Fashion Week Roundup

A look from the Rachel Comey Show - This sweater dress is exactly what we envision for fall: moody colors and well cut knits.

New York, February 11th, 2008 -- The official end of New York Fashion Week came on Friday, but Nadine and I are still walking the aisles of the tradeshows, taking buying appointments and trying to make sense of all that we’ve seen. Usually I’ll come away from the tents and showrooms with a clear view of what the trends for fall will be, understanding the over-arching theme of the season—or at the very least what shapes will be hot—but not so this year. Our general consensus is that the Fall 08 collections did not have any one clear direction and were all over the place.

With the economy taking a downturn, designers seemed to take fewer risks, but didn’t quite know how they wanted to “keep it safe” and everyone had a different interpretation of “safe.” Some designers have told us that they believe people want to take chances with their clothing in an economic crisis since they can’t take chances elsewhere. Others believed people get more careful with their money in these times and stuck to the basics.

On a personal note, I expected to see more conservative and tailored pieces, especially since people are moving away from the sack dresses of last summer. I haven’t seen much tailoring except by way of the blazer, but I’ve come away liking the more casual aesthetic that’s being explored this season. The wide leg pant reigns supreme and moody colors serve diligently with a beautiful range of greys and deep plums. But the stars of the season have been the knits. The obvious players in the category—Lutz & Patmos, Tsesay and New Scotland—have been some of the most exciting collections, all with intricate details, modern shapes and rich fabrics that won’t break your bank account. Even those who wouldn’t be obvious winners in the knit category have shined—Rachel Comey and VPL, among them. Some of our other favorite designers stuck with what they do best, others went glitzy and glam (dare I say, “tacky”?) with bright colors, beading and plunging necklines everywhere. It’s more party girl than practical in my book and the look is a little surprising given the economic climate.

In the end, we’re out there pounding the pavement in search of the clothes you will want to wear come September. It’s been an interesting ten days, but we are wading through the cheese to find something more substantial and, quite frankly, wearable whether it’s to a casual dinner at Smith & Mills or a night out at the Beatrice Inn. – Cary Weekes

Fashion Week - Day 8

New York, February 8, 2008 -- Today marks the official end of Fall 2008 Fashion Week and it was one of the busiest days yet for Cary and me. I woke up early this morning to the first bit of sunshine we've had all week in NYC. It's amazing what a little sun can do to my mood and how it can influence the way that I get dressed for the day. I felt totally energized after a long and very early 7:30AM walk with my adorable dog, Gibson. I ran upstairs to my small west village apartment and threw on my favorite plum colored woven Rachel Comey dress which I paired with black tights, stacked heel lace-up boots from Dusica Dusica and a vintage belt.

We got off to an early start with a 9AM appointment at Addison Crescent showroom specializing in west coast and eco-concious designers. We found a strong organic clothing line from Australian designer Camilla Norback who we can't wait to add to the Mick Margo Eco Fashion line-up. From there we visited our friends at Tricot showroom in soho. Tricot is home to some of our veteran Mick Margo designers such as Les Prairies des Paris, Devotte and Deere Colhoun. Each of these collections have shown us consistency from season to season in design integrity and quality. We had a hard time narrowing down our favorites in the Devotte collection that had the strongest season we've seen to date. The classic Andrea boot is back with improvements and my personal favorite was a classic lace up boot that reminded me of the Ralph Lauren boots I saved up to buy in 7th grade to wear with my ever so preppy school uniform.

From there we stopped into Balthazar for a quick bite to eat and then on to a few more showrooms. The highlight of the day came when we had our showroom appointment with designer Rachel Comey personally walking us through her collection. There are a million
must-have pieces in her collection....I cannot say enough positive things. So ladies, get ready, Rachel will be keeping us elegantly dressed this coming fall/winter season. She brought back the popular Thief Boot in fresh color combinations and has designed a spectacular belt with 2 buckles in a slew of fall friendly colors.

