Yesterday, our last day in New York City, was not a Fashion Week day. Instead of going to shows, I spent the day shopping with a friend and we had a fabulous time. 

I kept it smart casual with a combination that is very much a uniform. I paired dark wash skinny jeans with a soft boxy animal print silk blouse and comfy low heeled pumps. The same gold watch and bone bag finished off the outfit. This was the same ensemble that I had worn to the YLF gathering last Saturday, only this time I added the faux fur waistcoat and left off the pendant necklace.

The weather was balmy and mild in the morning, but got cool and wet as the day progressed. I can’t stress enough how practical this outfit is for both traveling and traipsing around the city. I’ve worn this blouse a few times this week, sometimes changing into it at night for casual supper with Greg. It’s virtually wrinkle-free and I haven’t pressed it at all. This type of blouse stays looking fresh and polished the whole day because of the stellar fabric, good cut, and great drape. The pattern is also forgiving of stains and perspiration marks. And above all, the boxy fit is breezy and comfortable. 

The faux fur waistcoat is proving to be a versatile and practical piece. It’s also crease resistant and adds just the right layer of warmth as we transition into Autumn. My polka dot umbrella is always in reach.

Most of the shows I’ve seen at this season’s Spring Fashion Week have emphasized soft, flowing clothing. But the harder edge is also present. Two shows I’ve attended, Herve Leger by Max Azria and this Improvd presentation, and others that I’ve seen on the big screens in the tents of Fashion Week, keep the hard edged trend alive. 

Improvd showed it’s collection through a presentation, where the models stand in place and onlookers can walk around the presentation room and examine the ensembles. Although the presentation format allows you to see the items from closer up, I prefer the runway shows because of the beat of the music and the movement of the clothing. Still, the change is nice.

The collection used soft forest greens, jade and shades of red with grey, black, cream and taupe in both solids and abstract patterns. There was lots of juxtaposition of woven leather with soft silks, shiny satin, and slubby knits. You can’t see the bottoms of the garments here because it was impossible to take full length photos, but the models were wearing drapey cropped harem pants, slouchy trousers, and maxi or midi skirts.

What immediately struck me was how most of the items here are completely wearable. In fact, the presentation looked like a great lineup for Shopbop.com. Take away the morbid make-up, arm henna, and theatrical hair styles, add in a few mainstream pieces like skinny jeans and pumps, and voila! Totally wearable, albeit fashion forward. 

I really enjoyed this collection. There was a harder edge, but it was mixed with soft, pretty pieces, which I think is in keeping with the main trends for next season.

After wearing neutrals for three days in a row, I felt like wearing colour. So out came the orangey-red pencil skirt that I wore on the first day of fashion week, only this time I paired it with a black lace shirt complete with cuff links. This was my other recent Anne Fontaine purchase, and Greg’s favourite piece at the time. With the abundance of lace and orange shown here at Fashion Week, I felt on-trend. 

My leopard print booties have been foot-heaven so I popped them back on with this outfit. I like combining tailored booties with bare legs and skirts or dresses, but also understand if that’s not to your liking. I added a light handbag to pick up the colour of my hair, part of the leopard print, and contrast against the black lace shirt.

Specs and watch were all the accessories I needed because the individual pieces and their luscious fabrications make a strong statement on their own. I also left off the necklace because it took away from the clean lines of the collar. Ordinarily, I would have added another colour close to my face to soften the harshness of the black. But my skin grinning through the lace helped break up the black of the shirt, as did the white rims on my specs.

These photos were taken on the Upper West Side on the way back to our hotel from an appointment in Midtown. We had just walked 35 blocks in warm humid weather so I’m not at my freshest in these photos. But that’s quite okay because we so enjoy walking through the city.

This was an interesting show and at first I didn’t quite know what to make of it. I thought that we would see a series of stories of bebe’s Spring and Summer 2012 inventory, but that didn’t seem to come through in the collection. All of the outfits were shades of white from head to toe. I enjoyed the first few ensembles that came down the runway, absolutely loving the crazy wigs and lucite sunglasses (Dianna the Budget Babe, who was also at the show, described the wigs as very “Marie Antoinette”, which I thought was spot on.) But after a while the white-out got monotonous, especially with all the models wearing the same white wig. I kept hoping that something would break it up, but that didn’t happen.

The outfits themselves were generally baroque and underwear-inspired. Bloomers, petticoats, knickers, corsets and camisoles were just as popular as more structured pieces like blazers, blouses and frocks. Runway models do not wear bras, so in some instances, their bare bodies showed right through the garments. This is not uncommon at fashion week.

I wanted to see the show because bebe makes a good product. If you can get past the excessive ruffles and club wear thing in stores, you’ll see well made, superbly tailored pieces in great fabrics. Upon closer inspection of the photos, I started to appreciate the collection more and more. The range was also full of fabulous tuxedo blazers, cropped jackets, textured shirts, interesting blouses, baggy short shorts and streamlined trouser shapes. We’ll probably see these silhouettes come through next season and I’m curious to see how representative the show is of Bebe’s store collection. 

From what I have seen so far at this fashion week, lace and sheer fabrications are going to be big. I’ve seen a few collections with hard edges, so do not despair if black, leather and zippers are your thing. But for the most part we can look forward to a soft and flowing Spring and Summer 2012.