Naheem Khan Fall 2012

Photos: Imaxtree


After viewing the show from Naheem Khan a challenge seems to be the message for this collection "can you rock these clothes?" Its amazing what a recession can do to spur a designer to dig deep and produce such a focused collection. Working in a limited color pallet brings tightness, but lets not forget he comes from the great american designer Halston and it shows!

Mimi Plange Fall 2012

Photos:R.Spiegel

It wasn't easy for me to get going this morning with the death of Whitney Houston and twelve degree weather in New York city; but a good designer will motivate me to move! Mimi Plange is that designer who I have been following for a few seasons and for Fall has has not disappointed and in fact has produced a very focused collection. The things to take note from Ms. Plange is that her pieces are well constructed and she shows a focus/direction in her offerings. She showed around twenty looks but working in a limited color palette brings in the focus factor, she's not all over the place! The cherry on the sunday is her collaboration with shoe designer Manolo Blanik. I am quite sure that Mr. Blanik does not do shoes for just anybody so this is yet another sign that Ms. Plange is on the right design track.

Nautica Fall 2012

The one great thing about any Nautica collection is that there is something for everybody at a great price point. For fall the collection has all the standard pieces a regular guys would want and with a price point thats not gong to break the bank. Of note I loved the overcoats and sweaters, the outerwear seems a bit toned down with not to much logo mania involved. As well there were some well cut suits for the office guy.

Degen Fall 2012

The Degen fall 2012 collection brings me back to the days of Imitation Of Christ where clothing was pieced together and had a much more handmade feel, but in a world of iphones and the internet it seems this first out collection seemed more of a throw back to an earlier time. From what was shown its a knitwear line; but the question one must ask is "can I wear it"?

Tanya Taylor Fall 2012

Photos: R. Spiegel

I have never heard of Tanya Taylor but if this is her first time out for fashion week this new designer showed a small concise collection with a mixture of prints and solid pieces. Both departments work well but my money leans on the solids and she was smart in doing so, due to the still slow economy. The variety in the collection has something for most every woman and would not be surprised if this line get's picked up in a few upper end department stores. Nevertheless for a first out this line shows major promise!

Jonathan Cohen Fall 2012

Photos: R. Spiegel

Jonathan Cohen's fall 2012 collection was inspired from a trip to a museum where he viewed a painting entitled "Guano" by Judith Reigl. Every designer needs inspiration to propel themselves forward but my personal view is that Mr. Cohen is working with the same zeal and gusto from last season. Like before he's working with a tight color restricted collection which in these lean times could not be the smartest thing a new designer could be doing? There are subtle print references going back to last season which is perfectly fine but is defining his woman at the same time. Sometimes you find new designers who "want to be all things to all people", this is not the case for Mr. Cohen. The focus he demonstrates in his designs is very evident, and is what drew me to him in the first place. In a world where new designers are "here today & gone tomorrow" he's still standing and still one to watch for!