Runway

Check out the latest catwalk vids from Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week

Carolina Herrera
Often it’s the vintage silhouettes and fabrics, tweaked and perfected, that really make a woman feel elegant without effort. And who better to define this feeling than the timelessly chic Mrs. Herrera? A tailored suit, snug at the waist with wide leg pants and a fur collared overcoat is just the thing that made Katherine Hepburn so haute in her heyday, still makes women wild. A 40’s-style floral gown with a keyhole bust and teacup sleeves looks even chicer now than when the style first struck the silver screens. We didn’t ask Mrs. Herrera for her inspiration this season, because isn’t that besides the point? Show us a woman who wouldn’t feel like a zillion bucks showing up anywhere in Herrera. On the mod front: Mrs. H kicked off her Lincoln Center show with Karlie Kloss (flying in on the red eye, straight from the Grammys) and closed with Hilary Rhoda in an emerald green dress and fur. Overall? Divine! How the most elegant woman in fashion manages to never miss a beat is one of fashion’s great mysteries. But we’ll take this melange of bliss and beauty whenever we can get it!

3.1 Phillip Lim: Nothing tells you it’s autumn like a little leather, and this season Lim brought that always-reliable standby to the runway. Showing one of the most wearable collections we’ve come across lately, the former It boy and current always-reliable-guy, sartorially speaking, proved why he was always one to count on. The collection was packed with quilted coats, jackets, as well as leather separates in shades of fog, black, and cognac colors.

Check out the latest catwalk vids from Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week

Tommy Hilfiger: Check, mate! Hilfiger’s familiar terrain of preppy Americana got a tingle of Britain circa the swinging 60’s (namely, pivotal tailor Tommy Nuttter) for both lads and lasses this season. Hilfiger weighed in on the current menswear craze by means of Prince of Wales prints paired with houndstooth and herringbone. “It’s Saville Row meets Ivy League; it’s about graphic checks, plaids, argyle—very preppy!” Hilfiger told The Daily. “I love anything graphic this season. I like leather, suede, and miniskirts right now.” Especially fetching, and a little less showily on-theme, were those navy cableknits coated, sectionally, in matte black paint.

Thakoon: If Thakoon Panichgul’s fall collection felt awfully light and spring-y, it’s because the designer was trying to take the essence of the warmer months and infuse it into fall’s wardrobe. Clever! Backstage after the show, Panichgul brought up the Ray Bradbury novel Dandelion Wine, wherein the titular beverage serves as a metaphor for taking all of summer’s joys and preserving them for winter. And that explains the delightful photorealist print of dandelions blowing in the wind that appeared throughout the collection. “It was about putting colors that you might see in the summertime on wintery textures,” explained the designer, like fur—and we expect those dust-blue and gray fur wraps to prove popular this fall. “I wanted to combine winter and summer,” Panichgul told The Daily. Though undeniably whimsical and nostalgic, the collection was also surprisingly sensual, with lots of dresses that showed flashes of skin through tulle panels.

Chado Ralph Rucci
Lady and the vamp! At Ralph Rucci, it was all about sophisticated, sleek silhouettes with a hint of sultry. Classic staples for his uptown set came via mink furs vibrant hues (lime green, perhaps? Pepto pink, anyone?) Daywear debuted conservative turtlenecks and button downs paired with leather skirts. A fantastic gown with sheer beaded mesh fell into a partial skirt that artfully revealed an underpinning of Francis Bacon’s famous Screaming Pope painting screen printed onto gazar. Accessories also revealed a subtle wild streak for the Rucci woman, what with tassel bracelets hanging suggestively from the wrists. Ooh la la! We suspect Rucci will be all tied up when his customers come calling to pre-order…