Cheryl Shops

Sunday was the halfway point of Fashion Week, and while the first four days were awesome, there's always a point soon thereafter where I start to lose it. I am a person who relishes her sleep (and her lazy weekends), so after running around all day on about 5 hours of sleep per night, by Monday I was Super Grumpy. I know, you're playing the world's smallest violin for me. I do love every minute of Fashion Week—I joke that I could watch fashion shows all day, every day—but I am human. And so I'd like to apologize to the PR girl I called "unprofessional and elitist" within earshot on Monday afternoon. Well, I still think that, but I shouldn't have said it out loud.

Carlos Miele
My day started out on a bright note—literally and figuratively—at Carlos Miele, whose pre-show was a sleepy affair until Vanessa Williams, Daisy Fuentes, and Paula Abdul (yes, Straight Up Paula Abdul) breezed in and were promptly mobbed by paparazzi. As for the action on the runway, Miele's notes cited a hallucinatory jungle, and that's a fairly accurate way to describe his lively collection. Giraffe, zebra, and leopard prints mixed and mingled, sometimes all in one dress, and Miele achieved the remarkable feat of making the color green look sexy. Then again, Miele makes pretty much everything look sexy, particularly his asymmetrically ruched dresses that create the most flattering effect across the hips and derriere. And Miele knows exactly what to do with that area—he is Brazilian, after all.

Marimekko
Its Brattle Street store in Cambridge was the hotspot for Radcliffe students in the '60s and '70s, but in recent years, the Finnish label Marimekko has been more widely known in this country for its home textiles (which are available in Crate & Barrel, for one). But for spring, fashion is a big focus for the company, with adorable shift dresses in relaxed shapes and bold, colorful prints. Fun clothes aside, this show was notable for two reasons: One, all the models were smiling. Two, it featured three "vintage" supermodels: Carol Alt, Pat Cleveland, and Carmen Dell'Orefice, all of whom were featured in the excellent recent HBO documentary about models, About Face, which I would highly recommend watching if you haven't already. The smiles and the models were a bit on the gimmicky side, but both made me smile, and, like I said earlier, by the fifth day of Fashion Week, a little happiness goes a long way.



Reem Acra

Continuing on the sexy streak she started last season (complete with a similar glossy black runway on which guests were not allowed to tread), Reem Acra showed a sleek collection of mostly midnight blue, white, red, and gold inspired by artist Aaron Young's motorcycle-inspired works. There were no biker jackets or otherwise obvious references; instead, Acra showed dangerously sexy sleek sheaths with sheer side cutouts, perforated leather day dresses, and lots of fluid pants and jumpsuits. But with all of Reem Acra shows, the gowns that closed the show were the main attraction, utilizing sheer fabrics, some as cutouts, some whipped into frothy ball gowns and embroidered with metallic thread or beads. They glittered, and any star would be smart to snap them up for the red carpet.

Libertine
I managed to miss or intentionally skip five shows in the afternoon, so I figured I'd end the day by stopping by the Libertine show at Pier 57, as it tends to be a fun one. (Note to self: Anything at Pier 57, at 11th Avenue and 15th Street, does not involve "stopping by" due to the considerable three-block crosstown walk from the subway.) And while I got there 25 minutes before the scheduled end date, I managed to see only the last two looks. So, here's one of 'em. Looks like I missed a pretty good party.

I wish all fashion shows were like Libertine: guests were given free drinks, everyone had an unassigned front-row seat, and the models got to totally camp it up on the runway—they smiled, they danced, they pretended to drink and smoke. It was the most fun I'd had at a show in awhile (and will likely be the most fun I have all week). As for the clothes, whereas last season designer Johnson Hartig embraced all manner of wacky color, this season he went for a primarily black-and-white palette, though still with a madcap mishmash of prints. Like the models, he seems to be having a great time, and such enthusiasm is contagious.

