SNAP Fashion

NYFW: What we want to wear

We could bring you an A-Z of New York Fashion Week but as we’ll do London TO THE MAX we thought we’d bring you the looks from shows that we really would like to own and wear…if we won the lottery or something. My picks are not about party looks but generally what I’d love to wear out and about.

Call it a fantasy shopping list…you can use www.snapfashion.co.uk to find similar pieces from all the shows by just pasting an image from a show/magazine and finding lots of look-a-likes that you can buy from retailers now…talk about fashion forward?!

Rachel Comey showed the most sumptuous bomber jackets of buttery leather. Super practical and useful for layering, this looks like proof that the bomber is here to stay for yet another season – hurray! While I might have trouble pulling off the whole look, especially the haircut, one of these bombs thrown on over a favourite dress or tried-and-tested skinny jeans with colourful courts would be ace.

Come-y to me perfect bomber jacket

You can also snap up Spring’s plaid and check prints with an easy conscious and Timo Weiland thinks you’re still be loving the pattern in AW13/14. While the matchy-matchy suit is quite brave, I would happily embrace the patterened plaid trouser and black blouse combo – inspiration indeed.

Plaid please

Now here’s somethig new from Valentino Red. This is one of my favourite wearable collections I’ve seen so far in its entirety. Sadly it’s not for me as I can’t pull off cutesy folkiness but I would love to see  Dakota Fanning give it a go and predict it will be a big influence on the high street.  (Ella from Coco’s Tea Party thinks the same.)

Folk is fab

BCBG Max Azria is right up my street. I love the layering, furry gilets and cool biker jackets as well as the floaty Middle Eastern print pieces that soften the look- a nice change from previous season’s strict minimalism and androgynous aesthetic.  The main takeaway from this show was…wear a beanie hat. With everything; including dresses.

So cool it hurts

Ever playful Kate Spade incorporated bright colours and sixties shapes for girls about town with a BIG sense of humour. We adored the pops of sunshine yellow, supersized bows matched with prim pencil skirts and Kate’s take on pop art. But this is my favourite wearble look that won’t grab too much attention!

How to do the new 1960s

I, like much of the fashion world, am in love with Alexander Wang.  While his latest offering boasts unusual balaclavas, legwarmer hybrids and some challenging twists on conventional proportions, he does androgyny the best and I would very happily wear this look all the way through winter. High street please take note- I’d like a jumper like this! This is favourite look from the shows so far…I think.

Everything is perfect

Pics: Vogue, The Man Repeller and Coco’s Tea Party.

NYFW: The 1990s are back (kinda) with Marc Jacobs

Once again, Marc Jacobs created another NYFW ‘moment’ but at this moment in time, apart from prolonging the rather tired 1990s grunge trend, we’re struggling how this one might translate to the high street as we can’t see the general public embracing giant furry hats.

Fashion writers have mulled over possible influences: The Cat in the Hat, buccaneers and pirates, Dionne from Clueless, Willy Wonka, Kurt Cobain, tramps, Jamiroquai and we can see them all – with a grungy edge.

There was also a flirtation with exaggerated retro shapes. Trying to strip away the more outlandish bits, pencil and lantern-shaped skirts in interesting textures were a recurrent theme as well as tricky cropped trousers and mid-length layers as well as grungy fur with the odd touch of pastel rave.

While I admire the creativity and Jacobs’ ability to be different, this show stuck out because it was more conceptual in a sea of ready-to-wear looks and *please don’t hate me* I prefer Marc Jacobs in his brighter and more easy-to-wear moments.

The skirt reminds me of the 1990s

Elle mag's mash-up

I do like the 90s furry coat

Dr Seuss much?

So many styles mixed into one chaotic look

Slightly Kurt Cobain?

Retro dress meets pirate boots and a huge furry hat!

NYFW: Monochromes and neutral

Some trends never die. Smart monochrome looks, buttery neutral coloured leathers and plush camel will live forever. They still looked awesome on the NYFW catwalks and came in so many varying forms.

Hints of the 1920s trend lingers at Diane von Furstenberg

Floaty but still daytime appropriate. Well done Ohne Titel!

Camel-tastic Vera Wang

Grown-up winter florals at Oscar de la Renta

Classic but cool Rodarte (obsessed) and the midi lives on!

Sophisticated and sexy at The Row. You go Olsen girls!

NYFW: clean lines + slightly sporty

If you’re regular reader of our blog you’ll know how obsessed we are with SS12’s ‘Sports Luxe’ trend so we were obviously seduced by the clean lines and bright hues seen on the New York Fashion Week catwalks. We say stock up on minimalist basics this spring and they’ll see you through the year – hurray!

Here are some of our favourites from the catwalks.

Lacoste channels slinky ski wear

Thakoon - dream work wear

A little but 90s surfer I'm in love with this Preen look

Mixed reviews for Proenza Schouler this time round. I'm not as crazy for this collectin as others but it's still cool and clever.

