Roving Reporter : Donna Karan

Having shown diffusion line DKNY early in the week, it was now time for our second installment of the global brand. Donna Karan is well known for power dressing. Being a New York-based label, collections are made to represent the city's high-flying women. This meant that the collection, as usual, managed to combine just the right amount of sexiness and strength that NYC ladies need.

First up were sleek workwear separates. Donna has gone for high roll necks for next season, with high neck lines featuring on everything from work to eveningwear. There was also plenty of jersey - this draped-front top is a beautiful, timeless piece and I have a feeling that Donna Karan will do well out of the current trend to buy excellent quality basics.

Pencil skirts were another key piece. As a signature to power dressing, every woman should own a black, pencil skirt. I love the up-date version in a slight wet look.

Donna Karan mainline is always influenced heavily by 80s power dressing, and this was no exception. Again blazer-style jackets, squared-off shoulders and boxy cuts give a nod to the Thatcher look. The looks cleverly cinched at the waist with a belt to give a more feminine feel.

Great new trouser shape too. Sitting on the ankle, with quite a loose silhouette, this is neither boyish nor begged, but a real androgynous look.

I totally adore camel-coloured coats. It's a weird obsession, I know, but there is something so rich and chic about it (naturally, little grungy me couldn't pull it off). With global warming (yawn), making us have ice-cold winters, this belted coat is smart outerwear. There's this real city-man feel, only feminised by the belt.

The colour palette was quite muted - black, grey and camel - with accents of vibrant blue and berry. I love these bright hues to add a touch of lightness. Even New York needs colour!

Again oversized shoulders and cinched waists added to an hourglass 80s look. The mid-length skirt came across a bit frumpy, but as a strong commercial piece that can work for various age groups.

In detail: If it isn't cinched ladies, it won't cut it next season! Love the front patch pockets too, (and yes the fur). So practical!

Capes and three-quarter kimono sleeves were huge for outerwear last year, and having invested in my cape (and long gloves), I'm pleased to see Donna championing it again here. A great sleeve shape, and the stunning fur neckline looked very cosy for those icy New York winters.

One of Donna Karan's top sellers is her outerwear, probably because these are great investment pieces. This leather, oversized lapel number is absolutely gorgeous and if your budget will stretch, definitely worth the investment. A great leather jacket never goes out of style.

Take note of the oversized jewels on show. Donna's models were adorned with baubles and more crafty, tribal pieces, in a mixture of gold, silver and copper. Normally a no-no, this metal mix is definitely a big, clunky yes. Statement jewels has been a reoccurring trend that is thankfully set to continue.

Sexy shoes were all the rage at the Donna Karen show. I adore this oh so slighty slutty leopard-print pair! Platform heels, straps and sexy zips: these are a tall order and very 80s.

Love the studs on the shoe, do not however envy the model. Though they look a wee bit high for me, it's good to see that two shoe trends from past seasons are carrying on. Zips on heels, again from a bygone era, still totally cool though; and studs on heels - thank goodness those studded Louboutins aren't past it yet!

Embellishment has been huge again on the NY catwalks. Mainly taking an 80s twist, this military style jacket is totally fab (even if it's a bit Adam and the Ants).

I am a huge champion of jersey in evening wear, so imagine me whooping when I saw the next few looks! Bias cutting, drapery, glamorous and understated: could you want anything else from a dress?

Love this skin-tight number. Herve Leger, eat your heart out. Again Donna has gone for a high neck (so not one for the busty girls), but I can totally see Keira Knightley in a number like this. Like the belt too, - adds a focal point. Berry, berry beautiful indeed!

I thought I'd ended on a craft piece. Most of the collection was about simple, classic, investment pieces. All beautifully designed and tailored. However I love this last red-carpet number for its innovative and creative silhouette. The bronzed colour is luscious, the belt makes it edgy and it is overall one of my favourites from the collection.

Roving Reporter: Herve Leger by Max Azria

Herve Leger dresses are still the talk of the town. They've filtered down the celebrity hierarchy, from A- to C-list celebs all wanting their own. These body-con bandage dresses are not for the meek. Entirely contoured, these lil numbers will have you off carbs for life, as they're totally unforgiving. Part of me reckons that celebrity ladies love them for the chance to hold the all-important competition of skinniness. The last offering from Herve Leger was bold, bright and quite 80s in its acidity.

This time round, Max Azria has brought the LBD (little bandage dress) bang up to date with a much richer colour palette for fall. Bronze, gold, gunmetal and black made based the collection, and though the fitted silhouette remained, the actual detailing developed well.

As with other designers this week, Azria went for a strong shoulder, and with the metallic weave being an all-important feature, I got the impression that armour had been an inspiration. The shoulders here were less 80s, however, and had a more futuristic Balenciaga feel.

Naturally, the collection was made up entirely of dresses that skimmed the thighs of slender models. Totally body-con, this is a total Hollywood look. Hair was tied back, and these chic little dresses were pared down with black patent boots, adding a slight rock vibe to the otherwise glamorous collection.

