District L

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week announced yesterday the preliminary schedule for the Fall 2012 Collections. A few new names have been added to the list of designers showing at Lincoln Center this season, including last season’s off-site wonders like Kaelen, as well as fresh fashion acquaintances like Mathieu Mirano.

Spring’s sleepy sprites created buzz for Kaelen, who has been showing during Fashion Week for a few seasons. Her presentation at Drive-In Studios was set against a wooded backdrop and featured “moonshine cocktails.” This season, Kaelen Farncombe will be showing in the Box at Lincoln Center on February 9^th.

Mathieu Mirano attracted attention for his Spring 2012 Collection with a cocktail of violent seduction. Mirano narrated the story of a homicidal wife who grew younger as she approached deliberate widowhood. The provocative designer’s presentation will be held in the Box at Lincoln Center on February 12^th.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Last season, ROCHAMBEAU introduced us to sun-kissed, Nordic men with good intentions. Carefully balancing structure with staunch, the ROCHAMBEAUs of AW11 impressed guests with well-edited depth.

And it seems that the label’s tune of “taking chances” continues, as ROCHAMBEAU moves away from the silent stability of last season and into something tougher, darker, more dangerous.

I suppose the mothers of Laurence Chandler and Joshua Cooper were too fond of the boys from last season. Maybe AW11 texted too much, asking where they were and what they were doing and who they were with and if it would be okay if they came along too. Perhaps it was the last straw when AW11 stopped by with chicken soup and wide eyes when the design duo lied and said they were too sick to go out.

Whatever the case may be, ROCHAMBEAU’s new boy has a motorcycle, a few tattoos he doesn’t remember getting, and a penchant for breaking laws. But this isn’t superficial suburban “anguish” – No, these SS12 boys lived on Avenue C in the 90s and learned a few things from their short stint in Ossining.

Chandler and Cooper have yet again pushed the envelope, instilling a memorable concept and hooking fans for another season.

Post by Amanda LaMela

I sat down in Lincoln Center's Theatre on Monday evening distracted with heartbreak for narrowly missing Norman Ambrose's show. Although it hadn't been the first show I missed this season, it was certainly one of the more anticipated young designers on my schedule.

Then, the booming sounds of City Grrrl by CSS quickly ejected me out of my disappointment. Betsey Johnson's show had begun.

Betsey's daughter, Lulu, took to the runway, for the first time in 10 years, in a sexy, Brigitte Bardot-themed collection. Circling to songs like Ice Cream by New Young Pony Club, Lulu feigned bashfulness when the crowd cheered – that is, until mother dearest entered center stage dancing to Ass & Titties by DJ Assault.

Not a bad Monday, wouldn't you say?

Our Tuesday started with a mystifying presentation by Improvd. The dramatic collection was a crowd-pleaser with its dark elegance and theatrical choreography.

We then left Lincoln Center and headed down to The Lambs Club for the relaunch of Models by Michael Gross. With Nicole Miller, Carmen Dell’Orefice, and Robert DiMauro on the guest list, we partied as if the re-rerelease was its first. After picking up my copy of Models, I bumped into the controversial author himself.

“Ohhh, you’re young! A newbie in this industry,” Michael Gross cooed, “They’re going to chew you up and spit you out in a heartbeat!”

"Don't say that!" I replied defensively.

“Oh, no, babe. I know for a fact. Because in my day, I would have been one of those who would have done that!”

Taking Michael’s advice to heart, I switched gears and preceded downtown for the Holy Ghost! Fashion Week Party at the Tribeca Grand Hotel. Daniel Franzese was loitering out front with friends, discussing his new role in Jersey Shoresical, a musical poking fun at the reality show. Inside, fans danced wildly as they were instructed to hold on… and hold tight.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Flawlessly choreographed, yet effortlessly ethereal, IMPROVD’s model presentation introduced innovative looks with a high dose of drama. Yesterday’s three-act exhibition infused rich pebbled leathers with water-color chiffons in ankle-grazing silhouettes. The juxtaposition of hard and soft, theatrical and relaxed, was done artfully – as opposed to a thoughtless “this-versus-that” model. Drawing an enviable crowd to Lincoln Center’s Box, designer Valentino Vettori understands that all the world’s a stage… and some of us just have better seats.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Minutes before our interview, cameras were devouring Katya Leonovich’s genuine joy and girlish modesty – a refreshing sight, as she stood before her collection this morning at Lincoln Center. Born in Moscow, Katya began her design career in Rome, continued in Paris, and has lived in New York for the past three years.

“It is new American inspiration,” Leonovich elaborated on her original works of football paintings that framed the model presentation. Displaying chiffon in these replicated prints alongside pieced blue denim, Katya exhibited her personal and professional transformation. “I combined the classic silhouettes from Italy with Parisian playfulness,” she explained. “But American football was so new and interesting to me – their costumes were something I had never before seen in Europe,” she explained.

The collection had an underlying theme of movement, with wind-blown hairstyles and sport-inspired backs, as well as draped and angular hemlines. And this ‘movement’ surpassed fabric and stylings, as guests milled through the Box, whispering adoring buzz-words like, “refreshing,” “energizing,” and “innovative.”

I have never eavesdropped on a coach’s winning locker room speech, but it seems like an appropriate time to use a resonating cliché... This win was for the fans.

Post by Amanda LaMela

We weren’t sure what to expect last evening as we returned to Lincoln Center for Falguni and Shane Peacock SS12. The show opened with an immediate and refreshing dose of color, artfully applied to inventive prints and mixed media pieces. It was at this point that we turned to each other and said, “Shit…this is amazing.”

