NY Fashion Week: Sexy is the new black at Vera Wang, Rodarte loves poetry

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Associated Press is all over New York Fashion Week, from the runways to celebrities as eight days of spring previews entered their sixth day Tuesday.

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LOVING POETRY AT RODARTE

The designing duo at Rodarte, sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy, always draw heavily on their past experiences when they design their collections: their childhood in California, their favourite paintings at a certain museum (as in a memorable Impressionist-based collection), or specific music that inspired them.

For their latest collection, the sisters decided to draw on poetry.

“It was funny, we were listening to records and thinking about poetry,” Laura Mulleavy said backstage. “Kate and I just had this natural thought to do a collection about poets over the ages. Emily Dickinson, songwriters like Dylan or Leonard Cohen — we just melded it all together.”

The elements that kept cropping up when designing, Mulleavy said, were roses, lace, and a certain colour palette (black, white, burgundy, brown, dusty pink.) The lace recalled Dickinson; tweed accents perhaps more Leonard Cohen, Mulleavy said. Another key defining element was the music of Electric Light Orchestra.

The clothes were indeed heavy on lace, but many were also much flashier than either Dickinson or Cohen likely would have favoured. There was lots of beading, some sequin work, and generous helpings of fringe. Some outfits had sort of an Old West saloon vibe, particularly those with black lace. There was also velvet, silk chiffon, and — for those poets toiling away in drafty attics, perhaps — some luscious Mongolian lamb jackets.

—Jocelyn Noveck

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SEXY IS THE NEW BLACK AT VERA WANG

That’s the word from Vera Wang, who made her point in tiny black bandeaus and bra tops, short shorts, sky high heels and plenty of sexy shoulders, if shoulders are your thing.

She included a pop of red, mesh and sheer elements, and a dose of gold sequins, with just a touch of mink in a mini-vest and spiky ostrich plumes on shorts, boy shirts and a halter-neck dress serving up those shoulders as cutouts did elsewhere.

Wang said backstage after the show that she drew inspiration from the duality of life, the pleasures of the imagination a bit of mystery.

“There is that side that’s very, um, not prim but controlled, and then there’s a side where you let go, you allow yourself to have a bit of fantasy in your life. So in a way it was a rift, not literally, of ‘Belle de Jour,’ the movie.”

That would be the Catherine Deneuve classic directed by Luis Bunuel, telling the story of a repressed French housewife who becomes a prostitute.

Prostitution aside, Wang knows how to create sexy. The mighty high shoes, on the chunky side with a lug, sporty sole, were a big part of that effort, she said.

“How am I doing? Better now that no one tripped,” Wang smiled. “I wanted them to feel sexy.”

Sexy by day and sexy by night.

Wang included a lot of schoolgirl tailoring, but at the same time, “I could still go to the other side … with extremely modern eveningwear,” worn with little undershirts and bra tops.

“There’s always that tension between everything in the show that went from boyish to girl, back to boyish, because I love that mix,” she said.

With Kylie Jenner on her front row, Wang considered the Kardashian-Jenner family influence on fashion today.

“They’re celebrities but at the same time they not just embrace, they adore fashion,” she said, “and I think that has had a very big influence on people.”

—By Leanne Italie and Nicole Evatt

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TRAVELING WITH TORY INTO SPRING

Wanderlust has been good to Tory Burch: Her love of travel often inspires her work, with past collections imbued with flavours of London, Marrakesh, the American Southwest and points beyond.

For her latest collection, Burch dug a little deeper, unearthing textures and intricate details one might encounter in far-off lands.

“It’s a bit more conceptual from an inspiration standpoint,” Burch explained prior to presenting her collection Tuesday. “I wanted to highlight the idea that beauty happens over time, and the patina that time creates.”

For an audience that included actresses Jessica Alba and Maggie Q and model Liya Kebede, Burch kicked off her presentation with caftans and separates in cotton and linen, with fringe and frayed edges highlighting natural textures. More polished, office-appropriate pieces followed, including a knee-length linen jacquard tunic worn over cropped linen pants, a silhouette that has emerged as a spring trend. Handbags embellished with fringe or feathers likewise emphasized texture and movement, while the collection’s statement shoe featured a sculptured heel inspired by a sinuous piece of natural tree bark.

