Cheryl Shops

Jill Stuart
Remember the other day when I mentioned how Mina got invited to some awesome shows? Count Jill Stuart among them. For fall, Stuart showed a lot of party dresses, many of them in interesting textures, and many of them in black—by the way, for fall 2013, black is the new black. Really.

 And while many designers have gone back to black for fall, Son Jung Wan opted for anything but, starting with pale nude and cream, dabbling in camel and beige, and finishing in rich shades of teal, burgundy, and violet. As usual, she used a luxurious range of materials, from cozy-looking wool bouclé to fur, including a deliciously extravagant top made out of mink, but her silhouette has become closer to the body and her pieces finished with beautiful raw-edged seams or just enough fur trim. None of these looks would be out of place on the Upper East Side; if only one could buy them in the U.S...

Noon by Noor
A relatively new line, Noon by Noor is designed by two Bahraini sisters, but from the look of their fall 2013 collection, you'd never know. In rich shades of navy, forest green, and burgundy, the show had a very '70s Love Story vibe with great-looking capes, the best tie-neck blouses I've seen in awhile, and interesting takes on plaid—a element that's popping up on nearly every runway so far this season. And while I associate Noon by Noor with eveningwear, it comprised only a small part of the show, however ,beautifully translating that plaid motif into a glittery velvet and chiffon gown, and ending with some dramatic red silk gowns, some delicately embroidered, others dramatically sculpted. It makes me somewhat sad to think that such beautiful clothes will probably only be worn indoors by many of Noon by Noor's clients, but then again, women dress for each other most of the time anyway, don't they?


Nautica


Mina had a rough first day on the photo riser—being a newbie with a not-terribly-prestigious publication (hey, we're not Style.com), she kept ending up at the front or on the ground, perched in uncomfortable positions that she had to hold for an hour. Kind of like a model! Anyway, Mina bought a folding stool on her way home last night, and today she was happy as a clam. (Or a turtle, as her stool is called.) Then again, if you were shooting hotties at the Nautica show, you would be too! As for the clothes, they're pretty solid if you like 'em clean-cut, cool, and all-American. Which I do.




Monika Chiang
 Launched in 2011, Monika Chiang already has a store in Soho and a healthy e-commerce business; the fact that her boyfriend, Chris Burch, a.k.a. the former Mr. Tory Burch, is her chief investor may have something to do with it. And while it's definitely not fair to compare the two designers, it's kind of unavoidable—Tory Burch is the Park Avenue divorcée, Monika Chiang is the hot downtown nightlife denizen (really—she used to be a nightclub manager). And thus her line has things that sexy young women want to wear: leather leggings, body-conscious dresses, sheer tops. There's a definite tough vibe that runs throughout; the woman who wears these clothes may bring a man home from the club, but she might not let him stay the night. Be forewarned, Mr. Burch—you're not on Park Avenue anymore.





Rebecca Minkoff


I remember, not too long ago, when Rebecca Minkoff used to present her new collections in her showroom near Union Square; now her shows are a full-blown runway affair with live music (this season: Wild Cub) in the Theater, the biggest venue at Lincoln Center. I feel like I've been a part of her rise to fame, but maybe that's just because I have a particular weakness for her bags. And bags aside, every time I see one of her shows, I remember how great her clothes are too. For fall, in particular, there were toggle coats in everything from colorblocked wool to sleek black leather. The collection had a strong grungy undercurrent, with vintage-looking sweatshirts, nubby wools, and abstract plaids, all of which seemed more in line with Minkoff's core customer than the Balenciaga-esque bright sculptural pieces at the end of the show. But you want to know about the bags, don't you? They looked great, with Minkoff updating her signature styles in cool colorblocked motifs and shimmery finishes. Never forget your first love, right?


Nicole Miller


I always joke every season about Nicole Miller's program notes, which are often kind of a haiku. For fall, she cited menswear with a twist, a woman borrowing her boyfriend's clothes and softening them up. And while there was a lot of tailoring, with much of the collection in bad-girl black, I got a strong grunge vibe with a series of floral-jacquard, fur, leather, and burnout velvet, which puts Miller right in line with the trends emerging thus far this season. A lot of the pieces were very body-concious—think snug dresses and fantastic-looking skinny pants—while others were fluid and diaphanous, but the best looks in the show mixed both of those elements, which I guess was the "softening it up & mixing it up" that Miller alluded to. See, sometimes those crazy manifestos really do make sense!


Noon by Noor, Nautica, and Monika Chiang photos by Mina Kim. 

Nicholas K
Every time I see a Nicholas K show, I think, I want to be that girl. For fall 2013, that girl is wearing draped sweaters and tops layered underneath parkas or biker jackets with some nubby knits and fuzzy mohair sweaters thrown in for good measure. That girl looks cool, and sometimes even a bit sexy in interestingly draped dresses, some of which had subtly sexy sheer insets. There were some outstanding leather-trim swing coats and paneled leather leggings too, but what I really want to talk about are the pants, a slouchy silhouette somewhere between leggings and sweatpants. Can we please make sweatpants for day happen? I mean, that girl is doing it—why can't I?




BCBG Max Azria

In my jaded old age, I've given up on requesting invites to certain shows, but Mina, who is only on her second season of having a press pass, is much more fearless than I am, and thus she's on the riser at some primo shows this season, many of which I've never even covered before, and some, like BCBG, that I haven't attended in years. Well, BCBG, it's good to be back, especially when it's filled with enticing prints, fantastic furs, and sexy leathers like this.


