Day 1: Friday, March 13th - Rachel Roy & Jenni Kayne recap:

Rachel Roy Fall 09 was like a futuristic nod to 40’s glamour. There was an abundance of translucent fabrics, asymmetrical necklines, hemlines - and shiny satin in natural metal tones. On the whole, there was a lot of straight silhouettes with some drape thrown in - and bustiers were prevalent, a little Proenza resurgence and a lot of form fitting, hourglass friendly shapes. Her strength is definitely in dresses though - but when she did choose to embellish, it stuck out from the rest of the collection like a sore thumb. There was an ideal flow, like being at the gem exhibit at the Natural History Museum, that became a little tarnished with the random beading and lace towards the end. On the flip side - the collection was forward, fresh, and an entirely new look for fall.

Jenni Kayne’s Fall 09 collection was wearable, current, but a bit underwhelming. Perhaps it’s because it was pieces I would actually put together myself, or the sea of black that made it so hard to appreciate the eclectic design elements - or maybe the Marni-esque accessories that were a bit distracting. Don’t get me wrong, this what I would wear - I love boyfriend blazers, a high low mix, and those straight cropped trousers I would sell my soul for right now, but maybe the collection wasn’t as forward as it needed to be. Similar to Rachel Roy’s embellished oddities - the entire collection was dark as night except for one cerulean shift that left you wanting more. Luckily, she made up for what she lacked in color with the dimension and texture that were mixed and matched so interestingly - the feathers, leather, silks, and crepe de chine kept it Jenni Kayne.