New York Fashion Week sombre affair
Posted by Lucky on Feb 15, 2010
New York Fashion Week has kicked off, with Gwen Stefani one of the first designers to show a collection.
The star was debuting her new LAMB clothing line, and brought her 17-month-old son Zuma along for moral support. The tot was dressed in a miniature version of Gwen’s black leather jacket, teamed with jeans and slicked back hair.
Gwen posed with models before the show started, with many of the crown so mesmerised by the clothes on display, they did not notice the 40-year-old teetering on a stepladder to give her a good view from the back of the room.
The clothes were hip and edgy, with models wearing dark eye make-up and bright red lips. Tops were draped and layered, balanced out by tight trousers and over-sized bags.
The event is the first of the four fashion weeks in the industry calendar, followed by London, Milan and Paris. New York Fashion Week is seen as pivotal, with a number of big name designers choosing to debut their collections in the city.
The start of the week was a sombre affair, with many industry professionals struggling to come to terms with the death of British designer Alexander McQueen, who committed suicide last week.
“To me, from my perspective, he was a genius. I never got to meet him, I never got to go to any of his shows,” Gwen said. “He’s given me a few pieces that I wore one time to the Grammys, and these leather boots that come up to here, to mid-thigh. I have a couple pieces of his, he was so generous. It’s so devastating; I think people are going to feel it for a long time.”
Max Azria also premiered a collection, with news of McQueen’s passing breaking just as the final models walked the runway.
Key pieces included wrap dresses with sheer sleeves, which could be worn as easily to business meeting as for a night on the town. The colour palette including black, grey, blue and yellow, with designers Max and Lubov Azria revealing they were inspired by “a modern approach to fashion”.
“A linear silhouette, transparent pleats and asymmetrical draping are layered and belted, giving shape to this season’s vision of cool, easy sophistication,” their notes said.
Other labels to take to the catwalk were Vena Cava, who were inspired by the 70s with tweed, wool and appliqué all making an appearance, Ports 1961, Erin Wasson and Jen Kao.
Jason Wu, Preen and Charlotte Ronson also took to the stage, with Alexander Wang, Victoria Beckham, DKNY and Diane von Furstenberg showing over the weekend.
