London Calling
My Picks from London Fashion Week (Pt.2)

Jonathan Saunders:
Pastels and florals, what more can I say!

 

 

 (LOVE these dresses!)

 

The large flower on the front of the pink satin bomber jacket is super fun, and I am drooling over the color variation and ruffles on the last dress.

Peter Pilotto:
It wasn't just the flowers that I loved about this collection. The silhouettes were to die for in this collection. So flattering! The geometric patterns were also fun, and provided a slimming effect to the first few dresses.

London Calling
My Picks from London Fashion Week (Pt. 1)

Tom Ford:
I don't usually go for edgy, but I liked the futuristic thing Tom Ford had going on for Spring 2014.

I especially liked the mosaic-inspired last piece. Although I can't think of anywhere I could wear it...

Roksanda Ilincic:
I'll admit, I'm new to this designer, but I like what I see!

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)

More Picks from NYFW:
Jeremy Scott's Cacophony of Color

I know this has been said before, but I LOVE Jeremy Scott's take on the old color bars from television. (Probably because I can never get enough of a good rainbow.) His other prints were fun too, and totally different from anything else anyone did, in New York or elsewhere this fashion week season. Now that's what I call originality!