There was a greater move towards embellishment this season, unlike the last run of Herve Leger, which was purely iconic for its bandage design. This season, fabrics had incredible metallic weaves (think Missoni) and were embellished with sequined discs, crystal beads and leather inserts.

Overall, I definitely feel that Azria has managed to develop the successful bandage dresses to form a collection that was less novel and more design-driven. Beautiful detailing will keep women ready to flash the cash for something so well thought-out, while still in keeping with the infamous silhouette.

Roving Reporter: BCBG Max Azria

Max Azria is a very busy man. Aside from heading up BCBG, Max is also showing two other collections this NY Fashion Week: one his own label, Max Azria, and of course the other for his must-have celebrity favourite, Herve Leger.

BCBG is one label, alongside the likes of Donna Karen and Calvin Klein, that does the New York look so well. Dresses were beautifully cut, with deconstructed and paneled dresses and coats the main staples of the collection.

Fabrics were sumptuous: think rich-looking silk, soft jersey and deep, opulent velvets. The colour palette was dark and moody. Perhaps purely because it was winter, Max chose to go for black, deep blue and splashings of cream, which brought the collection into a lighter phase.

Being A/W, coats were instrumental in this collection. There was a huge variety of cuts (though nearly all were black) from tailored dress coats, to this cocoon silhouette. Cocoon coats were the big thing about two winters ago, so if you still have yours tucked away make sure to drag it out. This one is particularly voluminous, but you can always cinch it at the waist with a belt.

It has often been said that the world of fashion doesn't cater to those who actually can buy it. Although we show garments on 16-year-old girls, we expect 40-year-old women to buy. Quite frankly, the hems often are far too shot, and the neckline too plummeting for most 'older' ladies. This, at BCBG, is not the case. Dresses and coats were elegant and trans-generational. Bias cuts ensured that even the sleekest dresses were forgiving.

Again, asymmetric dresses are here to stay, and quite frankly I'm pleased. I love dresses that create focal points, like the one above - it's simple and elegant, but the sweeping line draws the eye up the body. Quite superb! I love the bias cutting too.

I'm not to sure about the insane leg wear. Wet-look leggings were a tremendous hit this season, and thrown under rock-inspired dresses (on the right pair of pins), they look fantastic. But liquid-gold support tights ,I'm not too sure about. For me they ruined a beautiful selection of dresses and separates.

This open-necked, velvet twist dress is well cut and suitable for various figures and ages. The open neck ensures the eye is drawn down the body (not scarily across), and the twisted front can hide a multitude of sins.

Shoots are back! (shoe-boots for all those who missed the it season shoe of 2008). A great wardrobe staple, sadly again teamed with those insane leggings, though they are growing on me and I can deal with them when with boots.

Love the jersey slouch dress. Again, for a man with so much on his plate, this was beautifully executed. In times of economic downfall, women will be looking to buy good, cosy, wardrobe staples. I adore this shade of blue too.

We loved this jacket. Fantastic shoulder again. Ladies take note: Anything with a strong, 80s-inspired shoulders is in for A/W 2009.

This jacket and skirt combo is a perfect example of deconstructed dresses. The perfect panelling and that slight feeling that the skirt was inspired by an upside-down top left me feeling intrigued and wanting a closer look. The cream colour was also hugely instrumental in brightening up the whole collection.

An extremely classic palette but with inventive and creative silhouettes. The pattern cutting was outstanding and a beautiful take on modern, grown-up dressing.

Roving Reporter: Rag & Bone

I'm feeling a bit grouchy from a late Friday night followed by an unexpectedly early start to Saturday morning. And to the jilted woman who kept shrieking, "Jamie, open the door! Jamie....open it! Open the door, Jamie!" on the pavement outside my building for 20 minutes, I hope you have many miserable Valentine's Days.

I find my mood improving upon review of the Rag & Bone show in New York, which marks yet another successful season for the two Kentucky boys with no formal training. It’s hard to believe that Marcus Wainwright and David Neville learned what they did about denim – and then menswear and women’s wear – by making friends with pattern cutters and seamstresses. Two points for immersion therapy!



The Japanese/space-tech influences were clear in the latest pieces from Rag & Bone, seeming to prepare everyone for the financial apocalypse, but there was a bit of ‘dandy’ thrown in for good measure. Basket-weave dresses mixed with low-denier black tights (my alternate of choice to basic thickies) or don’t-mess-with-me athletic leggings, but the designers were just as quick to slip in a leather-lapel blazer, complete with red poppy for zip.


For the men, it was three-piece suits (including angle-cut waistcoats), with the notable substitution of knee-cinched ninja pants for tuxedo trousers. That, and the occasional samurai ponytail, stood out.



Three of my favourite surprises of the collection? Coco Rocha and her blazing new ‘do, Freja Beha Erichsen sending out a tribute to YSL drop-crotch trousers (yes, I wonder why I like them too) and a Balmain/Leger shout-out in an asymmetrical, Matrix-chic bandage dress. This, people, is how to make a recession entertaining.