I look forward to Tadashi Shoji’s shows for many reasons. His designs are wearable. The gowns are seldom too tight, too transparent, too short, too revealing or over the top. It’s highly likely that you’ll feel fab AND comfortable wearing a Tadashi Shoji piece (bear that in mind when you next look for formalwear). I often fit Tadashi Shoji gowns onto my clients so it’s fun to see his catwalk designs six months before they hit the stores. However, the collection that Tadashi shows at Fashion Week is just a fraction of the designs that end up at retail. This legendary designer is successful and prolific!

The flavour of this collection took me straight back to the ’20s, 30s and ’40s. Very retro, glam and oh-so-different to the body conscious items that have been on the catwalks and in stores for many seasons. Although these aren’t my favourite fashion eras, I can certainly appreciate the vibe and am all for it.

Tadashi usually incorporates a lot of neutrals, metallics and pastels into his collections, and this season was no different. Yet colours like red, dark cobalt and bottle green featured just as strongly and made for a nice change. Even Mr. Shoji wore an orange pullover over an apple green top for his show. Colour continues to be a strong theme in fashion at the moment. 

His designs are generally soft, feminine and romantic. The fabrications ranged from wispy chiffons and satins, to stretchy mesh, crepes and all sorts of velvet. And OF COURSE there is lots of lace. Lace edging, lace trim, lace fabrication and lace overlaid onto mesh. 

I liked how ruffles took a backseat in favour of tiers and pleats. There were countless tiers on these designs and I loved the way they added a graceful movement to the garments. Seeing them in motion made them look even better. I also appreciated the hem length variations. The shortest dress was just a little above the knee, while the rest were knee-length, midi or maxi. Some of the hemlines were asymmetrical. 

The variation in bodice styling was also great. Some were very fitted, while others blousoned with a typical ’20s dropped waist effect. It was a breath of fresh air to see dresses with sleeves, high necklines and intricate back detailing. I also enjoyed the ombre skirts, the low hair buns on the models, waistless silhouettes and sandals worn with dainty hosiery. 

The gown below was my favourite gown of the collection. It was not the most eye catching runway design, but its classic and retro integrity will stand the test of time. I would happily make space for it in my own wardrobe, wearing it with a pile of chunky pearls, sheer textured black hose and bright red shoes for formal occasions. Perhaps mixing it up with ballet flats and a faded denim jacket for a more casual occassion. Matching it with low heeled cream booties and a cropped leather jacket would also tickle my fancy. I really want that frock.

Go to our New York Fashion Week Page to see all of our coverage, including a photo stream and live Twitter updates from Angie.

The first day of Fall 2012 fashion week has arrived! We’ll be posting about the shows and my outfits throughout the week and that coverage will start tomorrow. Today: a quick post to kick things off.

These days we do a lot of fashion week coverage on YLF, but that isn’t actually the original reason we started attending. It was more about seeing the shows up close and getting to grips with the trends that are on their way to retail. For my own interest, but also so that I can be a more effective fashion stylist for my clients.

So after many years of watching fashion week from afar, we decided to attend the Fall 2010 shows in person. Although Greg brought his camera to the first show, Georges Chakra at his best, we had no expectation of actually getting decent photos. But we did, and we felt that Greg’s perspective was different enough to all the other fashion week coverage that it was worth publishing them along with my thoughts on the show. Covering the shows is tiring and time consuming, but it’s also exhilarating and we have a lot of fun doing it.

And of course, fashion week is very entertaining. Lots of celebrities and eye popping fashion as people pull out all the stops to make an impression. Often the fashion in the tents and on the street is every bit as interesting as the fashion on the runway. I also really enjoy taking the afternoon a few days before we travel to pull together my own outfits for the week. I rarely have the time to mess around in my closet and consider it a real treat.

