Rebekah Wing
Flávia Linden
Julia Alcântara
Anna Le
Ala Konturek
The verdict is in: bralettes, crop tops, and bandeaux—which, having been seen everywhere from Alexander Wang to Fendi, are virtually unwearable for anyone who has breasts or lacks a six-pack—will continue to be a big thing this Spring.
Miuccia Prada, too, got the memo—only, when it arrived, she promptly laughed at it and turned it on its head. The designer’s Spring ‘14 collection, which took to the runway in Milan today, featured irreverent, trompe l’oeil bras that appeared as contrasting insets on high-necked frocks and tops, and as a print on a cheeky orange fur coat. Well played, Mrs. Prada. Well played.
"Art on the wall of children's hospitals? You'd have to be a monster not to support it!" exclaimed ArtBinder founder Alexandra Chemia from the entrance of Lever House last night. She's talking about the work of RxArt, the thirteen-year-old nonprofit that held its packed-to-capacity annual party at the Park Avenue mainstay last night. The event brought in the likes of Nate Lowman, Rob Pruitt, Agnes Gund, André Saraiva, and so many others—all for a little silent (and with help from Simon de Pury, not so silent) bidding, champagne, and mingling to support a cause that, as more than a few attendees were quick to point out, is hard not to rally around. The guest of honor was Kenny Scharf (above), the colorful Pop artist whose video installation project was unveiled on the stairs of the pediatric unit of Brooklyn's Kings County Hospital earlier in the day. "Basically, I feel very honored to make some kind of light in these kids' lives," said Scharf of his involvement. The artist, who's in between "murals and car bombs," also donated a customized work for the evening's live auction. "He'll paint your garage doors, your walls, your facade, your motorbike—whatever you want him to paint…your body, maybe?" mused de Pury before the frantic bidding began. "It's too early to talk, but yeah, we're planning on doing a hospital project," revealed a soft-spoken KAWS. The artist is preparing to show in New York for the first time since 2008 this November. "I met Diane [Brown, founder of RxArt, pictured above] a few years ago, and I'm always happy to be involved with whatever she's up to," he added. Artist Erik Parker concurred, offering, "It's a no-brainer."
With each new season comes a whole crop of new models to get acquainted with, and what struck us about many of Spring '14's rising stars was their interesting names—Drake Burnette (below, left), Binx Walton, Malaika Firth (above, top left), Holly Rose Emery (below, right), and Zlata Mangafic in particular. Their cool monikers only added to their allure during the New York and London shows. Firth is perhaps the most promising fresh face to emerge these past two weeks. We knew the 19-year-old stunner from Kenya (by way of London) would be major when she landed the Prada Fall '13 campaign (she's the first black model to do so since Naomi Campbell in 1994, which gave rise to a slew of comparisons to the supe) and walked in the label's menswear Resort presentation back in June. Firth started her season at Jason Wu, and continued to walk only top-tier shows during NYFW, including Altuzarra, Calvin Klein Collection, Marc Jacobs, and Proenza Schouler. She kept up the pace across the pond, turning up at Burberry, Christopher Kane, J.W. Anderson, Jonathan Saunders, and Mary Katrantzou. Other girls who got explosive starts from that Prada menswear runway over the summer include Anna Ewers (above, top right) and Emery. Ewers caught Alexander Wang's eye (as well as the attention of casting director Anita Bitton) back in February, when she was included in the lineup for his debut Balenciaga collection. Next, the strong German beauty starred in the Resort lookbooks for both Alexander Wang and Balenciaga, so we were hardly surprised to see the designer's new muse open his Spring '14 show—the easy, cool hair and makeup were even reportedly inspired by Ewers' natural look. She went on to do Altuzarra, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, and Marc Jacobs. Meanwhile, Emery's career took off during the Fall couture shows, and her Kewpie Doll pout won her spots on Spring catwalks including Jason Wu, Theyskens' Theory, Marc Jacobs, Christopher Kane, and Giles. Another newcomer who has walked all the right runways so far is Kate Goodling (above, bottom left). The second girl out at Alexander Wang, she also appeared at Calvin Klein, Narciso Rodrgieuz, Altuzarra, and Donna Karan. Her all-American appeal will take her far. Ophelie Guillermand (above, bottom right), likewise, made an impact at both Alexander Wang and Calvin Klein.
Yesterday, Giles Deacon sent an eye-catching, screen print-saturated Spring '14 collection down the runway—though it wasn't the catwalkers turning heads so much as the models spotted on the garments. According to Vogue.co.uk, Deacon's first three looks featured never-before-used photos of Amber Valletta from Glen Luchford's 1997 Prada test shoot—that's two this week for the muse. Luchford snaps of Kate Moss also made an appearance on Giles' Spring looks, and some have suggested that the collection's glittering, gap-toothed mouth motif was a nod to stylist Katie Grand's grin. Considering Grand and Deacon have been pals and colleagues for decades, we don't think it's too wild a guess.
