Trends 2010 - Spring 2010 - New fashion 2010 - Fashion week 2010 - Fashion week - Fashion trends

Designer Donna Karan put on an amazing show for her Fall 2010 collection today in the meat packing district. The show's inspiration was the heart and soul of New York, so its only fitting that her collection was exhibited in this working district away from the tents at Bryant Park. From my seat, I had an amazing view of the collection. As a lover of DKNY (her lower priced line), I was not disappointed. The collection was an eclectic mix of patterns and fabrics. There were plaids, kilts, roomy boyfriend jackets and comfortable jersey knits with sparkling accents. The color palette was perfect for fall wear, charcoal caps, sapphire coats and burgundy wraps. The silhouettes of her dresses were long and lean, reminding me of 1920s style. And of course with all DKNY garment there is that ease of fit and comfort of the garments that was apparent in the way the models walked. They moved effortlessly. No Agyness Deyn stumbling or high-heel teetering. Here's a few of the designs from the show that I loved. I'll look forward to seeing these on the racks at Macy's, Bloomingdales and other savvy shops.



Here's a full length view of this beautiful, but short, dress.





Overall, I was quite impressed with this collection. Its very understated and elegant, with incredible diversity. There is evening wear, outerwear and plus tailored jackets. I read last week that Donna Karan was dismayed by the current state of Fashion Week. In an interview at Parsons Design school last week she said, "We need fashion shows, but that's industry, it's not for the general public. All the communication has to stop. It doesn't go out on the wire, it doesn't go out on the Internet, it doesn't get out for the manufacturers to copy the designs. I mean, we're killing our own industry . . . There's too much information going out there. We have to learn the word restriction." So, although I took over 20 pictures of DKNY, I'm only showing you a few of the highlights. I do feel empathy with the designers who work so hard, only to have their designs publicized and copied via pictures shown on the Internet and in the media, long before their collections hit the racks and department stores. From my perspective, while there may be copy cats, there is only one Donna Karan and her style is inimitable. Its hard to believe a copy cat could knock off this vision of New York's Heart & Soul with such flair and style.

Target has just put together a TV commercial to promote their upcoming Liberty of London collection. The commercial shows Liberty of London print sundresses, teapots and cups plus a women's print jumpsuit. As an anglophile and Liberty of London lurver, I'm much more excited about this one than the upcoming JPG collaboration. I hope selling Liberty at Target helps to revive a classic brand that has seen some hard times in the last few years. It may also bring Liberty designs to a whole new set of consumers. At that can only be a good thing. Children's clothing is part of the collection, which is good news. Last time I visited Liberty in London, they were no longer making children's clothes. I had to buy the fabric to make a dress for my little niece.

Stay tuned for more details and prices when they come through The Recessionista grape vine.

She said," I want to fly so I can be everywhere, like a particle of earth carried by the wind...I want to fly into the sky so I can touch a cloud." Was the speaker Amelia Earhart? No, but it might have been. This is the voice of designer Irina Shabayeva, winner of Project Runway season six. Irina's sentiments about freedom and the fluidity of design are similar to Amelia Earhart's thoughts in creating her own fashion line in 1934. Amelia said, "I tried to put the freedom that is in flying into the clothes." There is freedom, creativity and innovation in Irina's Fall 2010 collection just as there was in Amelia's collection from over 70 years ago. Irina Shaybayeva's show channeled the spirit of Amelia Earhart and the freedom of flight she so loved. Many of the coats and knits in the collection bore hand painted wings on their backs.

Off the beaten track, the show was at SIR Stage 37 (Hell's Kitchen) far from the pristine tents at Bryant Park. I waited about 20 minutes in an unruly line outside in the cold to get into the show and see the unique creations. To be honest, I had my doubts as to what kind of show it would be. I did a double take when I exited my taxi and stepped out onto the curb where unhappy fashionistas were waiting and complaining loudly to IMG representatives about the venue. One woman beside me in line snorted "This is what happens when amateurs come to fashion week." To be fair, Irina could have improved upon the ambiance of the venue, but not the creativity of her designs. And its expensive to be a young designer putting on your own show at New York Fashion Week. Once inside, the show was a class act and I was glad I braved the Siberian chill.

As if to relieve that winter chill, Irina presented a series of fur hats and coats with fur collars. While her stunning pieces won't be for everyone they are beautiful. In her collection of 30 pieces, there are furs and hats worthy of a Tsarina.


The collection will have no fans at Peta. Beyond the aviator type caps and jackets, there are hand beaded wool cocktail dresses with fur collars, and even a stunning strapless dress with a full skirt of feathers.


But the most surprising accent came not from the materials of furs and feathers but from ... wait for it Tupperware! Yes, the stuff you use to store your food in. There are Tupperware earrings that look like bird feathers. Tupperware bird necklaces too. The swag bags on the guest chairs even had Tupperware in them! What an idea. I don't know how she came to choose this plastic material, but it was sculpted to great effect on many of the designs. On one garment, it was used almost like a hoop skirt used to be to lift up a full skirt on a dress. Check out this beautiful winter wonderland of a dress below.





If you watched Irina last season on Project Runway then you may recall that she made knitwear. Knitwear was a part of her Fall 2010 collection with cashmere wraps and ribbed caplets.


What a mix! Furs fit for a Tsarina, camel coats, caps and jackets worthy of Amelia Earhart and Tupperware storage containers woven together in an elegant and chic mix. Its a rare talent that thinks to combine everyday kitchen container materials with high end luxury furs and cashmere. It will be interesting to see what buyers pick up Irina's collection. Will it be sold by luxury retailers like Bergdorf's and Saks or from home via Tupperware parties? Maybe in the era of the great recession the two will converge! Nah, it won't happen, but it is fun to think about. That is what is so great about Fashion Week. You never know what you'll find. Especially if you venture off the beaten track, outside the tents and into the unexpected as designer Irina Shabayeva does.

As most of us know, the sweetest day, Valentine's Day is coming tomorrow Feb. 14th. There are a couple of contests you might want to get in on to try to win some free bling. First up, Macy's is having a contest via Twitter with a grand prize of a 3 stone diamond ring. Its easy to enter follow @MacysInc and Twitter, then write your text on your sweetest tweet using this hashtag #SweetestTweets. Its so cold out, this might be a good time to do a little tweeting in the hopes of scoring some bling, right? :)

The next contest for bling is from eBay. In honor of the Valentine’s season, eBay is inviting women across America to “Build Your Bling” – a nationwide contest to design diamond ring of their dreams, with the opportunity to win the one-of-a-kind rock worth up to $25,000!


Recessionistas looking for bling for free are invited to configure their perfect diamond ring using the eBay Diamond Ring Designer, an online experience that provides access to thousands of certified, conflict-free loose diamonds and hundreds of gorgeous settings to customize an exceptional ring.


To enter, contestants create and post a unique ring design, and then spread the news about their gem and encourage voting through a Share function. America is asked to vote on its favorite sparkler, and on February 26, the lucky lady whose bling received the most votes will be awarded her customized carat. If you like bling, and are all about the free (that's me people) then you might want to check this out! May the best Recessionista win!