Ralph Lauren FW 2012: Boy Meets Girl Glam

(Photo: style.com)

Last year I decided that I would always end my Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week experience with the Ralph Lauren show, even if I received invites to other shows on the final day of fashion week.  Why?  Because I like to end fashion week on a high and in great anticipation of what we will see in the next six months.  Mr. Lauren is truly a legend, and I like to describe his shows as a "religious fashion experience" because they are what fashion dreams are made of -- absolute perfection from beginning to end.  Even if you don't consider yourself the typical "Ralph Lauren woman," as each look comes down the runway you think to yourself "I want it all" because the looks are flawlessly styled from head to toe.

(Photo: style.com)

(Photo: style.com)

Once again, this season's show did not disappoint!  It started in classic Ralph Lauren style -- menswear for women in plaid and tweed earth tones, layered to perfection with fair isle print sweaters and animal print shearlings.  As the collection moved from day to night, you saw a gradual crescendo to red and purple velvet suits, black leather dresses and skirts, and raspberry silk evening gowns.  My favorite two looks from the collection (pictured above) were a gold chiffon beaded evening dress paired with a black and gold dusted shearling and a black satin evening dress topped with a black and gold ostrich feather cape.  I literally gasped when the latter hit the runway, and I've been dreaming about that gorgeous shearling ever since.  Hmmm -- perhaps I need to call the boutique and put my name on that wait list!

Naeem Khan FW 2012: And the Winner is . . .

(Photo: style.com)

There are certain shows that take your breath away by the mere beauty of each of the pieces.  That is how I would ultimately describe the Naeem Khan show yesterday.  The looks were stunning -- each intricately embellished (by hand, no less) with beads, sequins, and appliques in a color palette of black, tan, cream, and gold.  It was simply breathtaking. (I actually tweeted during the show: "I've stopped breathing.")

(Photo: style.com)

(Photo: style.com)

(Photo: style.com)

The evening gowns are pieces that no photo can do justice.  They must be seen three dimensionally, contoured to a woman's body, floating down a runway for you to appreciate their true opulence.  While I was totally engrossed in the show, one thought momentarily interrupted me -- the celebrity stylists are about to start a cat fight over these babies because they are truly Oscar red carpet worthy!

(Click here to see the complete collection)

Nicole Miller FW 2012: From Patchwork to Color-Blocking

(Photo: style.com)

(Photo: style.com)

(Photo: style.com)

We often talk about those "aha" moments, and I certainly had one when I saw the looks that Nicole Miller sent down the runway for the fall.  Her collection this season was all about the trends we love from the Seventies -- fringe, skinny velvet pants, and wild prints! But what really caught my eye was that what we referred to back in the day as "patchwork," has transformed into what we now call "color-blocking."  I remember having one of those patchwork purses as a little girl, and you couldn't tell me then that I wasn't a fashionista!  It is so true that history repeats itself, particularly in the fashion world!

Herve Leger FW 2012: Beyond Bandage & Bondage

(Photo: nytimes.com)

One of my grandmother's (God rest her soul) favorite sayings was:  "Enough is enough and too much is good for nothing!"  I think that sums up my feelings about this season's Herve Leger show.  Yes, we understand his bandage dresses are categorized as "bondage chic," but this show took bondage to an entirely different level.  I thought the harnesses looked like misplaced garter belts, and totally took away from dresses -- which could probably stand on their own quite well.  The harnesses were distracting, and I feel like to completely appreciate the collection, I need to see the pieces "unstyled."  (Yes, sometimes even stylists believe you can go too far with "styling.")  That being said, I need to make a trip to the boutique in Miami once the fall collections launch to see what I really think about what I just saw. 

Prabal Gurung FW 2012: The Bold and The Beautiful

I watched the Prabal Gurung live stream on FB earlier today, and can I just say it rendered me speechless????  I was a little bummed-out that after leaving the sun and sand in Miami to attend New York Fashion Week, I found myself stuck in my house in PA (thank you very much snow), but seeing this show brought back that ray of sunshine BIG TIME!  The color palette was beyond -- hard core black, mixed with shades of royal blue and white -- sprinkled with a dash of gold.  The styling was edgy (loved the leather gloves), the makeup was fierce (can you say peacock eyes?), and the prints were spectacular.  Watching the show I was  whisked back in time to the Alexander McQueen exhibit last year at the MET.  The prints were in perfect symmetry on each side of the body.  And did I mention the touch of iridescence on those fab black coats?  Whew . . . this is what I call a collection!