It’s been a very busy schedule over the past few days with meetings and seminars, so I’m finally beginning to catch up with the goings on with New York Fashion Week thanks to modern technology and communications.  With shows not only streaming live, but archived on YouTube, it’s easy to watch shows at a later time (though I would have preferred to see highlights).  Shows I saw later included Marissa Webb (it was a presentation, not runway), Rebecca Minkoff and Trina Turk (not streamed online).

Marissa Webb: Lovely collection, but still very much J.Crew-influenced.  Pieces are definitely things that would work well on many body types or easily recreated to suit specific figures (there are some designers who just show for art’s sake, which is fine, but there are others who are in between and that’s what bugs me the most), with many loose-fitting tops and skinny or slim pants.  However, I do worry a bit about skirt lengths.  If mid-calf is the new “it” length, then that’s bad news for anyone who is under 5’8″ and smaller than a size 6, especially with pencil skirts (one thing I don’t really get – designers shouldn’t only be designing for the models, but for “real people” as well.  Most people can’t do mid-calf).  At least the stylists didn’t overwhelm the models with layers.  In terms of colour and material, it’s definitely very fall-focused, though a bit recycled in terms of colour with oxblood is making a return for the upcoming season.  Other shades include greens and camels.  Tweeds also  abound in the collection as well.

Rebecca Minkoff: This was a full runway show with a live band rather than recorded music.  Like many other designers who have presented so far, skinny pants dominated.  Colours were fairly cold weather-focused, with greys and blacks as well as poops of colour, such as bright yellow and red – the finale piece, a red poofy-sleeved dress definitely caught my eye.  The social media-friendly presentation also ended the by showing a shot of various Tweets made by those who watched.

Trina Turk: This 1970s glam collection is not without deep, rich fall tones – a welcome change from predominantly black palettes that dominate most fall/winter collections. With floppy hats, gloves and coats and long scarves around models’ necks, the looks were a bit reminiscent of a Pink Tartan collection a few seasons ago.  Shapes were a bit looser, however, and while they were well styled on the models, “regular people” may have to use their imaginations a bit more to make it work.