For the next season, you dictate what you want to wear and how you want to wear it. Personal style is what is in fashion.
Oscar de la Renta created this new take on the little black dress by adding colorful applique and embroidery. This simple and elegant dress is a great investment because you can wear it for many occasions—work, church, date night.
Tommy Hilfiger has always referenced the classics. But over the last few seasons, Hilfiger has given these familiar pieces of clothing a youthful and modern feeling. Case in point, this camel hair car coat paired with a turtle neck, graphic print skirt, tights and boots.
Charolette Ronson took classic pieces and put them together creating a young and stylish look. She presented a camel pea coat that is great for work or weekends. Ronson gave this traditional coat a modern twist pairing it with a turquoise embellished blouse and charcoal tailored men’s style trousers.
Phillip Lim showed this khaki trench coat that is a stable for every woman’s wardrobe particularly now with Global Warming. Lim made the belted coat for a lady like feeling and lined it with fur for a touch of luxury. Think Lauren Bacall in “Casablanca.”
The African fashion house Black Coffee showed this brown suede, maxi coat during the Arise African Collective Part III. It’s roomy, comfortable and adds a touch of luxury to your wardrobe. It also has an ’80s feeling which is perfect for these times.
Nicole Miller makes great clothing for a woman’s wardrobe and this season was no exception. This dress solves for three major trends: one-shoulder, ruching and mini dress. Grey is still a strong color statement for Fall, but this dress gives you a splash of berry with black graphic detail.
Tracy Reese always shows feminine fashions on the runway. This outfit is all woman and has a bit of edge, sex appeal and youthfulness. Reese used the current trends of lace, draping and grey to create a dress that is special, retro-modern and stylish.
Diane von Furstenberg revolutionized fashion for working women when she created the wrap dress in 1973. Always keeping the strong woman top of mind her DVF collection is chic, modern and decidedly feminine. Here von Furstenberg showed this sequin cocktail dress with pale grey overlay. It’s an understated way to be glamorous in these challenging economic times.
Another Tracy Reese creation shows a more vintage and demure side of the Black fashion designer line. This delicate pale grey, lace ruffle dress will make any woman feel pretty. Reese paired it with a thick scarf, tights and platforms to take it from Spring to Fall. Again, there are no rules—seasonless dressing works.
Marc Jacobs is the fashion darling. Editors, stylists and celebrities heart his clothing and accessories. Only Jacobs could take a grey flannel blazer and charcoal wool dress and make it fabulous. This is another feminine and fashionable nod to the classics.
Phillip Lim loves modern luxury. He has a way of taking something familiar and making it new. This pale grey suit is not your mother’s outfit. The quilted jacket, short sleeve blouse and men’s tailored harem pants is a chic way to walk into the office. It’s light, soft and still says business. The animal print bag and taupe boots give it panache.
Michael Kors represent the new America—classic and stylish. This grey flannel double breasted suit is a new version. It’s proportions are perfect for curves thanks to the bias cut and the fitted trousers accentuate the positive. It’s a great investment you won’t look like a man.
Black Coffee sent this outfit down the runway at the Arise African Collective Part III. This is a great lesson is good dressing. The soft silk darker grey dress is framed by the lighter grey sleeveless coat.The volume of the coat is also flattering for most body types. This is also a great way to wrap-up in the colder months with a touch of glam.
Rachel Roy brings feminine and modern dressing together in a sophisticated way. This look is comfortable, easy to wear and stylish. Each piece of this outfit can be worn with many other articles of clothing in your wardrobe—that is smart shopping. The look is also one of the other color trends for Fall 2010: something blue.
Diane von Furstenberg loves delicate detail in her designs. This beautiful dress is made of leaf shaped pieces of fabric. The woven cardigan jacket and shrug scarf give the outfit a hand crafted feel. And it’s got an urban, artistic feeling like Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue.”
DVF also knows how to dress women who are smart, sexy and on the go. This blue print dress is easy to wear anywhere—it’s colorful, form fitting and moves with the body. The metallic fitted jacket adds a feeling of urban armor her ladylike look.
