Haute Style: NYC Fashion Week Report

Haute Living is on the scene at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week with a plethora of correspondents reporting to you the latest fashion trends as they happen, so be sure to check back for all the latest news!

Mackage

Already internationally recognized for their fabulously chic tailored coats, Canadian designers Elisa Dahan and Eran Elfassy debuted their first ready-to-wear collection at Fashion Week this year. While they stayed true to their stylish outerwear sensibility, they were able to capture a sense of playful edginess in the stream of body-conscious dresses and separates that came down the runway. Mackage continued to excel at their skillful use of leather and, of course, there were many pieces in everybody’s favorite color–black. Yet there was also a barrage of darker fall neutral hues (brown, cream, white) that one would expect to see as part of the color spectrum for the fall season. Mackage jackets have come to represent excellence in fashion forward outerwear, and it seems their expanded clothing repertoire is destined to follow.

Yigal Azrouël

Yigal Azrouël found inspiration in classic, tailored elements in both his men and women’s RTW looks, which resulted in an aggressive feel. There continued to be a dominating presence of gray and black, especially with his first looks which were black, tight, and zippered, but the initial strong and sexy vibe relaxed into sensual body hugging cocktail dresses in shades of vibrant red and purple, and even a few with some Swarovski crystal embroidery, reminiscent of 80s influence. Yet the suits still felt modern and the patchwork sweaters were edgy while remaining wearable, which makes Azrouël continually one to watch.

Ports 1961

What started out as a color muted collection full of odd shapes, ramped up into an interesting mix of artistic yet accessible ready-to-wear. Designer Tia Cibani experimented with a wide variety of looks for Fall 2010, styled with aviator-like leather helmets, unusually large jewelery and the models’ wild hair, which was a nice contrast to the earthy palette and clean, modern lines. In abundance were asymmetrical cuts, unusual forms, and an impressive mix of fabrics and texture (leather, lame, silk, jersey and tweed), all of which did indeed echo the program description of the line as an “exploration of discovery and invention.” Though some could consider some of the looks borderline avant-garde, the line is certainly in reach for any fashionista to incorporate into their fall wardrobe.

Coming up next: Christian Siriano, Nicole Miller, Costello Tagliapietra and Adam, so stay tuned! And make sure to set your watches tomorrow (February 13th ) for the live online stream of Alexander Wang’s RTW Fall 2010 collection at 5:00PM EST on Nick Knight’s website SHOWstudio!

For more of Carrie Mitchell’s style insights, visit StyleGroove.com

Images Courtesy of WWD