Elaine Turner Spring 2009

During fashion we got invited to view Elaine Turner’s new handbag line for spring. Ms. Turner has a light fresh approach for spring using wicker inspired designs for some of her pieces. She also has a small shoe line which compliment a few of her bags, so if your looking for a match shoe/bag combination it’s there. As for the price point it’s very attractive with most of the line selling at retail for under $1,000.00. The line is being carried at all Nordstrom’s stores as well Neiman’s and Bloomingdales. More information can be found at www.elaineturner.com

Duckie Brown Spring 2009

Even thou we did not receive a invitation for Duckie Brown’s spring 2009 show, the reports we got back from other editors made us look at the film to see what the guys are up to. Well from what we can tell the journey continues and it seems there is a throw back to the 1980’s. It was the hair styles that gave it away along with the suit cuts and the prints they applied to them. While other men’s designers are churning out lack luster items, Duckie Brown continues to produce cutting edge clothing that sets style conscious men apart from others.

Photos: Dan Lecca for Mercedes~Benz

Tory Burch Spring 2009

The rapid growth of Tory Burch has stunned us in the industry. What seemed like a simple pair of ballerina flats with a gold double-t logo, her company has grown into handbags and clothing and her Spring 2009 offering is one to take note of. Ms. Burch has already accomplished most of the fashion equation of finding her customer who is very similar to herself and supplying her with the clothing and extra’s these ladies are seeking. We noted on one of her bags a logo change of the now standard “T”. It’s a fresh change and seems a design step in the right direction. As for the price points for the collection we do not know but we have a sense that they might go up a little bit since the collection is becoming more refined. At first we knew her initial launch of her handbags started at around $200.00, in our opinion this is a give away price but with the new line for Spring this might change. In the end the collection is well worth the investment but like any good horse race there are other runners who will give Ms. Burch a run for her money vying for the same customer.

Lamborghini Jewelry & Smoking accessories

Colibri and Lamborghini have joined forces to produce a new line of men’s accessories. The line ranges from bracelet’s, lighters, rings, cufflinks and so much more. The details for this new line come directly from the design aspect of Lamborghini, incorporating it’s sleek lines and louvers into the collection. It’s a line for the fashion forward man who is the ultimate car enthusiast. The price range for most of the collection rages from $85.00 for precisione cigar cutters to Il toro and Forza lighters at $175.00. The line will be carried at better tobacconists across the country.

Ohne Titel Spring 2009

Ohne Titel’s Spring 2009 collection is a collection which has serious edge which we love in designers, it show to us they have a vision in mind and are sticking to that. But when your dealing with grey as a base color it’s hard to make a color combination work which we found was a problem for this design team. The collection does have serious strong pieces like there vapor grey silk halter, vapor grey and white sheer layered dress along with a black contour pant and a contour seamed coat. The best pieces where the simple straightforward ones, but when they started the color mixing of celadon and grey it just wasn’t working, due to the fact they grey is not a primary color in the color wheel. We like what we saw and look forward to the fall season from this relatively new design team.

Photos: Maz Redpath

Sergio Davila Spring 2009

For Sergio Davila’s spring 2009 offering for men the first two looks sent down the runway where knit blazers. We have never seen or heard of a knit blazer and immediately gave us the feeling of Grandpa. Nor have we ever seen grey or blue tuxedo pants which look more like slacks you would find on third Avenue doormen in New York City. Surprisingly enough what caught our eye was Mr. Davila’s scant few pieces for women? Look number nine was a black silk & baby alpaca “destrozado” top and black baggy trouser and then later with a pair of “Ojo de Perdiz” shorts. The standout pieces for men we thought were his grey light wool trousers and his white canvas shorts. In the end the tale of the retail tape will determine his destiny, but with our attraction to the ladies pieces we would love to see a women’s line.

