Fashion Week Fall 2011 Previews
Fashion Week has officially kicked off. But how can we get through the days waiting for our favorite collections to walk? By indulging in the biannual ritual of previews.
First looks, inspirational phrases, sketches, and more are par for the course and help whet our appetites for runway shows.
FashionEtc rounded up the best pre-show coverage for your reading pleasure.
Vogue.com went sneak-peek crazy, giving readers a glimpse of Vena Cava ("We dug out all our old fashion magazines from the early ’90s,” designer Lisa Mayock said of the collection's influence). The site also offered up shots of Vena Cava's inspiration board and one look from the Fall 2011 collection.
“It’s effortless chic,” Lubov Azria told Vogue.com of the Fall 2011 BCBG Max Azria collection. “Everything is very relaxed.” The season is about being able to change looks easily, she went on, with layering being key. For those who can’t wait for the show, a couple dresses are featured as well as accessories.
Vogue also headed over to Organic by John Patrick’s studio for a preview. “She’s young but sophisticated and wants an older, more romantic experience of dressing,” the designer said, explaining his vision.
Style.com opted for sketches from the ever-popular Prabal Gurung, who told the site he drew on “romantic styles seen throughout Victorian times with a slightly savage, streetwise edge” for the season. We couldn’t help but love the site’s Fashion Week survival must-haves from industry insiders like Pat McGrath and Giovanna Battaglia.
Glamour's Slaves to Fashion blog scored designer sketches and inspirational phrases (in five words or less) from Tommy Hilfiger (“Global prep”), Cynthia Rowley (“Fragility, luxury, decadence”), Jason Wu (“Exploration of Raw Opulence”), Betsey Johnson (“Mid-evil, multi-mixed, modern-mod”), and more.
Refinery29’s glimpse into designers’ worlds yielded more musical results. The Lake and Stars designers jammed with Caroline Polachek of Chairlift, whom they commissioned to do music for their show. And the site let slip that Peter Kember (or Sonic Boom) will perform at United Bamboo.
Of course, no Fashion Week would be complete without Fashionista.com’s Mad Libs. Thus far we’ve been offered Billy Reid, Tracy Reese, Karen Walker, and others. More interesting than the answers is seeing the designers’ penmanship. Next up: handwriting analysis!
W Editors’ Blog spent time with Band of Outsiders’s Scott Sternberg, eyeing his prints and talking inspiration. The blog also headed over to Thakoon’s studio, giving an eyeful of his inspiration board, a couple dress fittings, and the designer having some fun.
If these aren't enough for you, take heart—with a little patience, you too will get through this week.