Lacoste presented a collection that was colorful, and fun. This red and blue stripped boat neck sweater dress is comfy, cozy and classic. The sensual neckline and roomy design make it perfect many body shapes. It also is a great look for younger working women, creative types or the stylista moms.
Adam Lippes is a former Creative Director for Oscar de la Renta, so he is used to luxury design. Lippes took this approach and applied it to sophisticated sportswear. This red toned sweater dress is colorful with a black cowl neck and accents and it’s form fitting yet forgiving. This dress makes a global style statement.
Nanette Lepore infuses her creations with a self-described gypsy spirit. This amber colored, velvet mini dress has that old world influence but it’s totally right now. This dress can be worn by it self and it can also be paired with a blazer or over a pair of jeans or leggings. This is the epitome of city chic.
Isaac Mizrahi is the fashion designer’s designer. He loves to make women look and feel beautiful. This red toned outfit with it’s plaid chiffon blouse, floral skirt and silk coat is pretty, feminine and makes a statement. Mizrahi takes all the embellishments of women’s fashion and creates lady like style for the liberated woman.
Tommy Hilfiger is a mix master. He loves the classics but also rock ‘n’ roll. Here Hilfiger combined the elegance of winter white with a variety of textures: cashmere blazer, wool neck piece, and lace skirt. This look is a great way to make a stunning style statement in cold weather.
Jason Wu is mostly known for creating First Lady Michelle Obama’s Inauguration gown. Wu also used to design dresses for dolls when he was a teenager. When you see a creation like this one you are sure where his inspiration comes from. Wu’s creative vision has an etherial quality to it which gives him a unique perspective. This dress is like a winter’s breathe of fresh air.
Dennis Basso sells his creations to members of high society and hip hop stars. In 2007 he began his ready-to-wear collection. This look is pure luxury. A black shift dress and a dramatic fox coat. This is a glamorous look and takes us back to the jet set 1970s and “Mahogany.”
Ralph Lauren is the king of American luxury. He has made his Polo company the arbiter of classic style. Lauren showed this look which is inspired by hunting gear but translated into luxurious fabrics. The fur bolero jacket, cashmere sweater and wool jodhpur riding pants are a throwback to old world aristocracy.
Naeem Kahn understands glamour. The Indian born, American fashion designer has created looks for First Lady Michelle Obama and Beyonce Knowles. This embellished motorcycle jacket worn with a simple black dress and statement jewelry is for the woman is wants to be noticed and do so in style. This look works for women of any age who has confidence, imagination and swagger.
Vera Wang creates dresses that are beautiful and romantic. From her wedding dresses to red carpet gowns, she likes it alluring. This little black dress is like a dream. It’s delicate, elegant and classic. This is a lesson in taking something obvious and making it spectacular. The LBD doesn’t have to be boring.
Donna Karan helped create urban chic. The fashion designer realized that people who live in the city need to dress accordingly. She has always been a fan of black clothing because it’s easiest to maintain in the city. This suit takes black to the future. From the tailoring to the detailed buttons and leather sleeves, DK makes simplicity visionary.
Deola Sagoe is a Nigerian designer who makes modern fashions with typical African fabrics and craftsmanship. She showed this dramatic dress with embroidery and beading at the Arise African Collective Part III. The new black is not about basics, but adding texture and detail to the look.
Christian Seriano won “Project Runway” for a reason, he is really a talented fashion designer. Seriano presented his collection with a lot of black outfits, much like he did on the reality show. This outfit really represents the new black for Fall. The leather jacket, the pencil skirt, the platforms and the bag. This is the new power look—strong, feminine and fierce.
Jason Wu is a young, talented fashion designer with a vision. He is mostly known for creating First Lady Michelle Obama’s Inauguration gown. Like that dress, Wu gives women’s fashion an unexpected turn. This satin shift dress with gold print is another example of his unique, artistic perspective.
