowns hopefully coming to a red carpet near you sometime soon.
Photos by Mina Kim

Fashion Week officially started today, but a few renegades tend to sneak onto the schedule a few days early, which I like. It's a nice way to ease into the craziness, and these early shows are often pretty low key (complete with champagne). Obakki is a Canadian contemporary line with a very global feel, but that translates into very wearable pieces—flattering printed silk draped tops for day, sexy-snug party dresses for night—finished with interesting prints and textures. Not to mention the best-looking leather leggings I've seen in awhile.

Kaelen has graduated to the tents, and for her first Lincoln Center presentation, she stayed true to her minimalist aesthetic with pure, tailored shapes; however for this outing, she stepped up her game with more luxe fabrics like liquid-looking metallic leather and even sexy black lace. I found the solid and colorblocked looks to be more refined than the wallpaper-like prints in the beginning, but it's always interesting to see how designers can push their own limits.

While I love seeing the big-name designers of New York Fashion Week, I always try to make it to a few up-and-comers' shows. After all, fashion is always about what's new, and you never know when you're going to come across the next Alexander Wang or Phillip Lim. (Case in point: Back in February 2007, I saw, and loved, a fledgling designer by the name of Jason Wu.) Of course, it's kind of a toss-up, but, hey, hope springs eternal.

Emerson is a fairly new label out of Boston; with only two previous collections under its belt, this was the line's first showing at New York Fashion Week. Designer Jackie Fraser-Swan was inspired by that old chestnut, "lightness and darkness," and while that might be a pretty vague theme, it translated into interesting mottled and tie-dyed prints and lightly textured fabrics. Less imaginative were a series of jersey pieces with bandage details—compared to the structured, tailored separates and leather items, they looked almost slapdash. Still, it was all very wearable, and definitely a promising start.

I attended Son Jung Wan's first New York show last February and decided not to write about it because, well, some things are better left unsaid. I was quite impressed, however, with her spring/summer collection, which featured dreamy metallic neutrals with interesting textures, pleating, and beaded accents. There were a lot of trapeze-type tops, which felt very light and warm-weather appropriate, as well as skirts that hit between the knee and midcalf--while pretty and undeniably feminine, the collection seemed geared toward a fairly young working woman (that is, after all, who can generally afford to buy these things), with suits for day, sparkly dresses for night, shorts for the weekend. While the collection could've benefited from some editing, you got the impression that Son Jung Wan kept coming up with more occasions for which to dress her customer and just couldn't help herself, which, like her clothing, is charming.

Kaelen Farncombe has been one of my favorite emerging designers of the past two seasons, and her latest collection pretty much solidified my impression that she's one to watch. For spring/summer, she continued to explore minimalism in an ethereal series of nude, cream, pale blue, and soft orange, with some stripes and a wallpaper print for good measure. What was most interesting to me was that she took macramé--a medium known for its bohemian hippie-dippiness--and seamlessly incorporated it into the collection. In other words, making macramé look minimalist is no small feat. Nor, it should be mentioned, is making very wearable-looking shorts, which Kaelen also did quite well. My absolute favorite look, however, was this pleated white dress, which is just so clean and simple and perfect. It's the kind of thing you'd buy for a second wedding but that you'd really want to wear again and again and again. I think the true test of a good designer is the ability to transcend trends in favor of timeless design, and if Kaelen keeps coming up with frocks like this, I'd say she'll be around for a long, long time.

Norman Ambrose
Presenting his debut collection at New York Fashion Week, Norman Ambrose has already earned comparisons to Geoffrey Beene and Norman Norell for his ladylike, well-constructed womenswear. I sensed a somewhat decadent vibe, with a '70s sportswear inspiration; the daytime looks, particularly the patterned sheath dress and belted fur-trim coat, seemed a bit more in tune with the times than his extravagant evening looks, one of which featured a totally sheer--and thus completely unwearable--chiffon blouse.




Joy Cioci
Formerly the designer of contemporary line Wink, Joy Cioci's promising New York Fashion Week debut played with textures, combining sheer layers with ruffled jackets, fur vests, and blousy sleeves. While the parts weren't exactly new, her way of putting them together was, and the result was a series of covetable head-to-toe looks.






Kaelen
Designer Kaelen Farncombe moved her minimalist aesthetic forward from spring with a True Grit–esque presentation, complete with a mechanical bull. The beautifully stark grays were still present, but she spruced things up with a little lime green, teal, and even tomato red. Especially appealing: the cozy-looking knits and languid maxi dresses.



Yoana Baraschi
Bizarre program notes aside ("an emotional journey through Virtualand"), Yoana Baraschi interpreted flora and fauna through a high-tech lens, creating things like a digital-print floral sheath dress and a shift with a snake wrapping around the front. It definitely bridged a gap between nature and technology; I found the more subtle experiments, such as a textured trench coat and strong-shouldered sheath dress, the most appealing.

Tadashi Shoji
Thank god fashion shows are only 10 minutes long max, because they are intense for everyone involved. I spend them scrutinizing the clothes, taking photos, taking notes, and thinking about the big picture, i.e. what is the point of this show and what does it all mean? (Ok, maybe my thoughts aren't that deep, but I do ponder what I'm going to write about in my review.) Thankfully, with Tadashi Shoji, you don't have to think so much, and I mean that as a total compliment. His dresses are simply beautiful, and, really, that's all there is to it. This season he was inspired by Della Francesca and Botticelli, and the result was a series of icy-cool frocks, some with an obvious draped Grecian look, others that evoked flower petals. There were gowns, sheaths, cocktail dresses, and every last one was stunning. And sometimes stunning is all you need.

Kaelen
During Fashion Week, I always try to make time to see a handful of newer designers, and so I was glad I trekked out to West Chelsea Saturday morning, in spite of a rather pounding post-Fashion's Night Out hangover, to check out Kaelen Farncombe's latest collection. It was inspired by a tornado-chasing trip, which translated into beautifully streaky silk prints in pale shades of gray. It was all very minimalist, but in spite of the rainy theme, nothing felt cold or clinical. In fact, I found myself mentally shopping the collection, from the textured sweaters to the relaxed shorts suits. One of the most promising new designers I've seen, I can't wait to see what inspires Kaelen's next collection.

Yoana Baraschi
For the spring outing of her contemporary line, Yoana Baraschi took the theme of fallen angels and translated it somewhat literally into bird prints and a dress with a tiered feather skirt. Throughout were a series of sweet printed dresses, many with ruffles and fluttery sleeves, and very wearable separates, like a tie-waist ruffled jacket and a nice pair of wide-leg linen trousers. In the contemporary world, which often chases the super-trendy customer, it's always refreshing to see a designer embracing such an overtly feminine aesthetic. I know plenty of women who enjoy dressing this way, and well, they like to shop. Now I know where to send them.