I was really excited to be invited to Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. for the first time—until, that is, I saw the line to get in (one guest likened it to 'Nam). And considering Stefani wasn't present (she was reportedly in California, recording), I'm not sure what all the fuss was about. The collection read like Gwen's greatest hits: cargo jumpsuits, ikat-print maxi dresses, stripes, menswear-inspired shorts. The shoes and bags, however—bright, strappy platforms for the former, colorblocked totes and clutches for the latter—looked, as Stefani would say, hella good.


Callula Lillibelle is a line that's been around for a few seasons, but, to me, hasn't had a very strong identity until now. Originally launched as a work-friendly line, designer William Calvert seems to be having much more fun now, perhaps targeting a more fashion-friendly customer. The spring line carried a slight 1950s Elizabeth Taylor vibe, with innocent polka-dots mingling with slim-fitting sheath dresses, sexy lace tops, and brocade separates. It was put together in a fresh way, with modern neon accents and a refreshing mix of prints. It was all very wearable (in fact, even moreso than before), proving that it's not enough to give women what they need—you have to give them what they want as well.

Walter Baker presented his spring collection on the rooftop of the Empire Hotel, which, if you watch Gossip Girl, is where Chuck Bass resides and presides. I really like Walter—I find it just edgy enough to still be widely appealing, but I felt sad for the clothes, which seemed like a total afterthought to the utter chaos (earpiece-wielding doormen, open bar, reality TV cameras, party crashers) surrounding them. My favorite pieces were a series of sheer dresses and tops, some layered with snug jackets in leather or tweed. Then again, I'm not sure I even saw the whole collection—the crowd had swallowed all the run-of-show sheets by the time I arrived, and I wasn't about to fight for one. Sometimes, as the song goes, you got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run. And run I did.

Where & When: Saturday, February 12 at 10 a.m., Exit Art
Runway Recap: Libertine's fall collection played with permutations of cross-hatched prints, saturated colors, sequins & shimmer, grayscale, and abrupt pants hems. Each ensemble brought a burst of charisma to the runway, despite the models' neutral presentation. Some of the grayscale outfits resembled newsprint or a canvas with paint roller marks across it.
Standout Look: Printed red/blue samurai wrap with larger-than-life puff sleeves.
Bonus Points: Vibrant high-heeled oxfords paired with shimmery printed tights! I would love to rock this look in real life.
Where to Buy: Find store locations here.

MasstigeWatch!
When I first reported back in March on Libertine as Target's next Go International designer, I must admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by the collection. It seemed like a Vivienne Westwood-lite mix of punky and preppy, with a little Victorian thrown in--three genres I tend to stay away from. Now that the collection is live, however, I have completely changed my tune: It is damn cool, a vast improvement over the ho-hum Patrick Robinson collection, and quite possibly one of the best Go International collections to date. The strange punk-prep-Victorian vibe is still there, but it all somehow works. The looks, which seem more British-inspired to me than anything else, are presented as either East Coast or West Coast; when viewed this way, I definitely prefer the East Coast looks, but there is something for everyone in both.

A lot of the items have trendy graphic prints--skulls, birds, etc.--but I like the starkness of this tree-print tee.


These bermudas have a bat print that makes them a bit more edgy than your typical short--J.Crew bermudas these are not.


I'm not quite sure that I could pull off this military jacket, but I love its rock-and-roll look.


But not everything in the collection is so casual--I was surprised by how sophisticated many of the pieces are, like this gorgeous crepe dress.


This subtly sexy tank dress looks like Alaia!


There are several secretary-esque tie-neck blouses, but I like this one better--it almost looks like (dare I say?) Chanel.


And, of course, it wouldn't be a Go International collection without "signature prints"--Libertine's turns up in a shirt and in this delicious silk scarf--a bargain at $16.99.


Also, I should note that the Devi Kroell bags are now live, and judging by the customer reviews thus far, the bags appear to be very well made considering the circumstances. I think I'm going to order the Anthracite hobo. For $34.99, why not?