Even though we made only one quick stop into the tents to see Australian designer Willow, we could instantly tell that the energy at the Bryant Park Tents on this last day of fashion week felt very different from every other day so far this week. There were less fashionistas running around in stacked heels and fewer journalists asking them to pose for pictures. We could feel the week was coming to a close although the official end to fashion week will take place later tonight when Marc Jacobs takes his bow at the NY Armory. -- Nadine Ferber

Fashion Week Finale - A Look from the Marc Jacobs Runway

Fashion Week - Day 6

VPL Show - One of many great jackets on the runway

VPL Show - A look with a little bit of the lingerie peaking through

New York, February 6, 2008 -- Another day pounding the pavement for our great customers. Nadine and I started this morning at Denise Williamson Showroom where we looked at a slew of lines. We fell in love with Catherine Holstein who is re-launching her young line after a season off. We fell in love with the color block dresses, high-waisted pants and gauzy tees. Then we took a look at Thread Social, which was a pleasant surprise. We were excited to find the line has grown up from its girly party dresses and found its strength with tailored dresses, chunky sweaters and a killer green moleskin jacket. The most exciting line we discovered at Denise Williamson was called Shoe Folk, a collection of great boots. Favorites were a pair of brown suede and a pair of black leather, both with super comfy and durable rubber bottoms.

Next we walked towards Nolita and checked out Dunlin handbags. Designed by Shilo Nagashima and Ramana Goldstein, they were truly original and such a breath of fresh air when shapes are looking so similar these days. We particularly loved the Crosby and the Lafayette styles, both with unique hardware that was functional (gasp!) and not just decorative.

Then it was time for the VPL show at Bumble and Bumble, which got underway a little late. Nadine and I sat front row and watched the highly styled looks come down the runway. Despite designer Victoria Bartlett’s expansion into ready to wear, she hasn’t abandoned her lingerie roots with bodysuits, bras and underwear trotting down the runway next to beautifully sculpted coats, yummy knits and flowing wide-leg pants. Each season it is a fun show to catch.

We had hoped to make the beginning of the Lerario Beatriz presentation which would feature a short runway show, but already late for our next appointment, we headed uptown to see Organic our favorite 100% eco-friendly collection. Then we headed over to see Smythe, a great line of jackets and coats. We found a great long vest, a tweed hooded coat and an awesome brown leather motorcycle jacket. The collection is so strong and we can’t wait to receive our spring shipment and get it on the site so you can see why we love it so much.

Last stop of the day was to see the Sissi Rossi bags. Each year they come in some crazy colors, some work others are maybe a little bit out there for us. For fall they have this amazing mulberry tone that is the perfect way to wear a color bag. They also have a rich grey that we’ve been seeing all week and Sissi Rossi really does it right.

Tomorrow Nadine and I will be in the shop writing our orders for the collections we’ve seen thus far and unpacking boxes of spring merchandise that have been arriving everyday this week. If we don’t check in, that’s what we’re doing and we’ll update you again on Friday. Then this weekend we start the tradeshows: Designers and Agents, The Train and the Coterie. – Cary Weekes

Fashion Week - Day 4

New York, February 4, 2008 -- Whew. It’s been a long day full of buying and shows. We braved the snow and started this morning with an appointment at The News showroom in Soho. Every season this is a major stop for buying since the showroom is so large and we buy almost everything there. We found a fantastic new line by Sari Gueron simply called “Sari.” Favorites from the collection were a plaid flannel dress that actually doesn’t make you think of Seattle in the 90’s and a grey wool jumper dress with pockets. It really just felt very fresh and new, so look for it on the site and in the shop this fall. Next we saw some gorgeous chunky knits from Lutz & Patmos and a cute tunic from guest designer Kirsten Dunst (each season they have a muse design one piece in the collection). There were also a few great sweater jackets, which are so versatile in this changing climate. Their commitment to the environment is so important to us and they are even more pieces using eco-friendly wools that are hand knit by local artisans in Uruguay.

We also took a look at Jovovich-Hawk, Shipley & Halmos, Vena Cava, Alexander Wang and Superfine. A few standouts were a pea coat from Alex Wang, a modern and sophisticated bootleg jean from Superfine and an ivory pleated cocktail dress from Vena Cava.

