Fashion Week SS09: Ports 1961

And, after a Time-Warner-Cable-induced delay, we return.

It's not truly Fashion Week unless you go to at least one pod people show--you know, the kind where the outfits are so out there that the models look like pod people. Ports 1961, the label by Canadian Tia Cibani, was one such show, with its motif of tree-inspired dresses, painterly colors, super-wide high boatneck collars, and hats worn like tribal masks, all drawn from the paintings of the Canadian artist Emily Carr (1871-1945). But during a fashion week where nearly everyone else was playing it safe, her unchecked creativity was a breath of fresh air.

The show attracted a similarly creative crowd.

Patrick McDonald in all black-and-white except for one yellow pocket square.

Love the surrealist detail on his hat--an eye in the middle of a spiderweb.

More black and white--the pants are Yoshi Yamamoto.

Beautifully abstract tie-dye transitions to fall.

Mickey Boardman and his signature necklaces.

Love her wry look. Look out for candy-colored wayfarers like these in the spring. They also made an appearance on the runway of the Walter show.

The dramatic look of a white fox stole.


THE SHOW

If you can get past the theatrics of some of the looks, you'll see that Cibani was one of the few designers during New York Fashion Week to anticipate what the Wizard of Oz herself, Miuccia Prada, would be unveiling a couple of weeks later in Milan. Ports 1961's subtle metallic poplins are an exciting step forward in the same direction.

A favorite look of the collection. This delicate yellow hue appeared several times throughout. Necklace made of bone?

The play of colors here is amazing--Cibani uses sheers and reflective fabrics that are constantly shifting colors as the model moves.

A transparent striped tunic, silk palazzo pants, and statement necklace made of yarn.

Crazy hat-mask.
Gorgeous brown shimmery dress.
Look at the similarity to the Prada dress that appeared a few weeks later, though in typical Prada brassier form.
But back at Ports 1961, just when you thought Cibani might be getting too commercial, she whips out a pod people look. Yay!

View the entire show on NYMag.com.

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Fashion Week SS09: Tracy Reese

In transitional months like May and September, when you don't know what to wear, a good bet is black and white. That seemed to be the thinking this weekend as dozens of show goers dressed in absolutes. One of the biggest developments was winter white, right now--though they're usually packed away after Labor Day, white dresses were making an appearance in September.

A study in contrasts--the white says spring/summer while the black tights signal winter.
A bow blouse and flouncy skirt.
She is always a presence at Fashion Week and is never one to shy away from outrageous hats. Before the show, she had to describe to a friend on her cell phone what she was wearing ("hot pink, red, and green!") because the friend couldn't identify her in the crowd. Hilarious.
Winter white right now.
A gorgeous statement necklace.
Admiring Kate Lanphear's blouse. From far away, it looked like winter florals, but it was actually an abstract polka dot pattern--in black and white. Also note that while she rocked the gladiator sandals last Fashion Week, Lanphear has put them away in favor of tough-looking open-toe booties. And of course platforms are par for the course.
This outfit, also captured by the Sartorialist, is not just insanely stylish but also quite comfortable-looking on Sarah Rutson, fashion director of Hong Kong's Lane Crawford. Yes, even the bondage-insprired animal-print stilettos, which are second nature to a fashionista.
Tough chic.
Claiborne Swanson and Virginia Smith of Vogue. Swanson is wearing the boyfriend blazer that will be everywhere next spring; Smith wins for shoes, which also caught Bill Cunningham's eye.
Gorgeous green and white wide-legged pants.

Celebrating the outrageous.

Love her black-and-white bow-neck blouse.

Robert Burke, fashion consultant extraordinaire, in his usual dapper blazer.
Katrina Szish in the most dramatic bow blouse of the day.

Curly hair was one of the biggest beauty trends this fashion week. Put away your straight irons!

It wouldn't be Fashion Week without this guy. He selects the fabric for his suits himself and commissions them, and for the past year or so he's had cute sidekicks. Today's fabric of choice? Black and white.

Two editors from Vibe Magazine.

THE SHOW

Andre Leon Talley was seated front row at the Tracy Reese show, which started with a number of playing-it-safe muted solids before developing into her usual festive prints--phew. If even Tracy Reese had gone the conservative route, this would have been a sad Fashion Week indeed. This season Reese's colorful patterns became more abstract, perhaps the product of new high-tech printing processes.

A winner of a trench coat in raw silk.

This Asian-inspired open-cut tulip skirt was a continuing motif in the collection.

An abstract print.
The jury's still out on harem pants for spring, but when you see looks like these, it gives you more confidence in the trend. This outfit is both chic and infinitely wearable.

An elegant open tulip cut cocktail dress in a mustardy chartreuse for spring.

See the whole collection on Style.com.

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Fashion Week SS09: Rosa Cha

Or: Après Cha, le deluge.

It was a category five clothing quandary: What to wear for a hurricane during fashion week? The answer: The same thing you'd normally wear, of course. Nina Garcia gave some very practical advice through NY Mag: opt for platform shoes. "I've learned that it's about the biggest platforms you have so that you can go over the water."

Red lipstick.



Great boho pants. Paired with the necklace, they telegraph Brazilian chic.



Miss USA Crystle Stewart, who looked very cool in her own cross necklace before her handlers made her take it off to put on a boring sash. Boo!



Two young women in all black. The "Anglomania" tee is Vivienne Westwood.



Liked her defiant use of white shoes after Labor Day. This outfit is somewhat practical: umbrella and platform shoes as hurricane preparation plan.

THE SHOW

One of the biggest trends in swimwear has been the return of the one-piece suit, which should keep going strong next spring and summer. Rosa Cha showed a number of one-pieces, many of them in very sexy cuts that belied the idea of one-pieces as conservative.

This simple suit in a tomato red Chevron pattern got a great reaction from the crowd.



Here Rosa Cha designer Amir Slama turns the conservative element of a one-piece on its head, injecting it with peekaboo bondage elements.



This dress in a gorgeous green pattern is actually a pantsuit. Super wide palazzo pants floated down the runway. Let's hope this design becomes the new standard for glam beach coverups.



In what would be a recurring theme with several designers this season, there were brown looks for spring, including this sheer cocktail dress.

Brown for spring: a natural progression from winter florals? The whole idea of seasonality is in question right now--especially because it was the first time in recent memory that a hurricane came to New York Fashion Week.

See the whole show on NYMag.com.

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Fashion Week SS09: Walter

In the whirlwind of fashion week, it can be easy to forget why you're going to show A versus show B. But there was a very practical reason to go to the Walter show: to see what we'd all be wearing next spring!

This accessible line is sold nearly everywhere now, but it's still a favorite of the fashion set--the show was sponsored by Elle and Style 360. Like Erin Fetherston, Walter was selected as a LU Style Award Winner. (Not quite sure what that means, but LU makes those delicious biscuits with the chocolate schoolboy on top, and blessedly, they're a sponsor of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Power bars be damned.)

Love her style--a combination of punk and femme.

Gorgeous silver leather jacket.


Ruffles and high-waisted jeans.


Three chic women.

THE SHOW

We dread seeing lots of bland clothes on the runway because of the economy. So it was a relief to see that Walter didn't shy away from prints, because the general appetite for them is far from sated. Here there were plenty of florals and super-saturated colors.

A signature floral print for spring in high-waisted pants with exposed zippers.

High-waisted skirt and shorts that build on the short poufy skirts popular right now.

This long flowy dress looks beautiful in motion and deserves a trip to St. Barth's.

An eye-catching orange print maxi dress.

You can find full coverage of the show on WWD.com.

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