Pics: The Telegraph.

NYFW: Structured and minimalist coats to die for

I find it relatively difficult to get super excited about all the new winter collections when I’m pining for springtime and promised heat and sunshine…but I always have a soft spot for coats.

While London Fashion Week always produces exciting new ideas and cutting-edge collections, New York is the place for really wearable fashion and I know that come next Autumn I will be lusting after a structured and smart coat like these lovelies.

I love the leather detailing and shape of this DKNY coat

A more structured take on last season's blanket shape from 3.1 Philip Lim

Sports luxe lives on at Victoria Beckham

Cosy Proenza Schouler

Hell for leather at DKNY

NYFW trends: red carpet dresses

Some of the designers we reckon the celebs will be wearing on the red carpet…so far… Prabal Gurung, Monica Lhuillier and Jason Wu and note the colour red. How apt.

Monica Lhuillier sleek and sexy

Love the cut-away detail

More Monica - the finale piece

Fun and flirty feathers from Prabal Gurung

I adore this beautiful blue colour -for edgier starlets

Sexy but so elegant - Prabal Gurung is having a fashion moment

Silk and Lace - definitive Jason Wu

NYFW trends: the pyjama party continues

You’ll have noticed printed trousers in all the shops- from floral cigarette trous and patterned skinny jeans to those tricky to wear pyjama-style styles, perfected by Stella McCartney. Like so many trends that kinda carry on through the seasons, printed relaxed styles have been spotted on the New York catwalk – either super slouchy chiffon numbers or chic harem shapes.

Personally I have always had an aversion to harem shapes (being a pear-shaped girl) but I lOVE the look on the catwalk. Maybe I’ll attempt some floaty chiffon when the time comes! I was going to attempt my own pictorial mash-up and then stumbled across Coco’s Tea Party’s post so all credit goes to Ella Gregory.

Love all of these!

Note that pattern clashing is still big news

NYFW trends: mesh

Once again we’re seeing plenty of mesh in SS12 but it based on the NYFW catwalks it’s here to stay and gets chunkier and edgier. Interesting it’s less about sports luxe and more about crochet and revealing skin in an interesting way. I’m sure we’ll see more of this on various other catwalks.

Alexander Wang AW12/13

Alexander Wang - love the mix of mesh and leather. Fierce.

Crochet mesh gets sexy at Helmut Lang

Wang again with more delicate sheer mesh

Micro trend: Tiger hats- Jessie J + Nicky Minaj think they’re grrrrrreat!

A confession to start with – we have a soft spot for novelty woolly hats, our favourite being a husky beanie purchased from Topshop last year. But this doesn’t mean that we don’t think this latest tiger hat trend is a little, well, brave (some might say crazy).

That taste maker/breaker Nicky Minaj kicked off this trend at New York Fashion Week – wearing a tiger hat on the FROW (as well as jackets covered in pom poms etc) and now Jessie J has been spotted prowling around Paris in similar head gear.

Looks grrrreat? (Cat-print hair optional)

Out on the prowl

Are you brave enough to climb aboard the tiger trend train? If you are, we’ve spotted a similar hat in River Island for £19.99 and a fluffier version in Selfridges for just shy of £40, (as modelled by Sarah of Snap Fashion) in fact this was before Nicki Minaj gave the look a try – just saying.

A little confused to find a tiger hat in a Christmas shop.

Almost identical to Nicky's...if that's a good thing?

Jessie obviously likes her purple shoe too- as worn at the BlackBerry 7 party (with understated starry catsuit)

Pics: The DM.

NYFW: Day 4/5: Printed perfection with DvF, DKNY & Thakoon

Yeah, yeah we’re well aware we’ve done a blog post on floral prints earlier in the fashion week, but let’s face it, when there’s spring,
there’s flowers (and other patterns too).

Princess of Print Diane von Furstenberg did not disappoint with a stunning array of florals and paint spattered pieces. We’re particularly in love with the Asian-inspired florals which also have a slightly 60s feel to them too- not in a dodgy wallpaper way!

A riot of colour and pattern

A dream in tangerine - surely one of THE colours for Spring?

Pics from The Guardian.

A little less ready-to-wear (unless you work in a sunglasses shop) was Thakoon’s menagerie of seriously loud clashing prints and colours. Satin turquoise with tangerine embroidery, candyfloss hair, paisley, fitted floral blazers, symmetrical patterns and cowboy-like hats all figured – sometimes on the same piece of clothing. One for the seriously brave.

Makes DvF's array of patterns look tame!

Country and Western in a paint factory?

In another print mash-up DKNY showed off horizontal striped maxi dresses, paint spattered monochrome leggings and pinks so sweet they’d give you a toothache- all with a 70s twist. We love the super flattering floppy hats and playful use of texture to make colour blocking more interesting and feminine – sequins *squee!*

If Jackson Pollock did clothing

Pink perfection (in love with the sequined skirt and hat!)

Dig out your stripy maxi dress and play with the hem line?