We finished with just enough time to grab a salad and take it our appointment at FiftyTwo Showroom in Tribeca. There we got a sneak peak of Lerario Beatriz whose show isn’t until Wednesday afternoon. Even though designer Ana Lerario was still diligently adding the finishing touches, Nadine and I both could see this is going to be a an amazing season for her. Ana combined a beautiful palette of colors with the most sumptuous fabrics we’ve seen all week, which really got us excited for fall.

FiftyTwo also plays host to other lines we love, like Araks, Mischen and Maria Bonita Extra. We always love Araks’ pants because the fit is perfect, but she also wowed us with a paneled dress and an oversized cardigan.

Then it was off to the Ports 1961 show in the Bryant Park Tents. We were met at the door by our ever-so-attentive rep John Murphy, who ushered us in to our seats. Such a gentleman! We were seated across the aisle from a slew of celebrities – Aisha Tyler, Rose McGowan, Mandy Moore, Sophia Bush, among them. The collection’s inspiration was drawn from Gaelic tales and romantic Scotland, a theme that could easily be seen from the lighthouse projection on the wall to the styling of the looks on the runway. Always a favorite line of ours, we are looking forward to our showroom appointment next week.

Now it’s time to head over to the Ports 1961 after party on the roof of the newly renovated Gramercy Park Hotel. The seated dinner and cocktails will be the perfect end to a long day. – Cary Weekes

Ports 1961 - A look from tonight's show

Fashion Week - Day 3

New York, February 3, 2008 -- Today Nadine and I took a brief detour from the regular Fashion Week activities and attended the New York Gift Show at the Javits Center. I'd never been to this show until last August and was totally overwhelmed by its size the first time I was there. I thought the Coterie was the biggest show out there, but I was very, very wrong.

The show is so much fun and you see everything from modern Scandinavian kitchen utencils to yard gnomes. Thankfully, it's organized very well and we know which aisles are more our style. We found a great line of soy candles from Seda France. The soy factor is important to us ever since we learned that regular candles are made from paraffin wax which is essentially the dyed sludge left over when refining gasoline. And we also discovered Matteo, a gorgeous collection of linens that has recently launched a lounge wear line perfect for the Mick Margo girl.

And it's not something for Mick Margo, but we fell in love with Mungo & Maud, a line for dogs and cats from London. Their pet beds are not something you'd ever want to hide away when the company comes and their leashes and collars just amazing. Expect to see a much more fashionable Gibson in coming days! -- Cary Weekes

Fashion Week - Day 2

Alexander Wang Show - A Favorite Look of Mine

Alexander Wang Show- A glimpse at the boots with the toe to ankle zipper

New York, February 2, 2008 -- When I cracked my eyes this morning it was only 6:45, but my bedroom was already bright. Yesterday had been so dark, gloomy and rainy that I'd neglected to shut my shades all the way and the crack at the bottom was letting the light pour in. Even though I still had a couple hours to sleep in, I was already excited for a day without a downpour.

When I did finally get out of bed, it was time to pick an outfit. I'm not usually a person that changes clothes ten times before leaving the house, but this morning was different. We're in the middle of winter, so I'm sick of the clothes in my closet and dying to wear everything I see come down the runway. I always find that seeing the Fall Collections in February is a form of fashion torture. You want to wear it now, but have to wait 8 months. So I threw on the only new thing in my closet, my dress from The KISS Principle that I picked up in Thailand a few weeks ago and paired it with a Cacharel belt from fall and flat boots. Then I ran down to meet Nadine, who was picking me up in a cab and we were off to the Bryant Park Tents. As usual, she was ever so stylish in an Isabel Marant top and a pair of wide leg paper bag pants.

Once you enter the Bryant Park Tents, it's sensory overload--almost like you've entered a new world, one ruled by those with headsets, clipboards and stiletto heels. After you make your way through the crowds, past the sponsor booths and paparazzi, it's time to check in and find your seats.

We started the day with the Araks runway show. Araks started as a lingerie designer, expanded to swimwear and finally to ready-to-wear three years ago. We were particularly excited to see the show since she'd taken a season off to become a mother. Next we caught Mara Hoffman who was known for her bold prints and easy, everyday, silk-jersey shapes. The show was definitely a departure from that with chunky knits and belted, hooded coats as a highlight. Finally, before leaving the tents we caught the Alexandre Herchcovitch show and saw daring shapes with peaks of color at the seams. Niki Taylor was sitting front row and we watched as she was bombarded by reporters and the paparazzi after the show.