Kimberly Ovitz
Here's how Kimberly Ovitz's show notes began: "Through observing the human psyche and natural defenses that manifest mentally and physically, Ovitz explored the intricacies of the illusional protection systems seen in animals and insects." And they say fashion people are airheads. The Cliff's Notes version is this: insects. That meant sculptural outerwear, otherworldly liquid metallics, sexy fluid layers with dangerous-looking lace accents peeking out, and abstract prints that hinted at exotic creatures. It was all strong and sexy and mysterious—pass the venom, please.



Timo Weiland
Fashion week is such a three-ring circus, with celebrities and free stuff and photographers and beautiful people, that sometimes you forget why you're there. At Timo Weiland, Mina first texted me to tell me about the gift bags (thong underwear and nail polish!) and then the live band. What about the clothes, I wondered. Oh yeah, those! For fall, Weiland continued exploring menswear-inspired classics in rich-looking windowpane plaids for day and sweet flared-skirt dresses, sometimes with cutouts, sometimes in fancy brocade fabrics, for night—and all definitely worth paying attention to.



Concept Korea

In Korea, you can order groceries from the subway, and, well, there's also this. In addition to being Mina's motherland, Korea is also home to a booming fashion industry, represented at New York Fashion Week by the five designers in Concept Korea's show. There was ChoiBoko, whose black, white, and red appliquéd pieces looked like something your artsy aunt would wear; Cres. e Dim. (periods his), whose harnessed pieces evoked the Matrix while his aggravating music provoked my headache; Son Jung Wan, a NYFW regular whose show we'll be covering on Saturday (and whose polished line was the most appealing to me); Lie Sang Bong, whose placed graphic prints evoked either Spider-Man or Tron (take your pick!); and finally Kye, who has clearly been watching Yo! MTV Raps reruns, as evidenced by the graffiti prints, B-boy caps, and copious amounts of hot-mustard and turquoise hues. Heeeeey, sexy lady!

The weather outside is frightful, but the champagne inside is so delightful: That's right, New York Fashion Week has begun! Mina & I are all credentialed up and ready to race all around town for the next week, so stay tuned. To kick off our coverage, we hit two presentations on this first (unofficial) day of the Fall-Winter 2013 collections. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

WHIT
Whitney Pozgay's fledgling WHIT line is quickly carving out a niche in the contemporary world with retro-classic staples like pleated skirts, tie-neck blouses, and shift dresses. This season's collection was inspired by a young Marianne Faithfull, which translated into a very '60s-mod interpretation of her signature pieces. There were interesting, rich textures like metallic coating on wool and cutout detailing around the hem of a dress, complemented by animal-print haircalf accessories. Also spotted: the first (and surely not the last) peplum skirts of the season. Mina & I were particularly taken with the pleated leather skirt and ruffled shift dress pictured here.


Gilded Age
Mina hates it when I ask her what she thought of a show and then quote her here, so I will let her file names speak for themselves: The first picture below is called "nunchuks1" and the second is "smoulder1". My take: Gilded Age's clothes are cool enough that they don't need to resort to weird theatrics like props and Blue Steel. As for the collection, according to the show notes, it was inspired by a post-apocalyptic metaphorical journey—I'll let you digest that one for a bit.


All photos by Mina Kim. 

I am very particular about my hair color. Very. And with good reason: I have to wear my hair every day, so it needs to be exactly right. The person I entrust to do my color perfectly is Kimberly Cutter at Marie Robinson Salon; I used to see Marie herself up until she had a baby and reduced her working hours greatly, and I'm now convinced it might be easier to get an appointment with President Obama. Anyway, I love Kimberly, because she never says no when I ask her to make me blonder. Also, she always wears great stuff. When I was at the salon on Saturday, I noticed a supercool bracelet on her wrist; it was a Christmas present from her boyfriend, but she picked it out and made him buy it on the spot, which made me love her even more, because I totally have to do the same thing with MW when he buys presents for me. The bracelet in question is the screw cuff by Miansai, which is a line of unisex, utilitarian, nautical-inspired jewelry designed by Michael Saiger and seen on the wrists of incredibly chic people. You do have to screw it on, and it's a bit on the heavy side—think of it as a less flashy Cartier love bracelet—but I love how simple and sculptural it looks. The bracelet comes in four different finishes, from utilitarian brass for $165 to sterling silver for $355, although I'm most interested in the gold-plated version. In case you're reading this, MW, my birthday is less than a month away and I'll need a size small...

Love it or hate it, the color authorities at Pantone have dubbed emerald the 2013 Color of the Year... and while that doesn't mean you have to love it, some of our favorite brands that have been embracing this year's hottest shade make it rather difficult not to! From luxe totes to compact cross-body bags, and of course, plenty of added embellishments for all you stud-lovers out there, emerald seems to be all the rage in the handbag realm this year so far. Emerald serves as a fun pop of color for almost any ensemble – solids and prints alike – and isn't limited to certain seasons. Rock them now with your cozy sweaters and skinny jeans, and later when summer hits with your favorite sun dress. Sure, these gorgeous emerald purse picks may be a bit of a splurge, but they're so gorgeous and versatile, you'll be making friends green with envy for the rest of the year and beyond! Pictured above: Michael Kors Python Gia Stud Clutch, Coach Legacy Leather Penny Shoulder Purse, Chloe Marcie Mini Leather Shoulder Bag, Jil Sander Emerald Leather New Malavoglia Bag, and Tory Burch 'Robinson' Double Zip Leather Tote. —Alexandra Gambardella

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