Christmas for fashion lovers is here in the form of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City, and I was on the scene bearing the lines and indulging in the runway beauties to bring you the reports from the front-lines of hashtag NYFW.
Yesterday’s lineup included Richard Chai, one of the few designers to show both a menswear and women’s collection on the same runway (other brands such as Desigual also opt for this tactic.) Richard Chai’s runway looks for the Fall/Winter 2013 season (AKA everything you’re about to start shopping for now) put a feminine twist on military hues while introducing plums and peplums, but for the spring, Richard was all about the whites, the blues, reds and shockingly, the blacks.
The show opened with a practical introduction of what was to come: Mixed soft silhouettes with careful layering. The first look, a structured white seersucker gilet worn with a sheer pencil skirt and red striped trousers peeking from underneath, the look was unexpected, but set the tone for the looks to come.
The show continued on with the introduction blue hues in whimsical prints influenced by tribal prints, florals and plaids, but not quite as clean. Prints aside, the cuts on the womenswear was exactly what one would expect for summer, light, billowy and nearing ethereal in clean white. Crop tops remain for at least another summer, but according to Chai’s collection, should be paired with high waist, wide leg pants.
But the real star of the show, at least in all 4 of my eyes, were the leather jackets. As of this season, Chai has embarked on a collaboration with leather brand Andrew Marc, so his designs were uplifted with the addition of Andrew Marc’s motojacket aesthetic.
Trends spotted: Crop tops, blacks and whites for spring, leather jackets paired with everything we love.
Faces in the front row: Christina Ricci, The Jonas Brothers, Zachary Quinto, Nick Cannon, Jonathan Pierce of The Drums
My rating: I was pleasantly surprised by how damn good this collection was. Last season I wasn’t dramatically enthused by the collection, but the uplift of the Andrew Marc designs made for a collaboration that dreams are made of. Richard also did a stellar job of incorporating models of different ethnicities in his show, and we aren’t just talking one token black or asian girl either!
My favorite look: The mid-length white leather jacket with quilted arms that made its way down the runway paired with a full a-line mesh white skirt.
Follow GlobalGrind’s Style Editor @MiissHislop for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week updates from inside the tents.
PHOTO CREDIT: Zach Hyman, BFA