It’s a busy week for Burch: On Wednesday she debuts her Tory Sport activewear line in a New York pop-up shop. That collection is designed “with elegance of sport in mind,” Burch said, adding that she included “coming and going pieces, what you might wear to lunch after the gym, or what you’d wear to the airport.”

Perhaps Burch had her own travels in mind. “After this week I’m headed to Venice,” she said. “I’m excited, because I haven’t been on vacation in a long time.”

—Laurie Brookins

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GAGA STYLIST BRANDON MAXWELL STEPS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

Brandon Maxwell knows how to make a woman feel beautiful.

The stylist to superstar Lady Gaga debuted his own line of women’s ready-to-wear Monday night, with his celebrity client there before, during and after the show. Wearing (what else) a Brandon Maxwell designed black pants suit with a low V-neck, Lady G said she was “beyond proud” of her stylist.

And Maxwell returned the love.

“She really took a chance on me, in a lot of ways, not only as a creative collaborator, but also as a best friend,” Maxwell said. “She has been there for me in times like this, but she has also been there for me at 3 o’clock in the morning when I am crying and couldn’t get through the day, so it was obviously a no-brainer that she was here. And she was here all week … helping and wrangling and dealing.”

His collection included impeccably tailored suits, jumpsuits and gowns, nearly all of them in black or white — a classic look Maxwell said was inspired by his mother.

“I know everyone thinks their mom is the most beautiful, but I really felt like my mom was the most beautiful growing up,” he said. “She is sort of my inspiration always.”

—Gina Abdy

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DARKLY CHIC AND EASY AT ZAC POSEN

The evening wear king has seen the light of day.

Posen put on a show dominated by looks for daytime in dark blacks, navy and bright whites with just a pop of red and sparkle, on Monday. And his models were treated to elegant flat shoes!

He has a shorthand for this spring mix: “maximal minimalism.”

There were structured shoulders, monastic architectural bodices and rounded skirts on dresses, but also roomy, flowing looks accented by open seams on deconstructed sleeves, jackets and other garments.

“It’s form,” he said in a backstage interview after the show put on under ornate chandeliers in a Grand Central Terminal hall. “The detail in the clothing is intense and the clothing is crafted, from articulated seams to embroideries on cottons. But the overall shapes have a sense of cleanliness and form to them, and a sense of ease.”

Looks were roomy but retained shape through clever belting. A pair of split short pants in white were extra wide. He left backs open in silky satin and hinged the seams for an open effect on his sole red look, a strapless dress, and other outfits.

No worries, ladies looking for fresh Posens in a broader range of shades. He said he has plenty of other colours back at the showroom.

—Leanne Italie

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RAG & BONE MIXES FEMININE WITH MILITARY

It was a mix of feminine, masculine and military — parachute dresses, pilot totes and field dresses —on the Rag & Bone runway Monday night at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn.

Designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville presented updated takes on bright bomber jackets with sleeves inspired by the fabric of parachute pants from the 1980s and casual, but sexy jumpsuits with lots of zippers. It was like being in a fashionable “danger zone” a la Tom Cruise in “Top Gun.”

Drawing inspiration from feminine, military and English style and culture, Marcus Wainwright said the show was “an exploration of our roots” and all about the downtown Rag & Bone girl who takes great pride in her appearance, but isn’t concerned what others may think.

The models had a relaxed, languid gait, which paired well with the tuxedo jackets of varying lengths, silky camisole dresses, sweaters with large zippered pockets and racer-back tweed dresses in yellow and black and burnt orange and black. Bright colours were often paired with dark. And the shoes? Chunky white leather sneakers with thick laces and chunky sandals.

Not to be overlooked was the music “Villain,” which was an original piece by frequent collaborator Thom Yorke, with live accompaniment by members of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

Making the trek to the Brooklyn performance space were Anna Wintour, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, Atlanta de Cadenet, Camille Rowe, Lil Buck and Blake Griffin.

—D.S. Creighton