New York Fashion Week Fall 2008 Edit
Highlights (SUPER GALLERY)

Fashion Week in New York City has officially wrapped up with the last of the Fall 2008 collections shown yesterday. Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Sean John and Ralph Lauren ended the week on a very high note.

Designers, journalists and buyers have to pack up quickly to jet to Europe as London Fashion Week starts tomorrow, running from February 10 - 15. Before that happens, we thought we’d give you a recap of the highlights from the NYC shows, including a video from the Marc Jacobs show.

Highlights from Friday’s shows:

Project Runway - Heidi Klum introduced the top five designers from the hit TV show, Sweet P, Chris March, Jillian Lewis, Rami Kashou and Christian Siriano, starting the day at 9 a.m. at the tents. Other judges included Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Victoria Beckham as a guest. The collection was very high fashion, with extreme shapes like pointed hips, big belts and elegant hats like fedoras. Meryl Streep was seated front row, which was quite an amusing blast back to The Devil Wears Prada.

“The Project Runway fashion show was the hottest ticket of Fashion Week, blending the worlds of couture, entertainment and television with spectacular 15-minutes-of-fame results,” the Dallas News wrote.

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Marc Jacobs - The blue haired designer, notorious for being late, starting his show 10 minutes after his scheduled start time, which isn’t bad compared to past collections which have started more than two hours late. Jacobs turned the concert stage on the 26th Street Armory into quite the spectable, with models parading alongside a surprise Sonic Youth rock concert. Show goers in cabaret seating included Victoria Beckham, Kevin Federline and Selma Blair who sipped on champagne at cafe style tables while taking in the dominantly pastel fashions, quite an odd colour palette for fall. Marc Jacobs repeated the concept of hidden faces like in his print ads and sent some of the models out with veiled faces.

The eccentric designer showed pieces that looked much like pajama pants along with bathrobe style garments, a post-bed, spa-like look that did expressed high levels of relaxation. “We were creating glamour and beauty,” Jacobs said. “And calm.”

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Ralph Lauren - The show took place at Skylight Studio and reintroduced the countryside elegance, complete with feathered caps, we spotted at Carolina Herrera’s show, yet Lauren’s would transition much easier into modern day wardrobes. It was very sophisticated, with a prominently dark colour palette of blacks and navy accented by red and gold with the odd piece of green. There was also quite a bit of plaid, a welcome print for cooler months, but one you have to be careful with. Too much and you look like a picnic blanket, but when put together like the one outfit in the gallery featuring a red and black plaid shirt with a belted knee-length skirt, it can look quite stunning.

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Tadashi Shoji - The noon show at the Promenade was covered well by NY1 which had this to say, “Tadashi Shoji went from day to night with ease in his 2008 collection, which features shimmering fabrics in luscious jewel-tone shades and shoulder-baring styles. ‘Embroidery with special beading, our fabric is rich silk satin,’ said Shoji.”

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Carmen Marc Valvo - While Valvo is a favourite of celebrities like Beyoncé, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Oprah Winfrey, Kim Cattrall, Queen Latifah and Vanessa Williams, his design style has won the hearts of non-celebrity clients too. One of the reasons for the popularity is the ease of alternation for his gowns; they can be made to fit big bust just as well as they can for surf-board chests. His Fall 2008 collection clearly showed he was on board the feather trend too as seen at Carolina Herrera and Ralph Lauren; Valvo showed quite a few ways to use ostrich and pheasant feathers. One theme was seen throughout—flattering fashion. Every piece was well tailored and showed off the female silhouette in an exceptional way. Thick, black belts made multiple appearances as did a couple of corsette style tops which looked surprisingly sophisticated with the pairing of blazers.

“It’s kind of just the look, the iconic image of Elizabeth Taylor wearing the slip and throwing the fur coat on and running out of the house,” said Valvo. “So lingerie became the basis of the collection.”

