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Above and below are a trio of designs by Marc Jacobs for Fall/Winter 2008.

As expected Friday, nothing on Marc Jacobs’ runway fit any preconceived notion of silhouettes and proportion. Slouchy blousons and long over short and short over long designs will have others chattering and heading back to the drawing boards for weeks to come.

Meanwhile, the attention has moved on to London, where the runways are the most eccentric of them all. Sadly, some of the city’s best known designers have always chosen to show in more highly populated, media-blitzed shows in Paris and New York, but with coverage guaranteed pretty much anywhere these days, London’s fashion grande dame Vivienne Westwood is returning for her first show in nine years. Can’t wait to see that!

Eley Kishimoto sent this ensemble down the runway on Feb. 11, during London Fashion Week. Below is a design by PPQ.

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Ruffles by Christian Siriano.

“Project Runway” left five designers standing this week, with two scheduled to be auf wiedersehen’d Feb. 13. So viewers taking Fashion Week’s “Project Runway” fashion show today just had to guess who made the final three and who were there to throw us off track.

Judging from the runway looks and the labor that went into the designs, I’d say Christian Siriano, Rami Kashou and Jillian Lewis were the ones who made it through to the two-part finale, Feb. 27 and March 5, when Victoria Beckham will be a guest judge.

More black from Christian. (more…)

Along with clothing trends, New York’s fall shows hint at color trends in makeup as well. Makeup artists work with designers as the collections are being created and try to communicate the designers’ vision through makeup colors, textures and application techniques.

M.A.C created looks for 70 designers this season and the company uses the word “dramatic” to define Fall 2008’s aesthetic, with color emphasis on the lips. Here are a few of the looks from M.A.C’s Autumn/Winter 2008 Trend Report:

Illustrations courtesy of M.A.C

Luca Luca: If there’s one lesson that never changes in beauty it’s this: Pick one feature to emphasize and underplay the others. Tom Pecheux put gold and eyelids, with lips done in transparent coral. To balance the shiny eye, she has matte skin. (more…)

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There are a lot of prints on New York’s runways. This fall 2008 ensemble is by Michael Kors.

It can feel strange and fashion nerdlike to be writing about what’s coming in the fall when most people are only concerned about what’s in stores now and how to get ready for spring. Anything beyond “What will I wear tomorrow?” is too abstract to consider.

But sometimes your best tactic in approaching the current season is to know what’s coming ahead. You’ll get more mileage out of your wardrobe and avoid one-season wonders by knowing what silhouettes and colors will work beyond a single season. Once you’ve mastered the art of wardrobe building, you can splurge on a couple of those timely seasonal hits with no regrets.

One silhouette emerging for fall is short, with a fitted bodice and full skirt. This dress is from Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Last fall, it seemed audacious for designers to suggest magentas, bright yellows and greens for spring 2008. At the time, I wondered how many women would want to wear yellow, but here I am in a yellow sweater over a dress in a Mondrian palette of blue, red, black and yellow over a field of white.

Among the runway trends for fall are the return of prints, more ladylike dressing and the return of the shapely silhouette with fitted bodice and full skirt, though that skirt has been shrunk to make it modern. And, New York’s designers have adopted the no-season philosophy Hawaii has always had. You’ll see many spring-weight dresses intended to be layered with sweaters because so many design houses have taken a hit from two years of warm or late winters that caused people to skip buying winter’s traditional bulky clothing. That’s good news for us because it’ll give us more Hawaii-friendly designs to choose from in fall.

Lighter winter layering at 3.1 Phillip Lim.

Photos courtesy Miss Sixty

Mini buses painted with peace symbols, “Love” and yellow suns provided the backdrop for the Miss Sixty show Sunday during New York Fashion Week, where flower power and retro Carnaby Street style met up in a fall/winter 2008 collection that made the most of layering, mini dresses, long coats and a couple of maxi dresses paired with fuzzy stoles.

At top, the staging reminded all that what the world needs now is peace and love. Seated in the front row, from left, were Chloe Sevigny, Ashley Olsen and Milla Jovovich. Anne Hathaway was also seated next to Sevigny.

Many of the short dresses were shown with floral printed shimmery stockings paired with footwear ranging from booties to boots rising no higher than mid-calf. So cute, and our weather is perfect for wearing them right now! Don’t you sometimes hate the wait between the Fashion Week debuts and retail logistics? (more…)

The dishy, lively Daily Front Row is marking its 5th year of providing glossy, daily fashion coverage at New York Fashion Week.

Mahalo to Wall Street Journal for linking to my New York Fashion Week post! I thought that was cool, considering Hawaii is 5,000 miles away from the action. But with the Internet and memories and experiences to draw from, it really is possible to feel as if you are there.

When I was there last fall, people kept asking me how I was able to get into the shows. Like any great party, it is a matter of knowing people in the fashion biz, which could be anyone who works for a particular designer with enough clout to add your name to a guest list. But there’s hope even if you don’t know a soul.

It’s easiest in the tents at Bryant Park, where there are many shows in one venue, and standing-room only admission is allowed after all invited guests have been seated. Unfortunately, as fashion has become mainstream entertainment over the past five years, even this last resort method of entry has nearly disappeared. You could find yourself shut out of every show. I imagine the fall shows must be packed with celebs kicking around for something to do, somewhere to be seen while the Hollywood Writer’s Strike has left many of them with free time. Your best bet would be to aim for shows by those designers whose names you don’t yet recognize.

For some, it’s enough to be close to the action, the see the parade of fashionettes working hard to look like they belong. This is best done in fall during the spring shows, when the weather is pleasant and people don’t have to bundle up in coats. Inside the tent, you can purchase drinks and sandwiches, grab magazines and simply hang out. Video screens present the tent shows as they take place in real time. The photo ops are endless and you’re bound to spot celebs without really trying. The biggest ones tend to arrive late, and not at the front entrance to the tents, but by limo at the side entrance on 40th Street. (more…)

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New York’s Fall Fashion Week started with the annual Heart Truth Red Dress Fall 2008 collection, with its message of encouraging women to exercise to keep their hearts healthy.

Among the celebrity models was Lisa Rinna, in a cocktail dress with tiers of fringe by Michael Kors, shimmying down the runway, above, behind actress Molly Sims.

PR Newswire

With the film version of “Sex and the City” due to be released May 30, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristen Davis and Cynthia Nixon hit the Bryant Park tent to represent their respective characters — Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda.

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Green fashion you can wear to the office, not just lounging at home or sitting at the beach.

Prior to the week’s offical start, two dozen top designers treated audiences to an ensemble showcase of green fashion. “FutureFashion” was staged last night, Jan. 31, by the environmentally conscious nonprofit group Earth Pledge.

It’s about time that eco-fashion moved beyond basic T-shirts, yoga wear and hippie-dippy attire too sack-like for the fashionable set to take seriously. Designers like Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Donatella Versace showed how stylish soy and hemp could look in the right hands. (more…)