Oumlil S/S 2010

Men's wear is a rough game in the fashion world since most men don't like to shop, don't know what looks good on them and would rather spend their money on anything besides clothing. For Hisham Oumlil the clothing he presented is for men who reflect the opposite. For Spring 2010 his inspiration draws from Wall Street and powerful men but with a flair for style and not $5,000.00 Armani suits. Sticking true to his design his clothing still has major edge in the tailoring department and his fabric choices allow him to create such great pieces. This collection is more in line for modern day and evening dressing and his color range can suit many different tastes. Mr. Oumlil boasts an international private client which has served him well but seeks the attention of retail buyers which we hope comes his way, but like we stated before men's fashion is a rough game.

Loris Diran S/S 2010

Loris Diran's opening statement:
"This collection is inspired by the bawdy, forever sunny shores of Coney Island. In this time of constant fear and anxiety, I want to have fun again... See colors that make me happy... Take chances. I want to feel the thrilling anticipation that I felt as i would see the Wonder Wheel for the first time every summer."

When we read this we cringed in fear as the inspiration for this S/S 2010 collection. Designers draw inspiration from all sources, but we had reservation on what Mr. Diran would show. What we came away with was a mixed collection and a sense of confusion comparing from past seasons. Last year we felt Mr. Diran's men's wear was stronger and more focused then his women's line, but after this show we feel the women's has taken the fore front and the men's wear is lacking. His opening Poppy Silk/cotton Voile draped blouse with washed rope linen walking shorts was a solid start. As well his high waisted pants and silk/linen box pleat pant showed strong. For evening the cream silk gazar and chain drape gown stood out but we feel the chain detail distracts the eye. But remember not everything you see on the runway will translate into the stores and this detail can be removed if requested.

Fear and anxiety as mentioned in his opening statement are strong words to consider in times like these. We feel Mr. Diran needs to make a conscious decision on weather he will be a men's wear or women's wear designer. It reminds us years ago when Tom Ford designed both YSL and Gucci and we knew one would suffer. He's not designing for two houses but all the same it seems either he may have to create a balance between the two lines or sacrifice one. The upcoming fall season will tell the tale.

Photos: Loris Diran Trading LLC

Boudoir D'huitres S/S 2010

For Mimi Plange designer of Boudoir D'huitres it's her first time showing her collection to the fashion press but has been in business for two years. This new comer to the industry showed a strong collection with vision and direction and knows who she wants to dress. Her girl is one who wants to stand out in the crowd. Mimi's color sense is bold and her designs trump other new designers stepping onto the track. She has managed to cover all the bases with day/evening pieces along side red carpet dresses. There is a strong editorial feel and we hope to see her designs in photo shoots in the future. She's got a bright future and is on our radar screen for new rising talent!

Will McLeod S/S 2010

Will McLeod, a new comer to the fashion world presented just a four piece collection to gauge a response from editors and buyers on what he's doing. We had received a box earlier in the week from him outlining his history and past work experience which included a short stint with the Rodarte sisters. Mr. McLeod showed four cocktail/party dresses with basically the same style. It's a very good effort from this new talent but we hope that he discovers other aspects to fashion like day/evening wear, red carpet options and different fabric choices. As for his "girl" he's still wrapping his mind around that one, the $64,000.00 question took him time to answer which in five seconds gave us the answer, he's still searching. To his credit what he showed demonstrated that he can create beautiful clothes and styled the right way can be editorial pieces. He's off to a good start but we need to see more in February.

Spurr S/S 2010

Men's collections these days are few and far between when shown during fashion week. Most designers have chosen to show in Milan and Paris during Men's fashion week but Spurr has decided to keep showing in New York. This is one of our favorite design houses for men's wear and the collection for Spring provided options for stylish men to revel in the spring offerings. From suits to casual pieces and a stylish bag this line is quality all the way. There are no cheap fabrics or cut corners to this line and the price points show this. Be prepared to spend big but the old phrase rings true "you get what you pay for". From well tailored suits, Palm Beach looks and casual options the Spurr collection has all the bases covered

Chadwick Bell SS 2010

It was our first time going to a Chadwick Bell show and we were pleased to see a designer offer straight forward options for women. Mr. Bell's solid separates and smart fabric choices gave his clothes a feel of quality. It seems with the current economic situation designers like Chadwick Bell see the importance of delivering items which will attract buyers and women.

Monique Lhuillier SS 2010

For spring 2010 Monique Lhuillier provided us with a presentation which consisted of beautiful cocktail dresses and evening gowns in all colors of the rainbow. There's more than one red carpet contender for those Hollywood stylists who dress the stars in California and we will be seeing these in the coming months during awards season. From what we saw its very evident that Monique has mastered the art of high glamour dressing as well her bridal line. These clothes make a statement and make you the center of attention.

