But is that jacket worth $6000?

February 10, 2006 9:23 AM

Today is the last day of Fashion Week in New York. Fall 2006 collections have ranged from the sublime to the regrettable. Check out the list of reviews, or peruse runway videos. Long for the good ol' days of fashion? Amazing vintage pieces at thefrock.com will satisfy your style cravings.
posted by Alison (27 comments total)

I thought this year’s collections were more polished, but less inspiring than the spring 2006 collections (especially tuleh). However, while theatrical pieces are fun, I can do without more of this. It is a nice trend to see more color choices for men and more pockets in dresses. While most runway fashions are too expensive to be available to most people, they do have an influence on the lines of more affordable brands.

Also, NPR had a great series about fashion week from a few years ago.
posted by Alison at 9:23 AM on February 10, 2006

Nice post! I have to admit that it's Prject Runway that's made me interested in fashion, but I like the tension between the art and the craft that it seems to embody.
posted by klangklangston at 9:28 AM on February 10, 2006

I'm with klangklangston, isn't the proect runway showing happening today?
posted by pembleton at 9:39 AM on February 10, 2006

The PW show happened at 9 am, but the pictures aren't up yet.
posted by Alison at 9:44 AM on February 10, 2006

Ah, it was so much simpler when I was punk rock and knew that all this "high fashion" stuff was crap not worthy of my attention. Now it kinda seems like some of it is actually....art. Creative. Beautiful!
posted by freebird at 9:44 AM on February 10, 2006

The Getty Image collection of the Project Runway show has been posted.
posted by Alison at 9:54 AM on February 10, 2006

I admit that I don't really "get fashion". Mostly I judge things by whether or not they'd be comfortable to wear.

But what was up with the D&G weird nautical theme? Anchors? on everything? good grief.
posted by luneray at 9:56 AM on February 10, 2006

God, Heatherette is so incredible awful. Just willfully ugly, as usual. But there's something about the Betsey Johnson collection that I like... it's kind of how I thought I would dress as a grown-up when I was 11 or 12. It captures 1989-1990 pretty well, I think.
posted by cilantro at 10:03 AM on February 10, 2006

incredibly.
posted by cilantro at 10:06 AM on February 10, 2006

The Mennonite women in my area wear this dress every day, but longer and with socks and sneakers instead of fishnets.
posted by cilantro at 10:09 AM on February 10, 2006

This dress is the one I meant.
posted by cilantro at 10:10 AM on February 10, 2006

Yeow... you weren't kidding about regrettable. The first 'r' looks like a cancer patient, and the first 't'... well, it just has to be seen. Oh. My. God.

But the "sublime" pieces are, indeed, very nice.
posted by Malor at 10:22 AM on February 10, 2006

Slate has an short history of the New York fashion show.
posted by darsh at 10:27 AM on February 10, 2006

I actually like the Reem Acra piece you list as 'regrettable'.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:28 AM on February 10, 2006

I'm waiting for Pantone's fashion color report for fall 2006 to come out without having to guess by looking at the runway reviews.
posted by keli at 10:32 AM on February 10, 2006

I can see the appeal of the Reem Acra piece, but every time I look at it it looks like the model is wearing a neck octopus. It might be nicer paired with a jacket. The rest if the collection is quite good, though.
posted by Alison at 10:40 AM on February 10, 2006

I really love most of that Nanette Lepore stuff. Great fabrics, great elegance and a touch of the gothic/pirate. Also, nothing is hotter than a woman in a suit.
posted by spicynuts at 10:53 AM on February 10, 2006

So... Four of the designers went on to fashion week? I thought only the final three did...
posted by klangklangston at 10:55 AM on February 10, 2006

One of the PR designers is a decoy - it keeps the 'true' finalist a secret until the show airs.
posted by miss meg at 11:00 AM on February 10, 2006

Crap...completely bolloxed up those links. I'm retarded.
posted by spicynuts at 11:00 AM on February 10, 2006

The Mennonite women in my area wear this dress every day, but longer and with socks and sneakers instead of fishnets.

Those whores.

Apparently vomit induction is hot this year. Sure there are some nice, classy pieces, but most of these collections are just horrid!
posted by Pollomacho at 11:30 AM on February 10, 2006

I like the Daniel Vosovic stuff from Project Runway, especially the second one on this page. The mix of military sholders and girly skirt is excellent.

I used to really hate fashion, but as i get older it definitely gets more interesting.
posted by dame at 12:09 PM on February 10, 2006

Understand, friends, that many of these are the couture lines, meant more for the exploration of new ideas and trends and styles (and, well, advertising and getting yourself noticed) than for actual wear. Ready-to-wear or "second" lines are generally shown later on and represent what you'll actually see in stores
posted by ChasFile at 12:14 PM on February 10, 2006

Also, re: the Project Runway shows, here's some first hand gossip posted to Gawker.
posted by ChasFile at 12:17 PM on February 10, 2006

There's something horribly wrong with this model's chest. Beautiful look marred only by the fact that it's being modeled by the undead.
posted by contessa at 12:34 PM on February 10, 2006

Oh yeah, Heatherette is utterly foul. And Project Runway's even crueller than I ever dreamed -- one of those poor people had to go out on the runway and do a pretend-triumphant designer walk. How utterly humiliating!

I adore the vintage pieces you linked, Alison; I am dead tempted to spend what I don't have on this utterly seductive gown. However, while I'm floored by the construction, I'm having trouble imagining the figure this would flatter. Great post!

(Mennonite ladies' fashion trivia: I have it on good authority that underneath those dour gunny sacks, many women wear a small fortune's worth of extraordinarily hot lingerie, as it is completely acceptable to be a hot vixen for one's husband.)
posted by melissa may at 8:18 PM on February 10, 2006

I was thinking about buying that one, too, but the measurements are an inch or two off of my own. I doubt the construction would be forgiving and for that amount of money I would like to be able to breathe.
posted by Alison at 9:31 PM on February 10, 2006