Our final and favorite stop of the day was at the Alexander Wang show in a space on West 21st street. The show was packed and the front row was already filled with celebrities and socialites by the time we arrived. With a flurry of smoke and fog, the lights came up and the show began. The clothes were all about accessibility with long and lean blazers, wide leg pants and his now classic pocketed tank. Gone were the brightly colored accent pieces in favor of black, white and little bit of grey. We did see a lot of his shredded denim, which he paired with ripped stockings and boots. Of course Nadine and I also noticed the shoes, which were made by Manolo Blahnik. What would ordinarily be a plain black pointed toe ankle boot had a zipper running up the front from the toe and others were cutout with windowpanes from ankle to knee. But the highlight of the show for me were a pair of high waisted wide leg pants worn with a tank and shrunken cardi. I love the risks he takes with his collections because he always strikes the right notes. -- Cary Weekes

Fashion Week - Day 1

Rachel Comey Show - Look 3

Rachel Comey Show - Look 12

New York, February 1, 2008 -- As I was walking my dog Gibson this morning with coffee in one hand and leash in the other, I found my mind contemplating what outfit I was going to wear to carry me through the first busy day of fashion week. As I was deep in thought my neighbor walked by and said, "Hey Nadine, are you ready for the big rainstorm headed our way?" I had absolutely no idea that we were in for bad weather and now with that bit of news I had to completely re-think what I was going to wear.

I headed upstairs to my apartment and looked over the schedule for the day. I decided that I would just get comfortable for a day chock full of appointments by slipping on my favorite jeans and navy hunter boots with a mens black cashmere sweater. And off I went to meet Cary.

At our first showroom appointment of the day, Cary and I found a great emerging designer called Corpus who just made the transition from a denim only line into a full collection complete with boyish knits. This would prove to be a great addition to the Fall Mick Margo line up in 2008.

After that we headed uptown for a few uneventful appointments where we saw lines with either too much direction or no point of view at all. Nothing that was exactly right for our customer.

With an hour to kill before our last event of the day and after running around in the rain we decided to have a glass of wine at Otto, Mario Batali's restaurant, on 8th Street. It is such a cozy spot. From Otto we braved the downpour to get to Rachel Comey's runway show, one of my favorites each season. She certainly didn't disappoint this time around either. Her Fall 2008 collection was shown at the Salmagundi Arts Club on Fifth Avenue. The space was beautifully appointed with oil paintings and over-sized chandeliers, the perfect backdrop for what would soon be trouncing down the runway.

Rachel's show was stunning. She showed a well edited collection from the very first look to the very last. Her styling was impeccable with headscarves adorning models' heads and white folded ankle socks shown with peep toe clogs. The clothes were a nod to the ladies of the 60's. Elegant dresses nipped high at the waist and graphic prints like we've never seen from her before. Her shoes were, of course, a highlight of the show for me. I could picture all of my girlfriends in her suede and leather combination boots. The knits were akin to wearing your grandpa's cardi, but shrunken so as to not be overwhelming on a feminine frame. And her belts were the perfect color cognac that would look great paired with the dark colors that we all we tend to wear in the winter months. Definitely the highlight of the day. -- Nadine Ferber

New York Fashion Week

New York, February 1, 2008 -- Today marks the first day of New York's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week where designers show their Fall 2008 collections. Your Mick Margo style mavens, Nadine Ferber and Cary Weekes, will be pounding the pavement, attending shows in the Bryant Park Tents and across the city to find the latest and great collections for our dedicated customers. This is also the first week of buying, so in between the shows we will be squeezing in buying appointments with designers and showrooms. All in all, it is a busy week leading up to the tradeshows next weekend.

In hopes of giving you a taste of what fashion week is like, we are going to report back every day with photos and tales from the days ahead. We'll let you know what the so-chic New Yorkers are wearing, what the buzz is about each designer and what's going to be hot for fall. Check back daily for updates! -- Cary Weekes