Finalizing our show schedule for fashion week is quite an art. Because of time contraints, we will only cover a small fraction of fashion week here on YLF. We don’t get invited to all of the shows. And logistically we can’t possibly even attend all of the shows that we are invited to. I try to combine some of my favorites, like Carlos Miele and Tadashi Shoji, with designers that I haven’t seen before. I am particularly excited for this fashion week because we’ll be seeing several “new to me” designers like Costello & Tagliapetra, Reem Acra, Jenny Packham and Joanna Mastroianni. There will also be several shows that I attend, but that we don’t have time to cover. And I will watch a lot of the shows on gigantic screens in the tent while waiting in line.

Although I don’t see absolutely everything, I end up watching about 40 shows in one form or another. I do get completely immersed in the fashion, both on the runways and on the streets, and come out of the week feeling like I have a handle on what we have to look forward to over the next couple of seasons. I pull together a final “trends for next season” post to sum up my interpretations of the shows. I thoroughly enjoy this analysis because it takes me back to my much loved fashion buying days. 

And it won’t all be shows. We have some meetings lined up and we’ll get to see some special friends. Some will be at the YLF gathering on Saturday and I’m super excited to hug old friends and meet new ones. Greg and I also love soaking up the magic of Manhattan by walking virtually everywhere and eating glorious food. 

In the past, Greg and I would always ask ourselves whether we could justify the expense of fashion week. Flights, hotel and meals in NYC add up quickly. This time, however, we are very fortunate to have eBay Fashion as our fashion week coverage sponsor. Thank you eBay, and thanks to all our friends at Federated Media who helped to set this up.

I love bouncy full skirts that are on or just over the knee because they make a great change to a sleek pencil skirt. The way full skirts move and swoosh as you stride is a comforting as well as comfortable feeling. I also think they look elegant, dressed either up and down. 

Although I am all for happy full skirts, they have their drawbacks:

• It’s a LOT of skirt and there is no way of getting around that no matter how well it drapes. There is drama and volume all at once, especially when it’s in a loud happy pattern.
• The voluminous aspect can make you feel larger than your true size. In other words, it’s “too pouffy”. There are ways of adding sleekness to the silhouette if you are mindful of the design details. Choose a style that has a fitted bask (examples #2, #3 and my own bright skirt), as opposed to a style where the gathering or flare starts directly from the waistband (examples #1 and #4).
• Full skirts can be twee and overly feminine. This style screams “lady-like” and although that’s one of the reasons I like them so much, the effect is sickeningly sweet to others. The good news is that you can add a tougher edge to the look, which is another way I like to wear my full skirts. Think of mixing it up with denim, leather and distressed footwear. 
• This type of skirt looks best with a tucked in top, which is a drawback to those who dislike tucking. There are ways of wearing un-tucked tops with full skirts, so don’t let that put you off the style (a topic for another day). 

You’re in luck if you like full skirts, because they are making a fashion statement this season. That being said, the retro integrity of this type of skirt is always in style and stands the test of time. Full skirts are trendy right now, but to my eye are classics at heart.

I’m talking about buttoning up soft drapey blouses and more rigid button down shirts all the way to the top of the neckline as seen in these photos. I LOVE this look and vote with a big fat yay. To my eye the effect is modern and cool. 

I’ve been wearing this look with both blouses and shirts since the ’80s and often pop the collar as well as buttoning right up to the top. Recently, I like to wear my shirts and blouses buttoned up more frequently because I can skip accessories like scarves and necklaces, and still look interesting. And although I wear my scarves and pearl necklaces, wearing very few or no accessories is one of my current style goals.     

My regular sized bust, long neck and very short hair work with a buttoned up look. I am also a huge shirt-and-blouse-gal, so it’s no wonder that the aesthetic appeals to me. But I get that its not everyone’s cup of tea. Understandably, some will find a buttoned up look restrictive, uncomfortable, overly strict, unfeminine, conservative, unflattering and frumpy.

Would you wear a buttoned up shirt or blouse? If it’s not for you, can you appreciate this look on others. Or does it look awful no matter what.