Clover Canypn SS14
Betsey Johnson SS14
J.Mendel SS 14
Jeremy Scott SS 14
Milly SS 14
Michael Kors SS 14
The penultimate day of New York Fashion Week was jam packed with yet more classic names and exciting young brands sharing their trend-setting collections for SS14. XO magazine has the highlight shows and the looks you’ll be loving next season from day seven.
Michael Kors kept it cool, calm and classic in a desert-hued collection full of ladylike below-the-knee dresses, trench coats and cosy, fine knit cardigans. Palazzo trousers were made office-appropriate in shades of grey and sand and paired with white shirts. Brown belts with the end knotted and folded down added a chic final touch to the smart looks. A flurry of leaf-silhouette prints came at the end with more of a holiday vibe in shorts, crop tops and glamorous maxi dresses.
J.Mendel gave a sexy collection of floor-length evening dresses with translucent, mesh and lace panels mixed with shorter, sportier dresses for daytime. Top half silhouettes were boxy, rigid and constrained juxtaposed with fish tail skirts which were a common thread across the collection. Surprisingly, the fun fur trend from aw14 crept into this collection too with strips of coloured fur accenting dresses and lightweight jackets in strong, geometric lines which created curves. Colours started out in virginal white, sugary pink and lemon yellow and moved into a stronger deep red, tropical green and black. It was lust at first sight.
We couldn’t wait to see the latest pieces from vibrant LA label Clover Canyon and it was another delicious dose of futuristic digital prints. Mesh, which has already been making a number of appearances at Fashion Week, added texture to the prints on an a-line skirt and dress and a baggy, rough-cut hem top. Chiffon overlays made prints appear more fluid in contrast to the simple cut lines of strapless dresses, long, buttonless evening jackets and cropped drainpipes which featured the prints in their full, vivid glory. The label aims to recreate the joy of life in LA and this was seen in the sunny yellow and orange of Californian weather, the lush green and turquoise of the nature and the block shapes of its modernist architecture.
Milly by Michelle Smith brought a rave attitude to the catwalk with orange and yellow neon underwear packing a punch underneath black and white mesh used on high-waisted pencil skirts and hooded jackets. Colourful Hawaiian graphic prints appeared on thick-strapped dresses, a baseball jacket and a bodysuit continuing the sporty theme. The monochrome mesh continued throughout the collection into shirts and full skirts and the showpiece, a figure-hugging black mesh cocktail dress with fish tail skirt.
Next up was men in pink PVC, an “Earth sucks” logo tee and swimsuit that’s going to require spending most of your summer earnings on Brazilian waxes; it was, of course, the Jeremy Scott show. There were 60s throwbacks in the form of bouffant, flicked bobs, cute miniskirts and block colour stripes. Artist Kenny Scharf produced the prints for the collection which included Jackson Pollock-esque scribbles on maxi dresses with cut out waists and the cartoon gremlins we’ve come to expect in Scott’s work. There was also his signature animal print with a leopard print shirt dress and mini skirt for women and matching trousers and baseball jacket for men. Turquoise tiger print also made an appearance with a bikini top for women and trousers for men. The slogan tops were just as loud with other messages stating “Mars or bust” and “I’m a mess”.
Wild child Betsey Johnson didn’t disappoint either with another fun-filled show. Models in pink frizzy wigs and metallic eyes and lips danced down the catwalk in skin-tight leopard print, 50s-style prom dresses paired with lace-up boots and skinny cropped trousers. Studded black belts, zip up tops and oversized ‘Betsey’ logo jewellery added a punk attitude. For the finale models danced back on stage in brightly coloured days of the week y-fronts before 71-year-old Betsey cartwheeled down the catwalk and landed in the splits. Bad taste was on the agenda but it raised a smile with the fashion crowd.
Words | Olivia Pinnock
XO MAGAZINE 