Tibi S/S 2010

We have been followers of Tibi for quite some time and for the most part enjoy what this design house produces. Not every collection we have seen goes into the winners circle but overall this print driven designer finishes well season after season. For Spring 2010 we were treated to more solids in the collection and pieces which would be considered staples for a woman's wardrobe. Might it be the state of the economy or a different design direction. This clearly is one of the best collections from Tibi we have ever see. A true spring collection with multitudes of color options and interesting print patterns.

Vena Cava S/S 2010

In the past we have attended Vena Cava and came away with complex clothing which did not quite translate and odd inspirations behind them. This season proves to be a much different story and maybe due to a slow economy this design house has repositioned their thinking and sales. What draws to this spring line is the options Vena Cava has provided to women. There are many staple pieces in the collection such has black pants and khaki shorts as well colorful tops. There are some prints in the collection and in our opinion work well for spring. We all know prints can be a hard hurdle to climb but Vena Cava has a strong offering in this department.

Douglas Hannant S/S 2010

For Spring 2010 Douglas Hannant opted to show his collection presentation style at the Plaza hotel in conjunction with his new shop which opens at the hotel as well. It was a lovely affair with all his girls out in full force and the champagne flowed like water into the evening. Feeling the true nature of spring the collection has no black and shows more softer colors. It seems the majority of the collection are dresses, gowns and a few Hannant staple items like his skinny pants. With so many dresses and gowns the feeling is the Mr.Hannant has a deep focus for evening but leaves his customer with little or no options for day wear. We are confident that there are more day pieces he just decided not to show them.

Christian Siriano S/S 2010

We won't talk about Project runway since that's old news but what we can say about Christian Siriano is that this young new designer has a future! Mr. Siriano fully demonstrates that he is comfortable working in color and shows a level of consistency in his designs. More so his control in using a restricted color palette makes this collection more pulled together and allows more options for women. The standout pieces we loved were the washed silk linen flounce top with diagonal two toned striped skirt and the leather and chiffon motorcross jacket in blush cotton slim fit trouser in blush. We feel these as well other looks have strong editorial appeal for future photo shoots. At the end of his show he showed two "red carpet" contenders which were a satin-faced organza draped strapless gown with beaded bodice in blush and the second a chiffon and tulle-layered ombre gown in blush and volcanic. Our only knock is we feel the collection could have been better edited, but Christian sat the perfect trip and delivered a worthy collection. The real question with the economy in its current state is will the buyers be placing orders?

Photos: Frasier Harrison

Norman Ambrose S/S 2010

Norman Ambrose has been in the business for about two years and in a short amount of time has secured his young clothing line into Neiman Marcus but it's his first time showing his collection to the press. His focus; the ladies who lunch, the Palm beach society set. Many designers struggle to find their "girl" but Mr. Ambrose shows laser focus on who he's vying for regarding his designs. If you follow this type of customer there's a certain look that's achieved and Norman has it down! Before starting his line he worked at the house of Josie Natori.

Couture level hand beading, luxury finishing and a private clientele has Mr. Ambrose on our hot list of young new talent but there are other designers who are seeking the same attention from the ladies. The starting price points for his line start at $500 and range to $20,000.00 (couture level of course) but standard entry level for a full on look runs between $3,500.00 and $5,000.00. This compared to other high level designers comes in a tad low which may work in Mr. Ambrose's favor but it's a rough crowd and time will tell.

On The Radar Screen-SERPICO Fall 2009

With fashion week about a week away we decided to do a little fashion work out and view some more clothing in the showroom of Edite, specifically the Serpico line. For fall this season the designer has restricted her color palette to about five color choices; Grey ( the current trend), Champagne, beige, black and white, the fabric choices are Silk and Organza. What draws us to this line like before is well constructed clothing and simple yet modern design as well the limited color offerings. We love the philosophy of "less is more" and Serpico delivers on this mode of thinking. The line is centered and focused with a few pieces splashed in color for editorial use. The standout pieces from the line are jackets and pants which have a sleek and polished look not to mention extremely well tailored, no loose threads or uneven seams. Currently the line is being sold in boutique stores and it's biggest outlet is Boutique one located in the United Arab Emerites. Recent press coverage includes WWD, Paper Magazine and Glamour UK. Serpico is on our radar screen and is a line to look for.

David Meister Signature Collection

Fashion week is still a week away but this did not stop designer David Meister from showing his exclusive collection for Bergdorf Goodman to the press. Mr. Meister who has an exclusive deal with the retailer showed a small sample of predominantly black dresses and gowns which are made with mat jersey or stretch satin. For what this designer is offering to the public his price points are attractive ranging between $1,600 to $2,500. The selection maybe small but the quality and glam factor registers high.