Label: Anya Hindmarch Need to know: Founded by its namesake designer in 1987, the British leather accessories brand Anya Hindmarch hardly needs an introduction. Awarded an MBE in 2009 for her services to the British fashion industry, the designer continues to impress with the craftsmanship, wit, and quality embedded in her bags, whose fans include Anne Hathaway and the Duchess of Cambridge. Exploring the feeling of weightlessness in her Spring ’14 runway show, which was set inside a purpose-built planetarium, Hindmarch presented a deconstructed and modern collection that literally brought the roof down. Inspired by a levitating, magnetic orb toy that she found in Tokyo’s Narita airport, the Spring offering boasted galaxy-print snakeskin handbags in orange, turquoise, and yellow. These floated in the air together with smiley face shopping totes. The general feeling of lightness pervaded as the planets on the ceiling turned into big smiley faces that elicited grins from the audience. She says: "The collection was inspired by weightlessness and this particular technique we found, which makes the leather very lightweight. I wanted to transform a boring runway show to a planetarium, so the idea of the show was that it was happening above your head and in the air." Where to find it: With fifty-eight stores globally, including New York, London, Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong, Hindmarch’s wares can be found on almost every continent, as well as online. However, the bespoke collection is only available in the Madison Avenue store in New York and a dedicated store in London.
"It's fashion-forward to buy better," model-turned-mom-turned-model-again Amber Valletta reasons, providing perhaps the best tagline for her latest endeavor, Master & Muse. The eco-fashion initiative with Yooxygen (the environmentally aware arm of yoox.com) is aiming to gain a few converts with that credo as well as a carefully selected list of brands that Valletta found herself. "We sought out designers and brands that provide high-fashion luxury coupled with sustainability," Valletta says of the range, which hits yoox.com tomorrow. She later explained that, like the duality evident in the relationship between a master and a muse, "style does not have to be at the expense of social responsibility. They are interdependent and interconnected."
The two-hundred-piece collection includes core apparel and accessory designs from the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Good Society, and M Patmos. The selection plays with the contradictions Valletta sees in femininity. The Master, more rigorous and tailored, counterbalances the Muse, more poetic and eclectic. But no matter their divide, "it comes down to great design, sourcing and producing both ethically and sustainably," Valletta maintains. "The brands we offer on Master & Muse are problem-solving through innovation," she adds. She hopes the project will help inspire continued change throughout the fashion industry. Get a sneak peek at some Master & Muse wares from Mich Dulce, M Patmos, Guava, and Vivienne Westwood (below), as well as a Craig McDean-lensed campaign image (above), exclusively on Style.com.
Fringe, in every length, style, and color, has been adding a playful kick to the Spring '14 collections. It surfaced early in NYC, namely at 3.1 Phillip Lim and Ralph Rucci. The former showed fringe on punctuated-block tops in Neapolitan hues, while the latter offered an evening gown tiered in fiber-optic strands that radiated with synthetic rainbow phosphorescence ("eyelashes," Rucci called the textile). At Rodarte, Kate and Laura Mulleavy paid homage to their beloved Los Angeles, attaching long tassels to trash-fab grommeted belts and heavy leather skirts. Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez whipped up a lattice-patterned overcoat in shredded fabric—scraps of which were dip-dyed crimson red, and Marc Jacobs enhanced his collection's Victorian vibe via bunches of fluid thread (above, center). Meanwhile, Francisco Costa—who celebrated ten years at the helm of Calvin Klein—also implemented fringe on a number of sporty silhouettes (above, left), breathing a reinvigorated rawness into his famed streamlined aesthetic. The trend has been spotted out of the gate in London, too. Sister by Sibling used drapery tassels on netted skirts (above, right), while Holly Fulton employed wispy stranding on topcoats at her seventies-influenced outing. Of the fringe effect, New York's Fivestory owner Claire Distenfeld told Style.com, "Amazing elements from the past are back in full force, including fringe. As a romantic, I'm ready to embrace it."
Hot on the heels of releasing its much-touted collaboration with Phillip Lim, Target has announced today that it's crossing the pond for its next team-up, tapping print-meisters Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos (the designers behind British label Peter Pilotto) to design a limited-edition Spring '14 range. The label, which sent its main Spring '14 collection down the catwalk at London fashion week today (left), will turn out Target wares that ring in under $60. This collaboration also marks the first time Target has partnered with Net-a-porter, who will sell a selection of the Peter Pilotto x Target pieces on its website. Will this lineup—set to hit stores in February—inspire the same frenzy as Lim's Fall offering? Stay tuned…
Pale pink may just be the color of the year. Not only has it been all over the Spring'14 runways—Marissa Webb, Prabal Gurung, and Whistles are just a few appearances—but it’s gaining ground as a must-have color for fall, too. When shown in wintry textures like fuzzy cashmere and metallic leather, rosebud feels just right for chilly weather. Mix the shade with your go-to neutrals like black, gray, and camel for an unexpected wardrobe update. The fact that it flatters every complexion is just an added bonus. Shop our favorite fall-ready pieces by Valentino, J.Crew, and more, below.
Today, Net-a-Porter announced the launch of its new social network, The Netbook, inspired by the idea of a physical diary. Unlike the luxury e-tailer's preexisting shopping app, the community hub (which is also shoppable) aims to engage fashion influencers by browsing one another's most-coveted products in real time. "By seeing what your friends are ‘loving,' you may turn up something that you might never have found otherwise," Sarah Watson, the retailer's group mobile manager, told WWD. The app, which is sponsored by Stella McCartney, is, at this time, available only for iPhone and iPad users. And like all newly launched digital luxury destinations, you must be invited to join—for now.