Photos: Dan Lecca for Mercedes~Benz

Yigal Azrouel Spring 2009

Is yigal Azrouel a bi-polar designer? We think so and we mean this in a good way. His spring 2009 collection combines tailored looks along with his now trademark rough edge unfinished looks. In our opinion he’s catering to two different women. One who has a relaxed spirit and another who looks for more fitted and tailored pieces. The draping of some of his dresses have a Grecian feeling to them which we have seen with other designers. Mr. Azrouel has stood the test of time while his other contemporaries have fallen off the fashion map. Expect to see this designer around for years to come.

Photos: Dan Lecca for Mercedes~Benz

Barbara Tfank Spring 2009

With the retail and economic situation at all time lows smart designers are responding with smaller tighter collections. This might be due to accountants or just smart designers who know what's really going on. Barbara Tfank is one of those designers who showed a 25 pieces collection for Spring. Appealing to a somewhat older customer, the line seems geared for the ladies who lunch and travel the golden triangle of American society. Staple pieces like her colorful cocktail dresses and white top and black pants take the guess work out of making smart buying decisions. Simply put these clothes are investment pieces which will go from season to season and always look stylish.

Gottex Spring 2009

We’re afraid to say this but we have run out of things to say about Gottex and designer Gideon Oberson. Season after season Mr. Oberson delivers rock solid collections, the focus and direction we find with Gottex is like no other swim wear we have seen. The beauty of Gottex is that Mr. Oberson covers all the bases as well ;pairing the suits with accessories which cements the look. We did not see any other accessories from other designers but the use of gold bangles with the black suits make for a perfect combination. Mr. Oberson’s wraps done in light sherbet is a beautiful addition to a Sunday shopping spree on the French Riviera.

Photos: Dan Lecca for Mercedes~Benz

Christian Cota Spring 2009

Christian Cota’s Spring 2009 presentation’s theme is based on light, primarily dealing with sunsets. It’s very light and airy with ombre touches throughout every piece. Mr. Cota, a painter before he chose the path of designer knows his colors very well and uses them with a delicate touch like a great painter should. Another inspiration to the collection was the works by Renoir. Cota notes there is no black in the collection and a quote by Christian states” If you look at Renoir’s work, all the shadow comes from playing colors against each other, so I worked with print and embellishment and draping and layering to suggest the way the light shifts on objects, transforming them. Light is never just light. It’s impression. It’s illusion”. This designer is on our radar screen and proves to us that there might be the Bryant park tents, but the real fashion is off-site and we’ve found it!

Dennis Basso Spring Summer 2009

From Dennis Basso’s run of show the following is stated for his inspiration” Spring sunshine…summer breezes…early 70’s…patio and terrace dressing…occasional poolside luncheons…star-filled skies and moonlit seas.”

Well it seems Mr. Basso might have been thinking these things but for some reason we didn’t get them. Throughout the collection we came across the word “Russian” in his run of show. For a spring collection it seemed some of his pieces where over done and frankly had a fall season feel to them. But we did like his Batik silk chiffon gown and his White silk chiffon tank and crepe pants, as well his Bronze taffeta pants. We know he’s a very busy man and maybe where the magic lies is in the fur collection. It’s what made him who he is today.

Photos: Dan Lecca for Mercedes~Benz

Rubin Singer Spring Summer 2009

The title for Rubin Singer’s Spring 2009 collection was “Voyage”, we got more than our money’s worth. His first two look set the tone for a beautiful show with a ecru cotton/ silk ottoman panel dress and a ecru cotton/ silk ottoman suit with python trim. But after that the collection took a different direction with looks like a navy silk chiffon gown with ring lizard harness. Now there’s a difference with mixing hard and soft but silk and animal skin? We never saw this before. Later his “Voyage” took us into deeper waters with an abyss silk satin wrap dress and a oceania silk chiffon gown. It seems that Mr. Singer’s designs are quite radial and lack the direction and focus to sail any ship into port.

Photos: Dan Lecca for Mercedes~Benz