NYFW - A/W '13

We're only just to say seeing the back of winter and (sort of) gearing up for Spring/Summer, when Fashion Week kicks off, showcasing the trends for A/W. These shows are usually my favourite as there's a lot of black, leather, dark colours, layering and some amazing outerwear that I fall in love with and weep over because I don't own it. Moving on...

Here's a few of my favourites from New York Fashion Week for A/W 13:

Katie Gallagher

One of my favourite designers that I've discovered in the past year is Katie Gallagher. I'm completely in love with her designs and this season is no exception. It's totally black on black on black (that's it, I'm sold) with only the slightest hint of deep navy, there's laser-cut details that look like twisted and gnarled tree branches that create an extra witchy vibe and can we just talk about that jacket with the hood for a second? Y'know the one piece of outerwear I was talking about just now? Yeah. That's the one.

Prabal Gurung

I also fall in love with shoes a lot while looking through the FW shows. These shoe/boot/leg armour beauties from Prabal Gurung are just screaming out to me. The collection had a military feel, with a lot of khaki green and fitted jackets while the leather skirts, jackets and harnesses added a slight fetishistic edge. Also, peplum keeps cropping up again which isn't something I'm a fan of, but it's probably going to be sticking around for a while.

Rodarte

Oversized pieces with a lot of layering and draping doesn't really sound that appealing in theory, but Rodarte actually make it look quite nice. I'm always a fan of sheer pieces, here the shirt sleeves adding a subtle flash of skin, the pattern of the dresses with shades of dark blue and grey add a grungy feel while the peach toned blouse and floaty skirts create that feminine balance. Once again, it's the shoes. Those white creepers? Please and thanks. 

The Blonds

Now this, this is it. I'd heard of The Blonds but never knew too much about them (they've created all kinds of crazy, diamond encrusted corsets for the likes of Katy Perry and Rhianna), but I saw some photos of their A/W collection online and knew this is right up my street.

I'm calling it horror-movie chic. The references are so obvious they're printed onto the dresses. A 'Psycho' print mini-dress and Jack Nicholson's "Heeeeere's Johnny!" face on the bodice of another? Here, just take all of my money goddamnit. Heavily embellished corsets, a dress made from belts, fur, sequins, feathers.. I just died. Everything about this collection is over the top, weird, crazy and stunning and I'm completely in love with the clear rain coat that looks like it has fake blood inside of it. They even took the theme right through to the smallest detail with jewelled, dripping blood and 'Psycho' inspired nail art. Someone get a DIY tutorial up, stat!

The Blonds

(photos: style.com and The Blonds facebook)

Which collection[s] from NYFW have you seen that you've fallen in love with?

Rodarte - SS13

There's always one collection that stands out against all the others at Fashion Week as my favourite and  this season, it's Rodarte.  

I saw a photo of the dragon ear cuff on tumblr and instantly thought, "ho-ly shit, that is beautiful" and I immediately went to look-up the collection online. I wasn't disappointed at all. Everything about these pieces is stunning; they're like a mix between an Oriental princess and a medieval warrior with some futuristic twists thrown in for good luck. The detail on the garments is absolutely beautiful and the cut-out pieces, leather lace-up trousers combined with some super badass necklaces and belts add to that chain-mail, medieval armour vibe. And is it just me, or does the black dress with the red detailing on the bodice scream House Targaryen from Game of Thrones?  I mean, dragon ear cuffs... Anyone? 

Anyway, I think there's a nice contrast between hard and soft here. There's the flowing, feminine skirts and dresses of chiffon and silk with pastel shades of blue and pink against the tough leather, plus angular shapes and cinched in waists that create a defined silhouette. The colour palette is a mix of deep, forest green, navy and purple tones with a pop of scarlet and bright orange on the fringed leather vest, all feeling very decadent. Not to mention the rich embellishment and heavy accessories. Finally there's the shoes: a good chunky block heel with various shades turquoise, pastel orange and grey defined with black edging and buckles that almost suggest velcro straps. And there's definitely a sports-feel to the shoes, due to the colours and materials used which - in theory - shouldn't work with the garments, but it stops the collection feeling too costume-y. They add to the subtle futuristic vibe of the pieces, complimenting the geometric shapes of the tops, skirts and shoulder pads, while metallic and wet-look fabrics help create an extra dimension to the garments. 

by evachen212 on Instagram

all photos - style.com

NYFW - SS13 // part 3

Donna Karan

DKNY

Marc Jacobs

Mandy Coon

Wes Gordon

3.1 Phillip Lim

3.1 Phillip Lim

all photos - style.com

NYFW - SS13 // part 2

Some more favourites from NYFW. I'm still majorly impressed with what I've seen in the past couple of days, it's getting me inspired and more eager to get back to uni to start doing things again. Along with the more extravagant collections I've picked out a couple that I think are really wearable for everyday (which is nice to see) and I love that Ruffian had all the models wearing Converse instead of heels. And I absolutely adore Monique Lhuillier's collection. The prints, colours and detailing are simply gorgeous and there's a number of gowns that are breathtaking! From all of this, I've got high hopes for the collections still to come from New York and also from London, Milan and Paris.

 Can't wait!

Alexander Wang

Hervé Léger by Max Azria

Prabal Gurung 

Thakoon Addition

Ruffian

Rebecca Taylor

Rebecca Taylor

Monique Lhuillier 

all photos - style.com

NYFW - SS13 // part 1

I feel like I've only just started shopping for autumn/winter (and for back to uni) and we're already thinking about spring/summer. In the past, I haven't really been a big fan of the majority of SS collections - maybe because there's usually a lot of florals, bright colours and I'm the total opposite of that, so I prefer the A/W collections more. 

That said, this year I've been surprised as there's so much that I'm really excited about. Already I can see a lot of coral pieces on the catwalk, so I'm guessing that's going to be big next season. And I've been loving the contrasting fabrics, like leather, lace, chiffon and silk along with slick, wet-look materials and the use of layering.

Here, I've picked out some of my favourite looks (there's a lot more I could have included) so if any of these catches your eye, be sure to check out the full collections because there's some absolutely gorgeous pieces. A few of my favourite collections so far are Katie Gallagher, Kimberly Ovitz, Tadashi Shoji and Jason Wu (my #1 so far!). I'll be doing some more Fashion Week posts in the next few weeks and I'm starting uni again at the end of the month, so hopefully there'll be some uni-related posts to come!

Costello Tagliapietra

Honor

Peter Som

Katie Gallagher

Kimberly Ovitz

Tadashi Shoji

Helmut Lang

Jason Wu

Jason Wu

all photos - style.com