blah but not je ne sais quoi?

Too much champagne at Vera Wang?

According to Cathy Horn at the NYT, Fashion Week was lacking that je ne sais quoi. Maybe it was all the champagne beige, or perhaps the similar aesthetic of so many designers who share a minimalist sensibility, a familiar way of draping, and even the same color pallet. And then there's the problem of recycling, and she's not referring to bottles. Yes, yes, and yes. I agree with a lot of what she had to say, but there were a few exceptions.



Ralph Rucci thrilled me by stepping out of his world of beautiful constructed garments (and I mean beautiful) and stepping up the sexy quotient. I can't believe this black bondage referenced dress is his. And I'm so glad it is! He also did some color--although granted hot pink is the acceptable color for Spring 09.




Maybe L'Wren Scott teeters dangerously on the precipice of recycling with her pants and fitted jackets, but it's still rock'n'roll, and there's her carefully curated invites to the Gagosian Gallery for a glimpse of her collection and BF Mick Jagger to consider. It's still all so glam even for fashion.




I mentioned early on in this go-round of Fashion Week that stand-out prints like Thakoon's are stealing the show in this sea of beige. Badgley Mischka got in the act and surprised the fashion world by ditching their image of heavily encrusted fabrics this season in favor of light as a feather silks and pretty prints.




Finally, there's that pink again--the color that will be sweeping the red carpet and photo ops the way yellow did a couple of years ago. This one is a beauty from Stephen Burrows, who pulled from his past and updated it to the present with a fluid hand.



Stay tuned--tomorrow my friend Matt Meyerson, who just launched Expose NY on the day before Fashion Week, will be stopping by to talk about his first event dedicated to showcasing emerging designers from around the world.