NYFW Picks:
Surprises (Pleasant and Not)

My biggest surprise like during NYFW was Tommy Hilfiger, which is not normally a brand I go for. (Too sporty and many neutral colors for me.) However, I was pleasantly surprised by their Spring 2014 collection:

The collection was sporty, but with pops of vibrant color that made even bookish me want to pull on the wet suit inspired shorts and go deep sea diving. 

Another surpise was Tory Burch. I have been warming to Tory ever since I saw this bag from her summer collection:

I am still mad I didn't snatch this up when it was on sale. Sigh. Oh well, there's always ebay. Still, I like her bags better than her clothes generally, but was pleased by what I saw in her summer collection:

True to form, I love the bags even more than the clothes. I am especially digging the 
belt bag as seen in picture three above. The notion of having something you can hang at your waist instead of off your shoulder appeals to me, especially on rainy days when you have an umbrella, lunch pail, and coffee cup to juggle on the way to work. Is that just me? And so much more chic than a fanny pack. 


I hate to end on a sad note, but my biggest NYFW disappointment was by far Carolina Herrera. Normally, I devour everything Carolina serves like a model given pizza after the last fashion show of the season. I am used to wanting every piece, every single piece, or her collections. But it seems to me that she has lost her mojo this season. The femininity and tailoring that are so much the essence of her style were gone: replaced with dull patterns of lines and straight, harsh silhouettes  Much of it seemed like dresses that had already been done a hundred times before by lesser designers. With the exception of this dress, I didn't like any of it:

And even this piece didn't inspire the oh-my-goodness-I-have-to-have-that-right-now-I-don't-care-if-I-go-broke attitude I normally have about her work. 

See what I mean?

I think the last dress was designed for those women who want to look like they have a swarm of flies buzzing around their assets. Or something. So disappointing  Let's hope she brings back more of that classically beautiful styling to her next collection. We believe in you, Carolina!

(All Photos courtesy of Style.com)