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Donna Karan Collection - The show, which took place at 711 Greenwich Street, was surprisingly unflattering, with lots of ballooning silhouettes, slouchy fashions and asymmetrical designs. Animal rights activists were displeased at her use of fur; PETA showed up at her DKNY show earlier in the week and then one activist from the group went so far as to enter Donna Karan’s private New York apartment, armed with a DVD on the cruelties of the fur trade. “I can’t watch this now. I have somewhere to be . . . I just really don’t have the time,” Jossip quoted her telling the PETA rep.

“When the PETA lady protested, Karan said, ‘I’ve seen all these [videos], but for me it’s just purses and accessories.’

Uh-oh. That probably wasn’t a good response. Had her Friday show been stellar, she could have probably made up for her blooper, but the show, heavy on lazy draping of fabric, wasn’t a performance to rescue her verbal faux pas. Like many designers, she too marched peculiar pajama pants down the runway.

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Sean John - P Diddy closed fashion week with an extravagant men’s show at Cipriani on 42nd Street using, as we reported earlier, all African American models included surprise catwalker, Tyson Beckford.

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs will show a collection that tells the tale of a prince in the year 2020 who discovers himself through love and war as he ascends to the great leader he is destined to be,” a pre-show press release revealed. “This journey is reflected on the runway through his wardrobe which progresses from impulsive rebel to warrior to lover and finally to ruler. Taking inspiration from icons as diverse as Grace Jones, James Bond, and David Bowie, Combs’ designs for Fall 2008 will feature precise tailoring and sophistication in both silhouette and fabric.”

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The entire week in review:

New York Fashion Week Fall 2008 Coverage - Day 7 (VIDEO)

There may only be one day left of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, but the energy in New York City hasn’t even come close to dieing down. Today’s schedule was jam-packed with world class designers and the people who came to take in their shows. Collections shown on February 7 were Tony Cohen, Vera Wang, … [More]

New York Fashion Week Fall 2008 Coverage - Day 6 (VIDEO)

The buzz around Fashion Week is still high with shows flooded by journalists, fashion buyers and of course stylish VIPs and celebrities. Showing on February 6th were Malan Breton, Nanette Lepore, Michael Kors, Milly by Michelle Smith, Carlos Miele, Anna Sui, Richard Chair, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Temper… [More]

New York Fashion Week Fall 2008 Coverage - Day 5 (VIDEO)

Designers showing their collections at NYC Fashion Week today included Badgley Mischka, Monique Lhuillier and the much anticipated Diesel label. After the first four days of Mercedes-Benz Fall 2008 Fashion Week, several trends are beginning to reveal themselves as the final designers show their id… [More]

New York Fashion Week Fall 2008 Coverage - Day 4 (VIDEO)

Day four of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City has come and gone, but not without creating some major buzz over incredibly covetable looks for the Fall 2008 season. The first show of the day was Peter Som at the Promenade at 9 a.m. followed by Carolina Herrera. After that, R. Scott Fr… [More]

New York Fashion Week Fall 2008 Coverage - Day 3 (VIDEO)

The third most fashionable day of 2008 so far took place in NYC for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week today. Designers showing their Fall 2008 collections on February 3, 2008 included a diverse mix of international talent. The afternoon shows still drew in crowds despite the Super Bowl, but turn-up probabl… [More]

New York Fashion Week Fall 2008 Coverage - Day 2 (VIDEO)

February 2, 2008 was another outstanding day in the world of fashion reveals at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City. Celebrities, VIPs and the world’s top fashion journalists gathered to take in the dazzling new designs by the world’s most renowned designers. Starting off the day at … [More]

New York Fashion Week 2008 Coverage - Day 1 (VIDEO)

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week kicked off in New York City today. For the next few days, the tents at Bryant Park will be a haven for fashionistas, with the world’s top designers gathering to show their wares to some of the globe’s most discerning fashion journalists and A-list celebrities. The even… [More]