The collection’s tone laid firmly at the intersection of art nouveau and rococo, with a tinge of imperialist bravado. A number of looks featured military-inspired adornments; however, not in the “marching band” motif we’ve witnessed on other runways in seasons past. Intermittently, cords, medals and sashes adorned suggestive, bodycon jersey dresses, as well as more unctuous, elegant chiffon and satin garments.

The style and combination of prints in Falguni and Shane Peacock’s collection was evocative of Mary Katrantzou’s trompe-l’oeil aesthetic; it was reassuring to see a fresh design duo embark on this experimental undertaking.

Finally, singer-songwriter, Porcelain Black, took an irreverently energizing lap down the runway, bringing what had become one of DL’s favorite SS12 collections to a close.

It’s mid-August. You know what that means, don’t you? Time to start thinking about my birthday presents!

I can empathize; It’s no easy task. As a footwear aficionado in the industry, it can be difficult to predict my desires from week to week – especially during this period of seasonal transition. And yes, I agree… There should be an easier way to do this.

Interestingly enough, people don’t register for birthday gifts – but if they did, I’d open my registry at Casadei, La Petite Cave, and United Nude. Just…hypothetically speaking.

My birthday is only two short weeks away from NY Fashion Week, welcoming the perfect opportunity for early-autumn attire additions. Keeping that in mind...

I can declare with the utmost conviction that the United Nude Spat boot would not only create the perfect foundation for my F’11 wardrobe, but also be a hit in Lincoln Center. In dark brown calf leather and tweed, the tall-shafted boot combines equestrian elegance with femme fatale.

Casadei, the more subtle assassin, maintains a sharp appearance with its Blade collection. Towering knife-like stilettos will satisfy my need for a sleek, sexy shoe, as well as provide the feeling of security during late-night treks back to my apartment.  Isn’t multitasking fun?

And if you’re looking to give the gift of experience, a few bottles of POP Pink Champagne might just do the trick…

Post by Amanda LaMela

It is a proven fact: Wearing the right clothes just feels better. And the ladies at Odd Molly’s showing made this quite apparent. This was one of the most engaging presentations that District L was fortunate enough to enjoy.

Models were strewn around The Box in various boudoir settings – and a few giggling girls were lounging by the bar. The looks combined hippy-esque knitwear with sassier lingerie-inspired pieces. The collection was that perfect mix of undone-chic, blending effortless comfort and sex appeal.

…And this was no time for PYTs to stand around looking bored. Models were bouncing on beds, throwing apples at each other, and even passing out roses. It was almost like being invited to a country cabin filled with the most beautiful people who took a bundle of afghans, sherpa pillows, oversized sweaters, and legwarmers to wear over their negligees. The Texan girl in me particularly fell for the poshly painted cowboy booties. I die.

Post by Madisen Walker

Images by Rachel Cuyler

On the seventh day of Fashion Week, we headed over to Lincoln Center to celebrate 40 years of Allegri with a cocktail party, display, and model presentation. Under an artful arrangement of umbrellas, Allegri injected their Italian heritage into a memorable event for guests and industry insiders. Check out the video recap they sent us below:

In typical District L style, we'd perhaps open this post with a clever paragraph wherein we reminisce fondly about last week - what with all the rushing too and fro between venues, furious, finger-callusing live-tweeting, and countless moments of anticipation as the plastic was peeled back from the runway time and time again. We might even throw in an alcohol-related pun, hurl a barb at the sucky realities of returning to the daily grind, and spit some vitriol about people on the subway.

But the fact of the matter is that it's 10 PM on a Tuesday and we'd rather just jump straight to the LaPointe (sorry, had to) - here are our top 5 picks for best collections from NYFW A/W 2011:

1. Sally LaPointe

This one should come as no surprise - ever since attending the plucky designer's debut show last September, we've been staunch supporters of LaPointe's dark, alien aesthetic that resonates as simultaneously precise and effortless. Did her Fall collection climb straight out of the primordial ooze of a Roland Flexner print? Or did it reverse sublimate from thin air to monolithic vibrancy?

2. Bensoni

Gothic wedding vignette? How rad was that? The duo behind Bensoni is all about balance, taking inspiration from the past yet tempering it with forward thinking. Needless to say, they didn't disappoint for Fall. There was a hefty dose of 90's gloom and doom in their presentation this season, but taken to the next level with an infusion of minute detail and texture play that has become a contemporary design mainstay.

3. Mik Cire

Mik Cire's Eric Kim is an accomplished design professional, and his collection this season made that fact more evident than ever. Last Spring, Kim gave us slouchy asymmetricality in linen and jersey; this Fall, he presented crisp, sharp tailoring in leather and gabardine. A quality that we value most in a designer is something Kim possesses in spades - the ability to surprise and deliver the unexpected without allowing their trademark sensibilities to become lost.

4. Maisonette 1977

Designer Jane Ibrahim stirred something far down inside of us with her evocative Fall line for Maisonette 1977. Taking inspiration from Christopher Nolan's "Inception", she served as the architect behind a towering metropolis rising out of the ether of the subconscious. It was well-edited, modern, and to be quite honest it just had a certain je ne sais quoi about it that drew us in deeper, deeper, and deeper still.

5. NOMIA

Like Bensoni, NOMIA was another delightfully intimate affair in the Standard's Highline Room - a perfect setting for an enticing collection of sleek, geometric sportswear that can easily find a home in any closet (or bedroom floor, whatever). We have to give praise to lines like NOMIA that strike rest firmly in that hard-to-hit intersection of concept and accessibility. Like Madisen said, "[The Standard's] attuned blend of nature, urbanity, and notorious exhibitionism matched perfectly with the theme of NOMIA’s runway."

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva