Celebrating summer

J Mendel's spring/summer collection. Photos by Reuters/Dan and Corina Lecca.
J Mendel's spring/summer collection. Photos by Reuters/Dan and Corina Lecca.
A dress from Zac Posen's  collection.
A dress from Zac Posen's collection.
A model shows off one of Anna Sui's summer creations.
A model shows off one of Anna Sui's summer creations.
A dress from Donna Karan's collection.
A dress from Donna Karan's collection.
From Victoria Beckham's 2014 summer collection.
From Victoria Beckham's 2014 summer collection.
From Karen Walker's 2014 summer collection.
From Karen Walker's 2014 summer collection.
Carolina Herrera presents a striped, tailored look.
Carolina Herrera presents a striped, tailored look.
One of Diane von Furstenberg's contributions.
One of Diane von Furstenberg's contributions.

New York's ready-to-wear fashion shows, previewing the trends for the northern hemisphere's 2014 summer, were as beguiling as ever. Here, Jude Hathaway compiles a photographic round-up of some of the top brands.

So much to see! New Zealand's Karen Walker was among the high-flying brands showing at the ready-to-wear shows at the just-finished New York Fashion Week.

The models swept along the catwalk in garments that showed traditional Eastern utility with modern urban practicality, the outfits enhanced by the frames from Karen's recently released Karen Walker Eyewear summer 2013 collection.

The varying looks range from '60s shift dresses, babydoll dresses, cropped tops and high-waisted skirts to exotic designs and textures from a variety of international cultures shown by a number of brands.

And for those who love the clean and the classic, black and white continued to be a top performer, following on from its starring role in the previous couple of seasons.

Victoria Beckham's spirited range was a case in point.

 

DONNA KARAN

"One hesitates to call it that dread term ethnic, which just seems wrong in this day and age, given its insensitivity (or ignorance, if you'd rather) to specific national and regional cultures. Yet let's say there have been elements of non-Western dress at work in these shows, through the use of folding, draping, and wrapping, the handcrafted graphic prints, the touches of scarf fringing, and the southern Asian and North African colour palettes."

- Mark Holgate for Vogue

KAREN WALKER

"It's said that pink is the navy blue of India. At her show today, Karen Walker made a pretty convincing case for universalising that rule: Surely, in some chillaxed parallel world, suits like Walker's gauzy, double-breasted number in sun-bleached pink are the norm at the office, rather than navy pinstripes."

- Maya Singer, Style.com

ZAC by ZAC POSEN

"... Posen's trademark siren seams in stretch tangerine for the vamp; gauzy, flutter-sleeved dresses in chaste floral prints for the girly girl; and pyjama separates that could pass as a suit for a louche, lucky someone."

- Alison Baenen, Style.com

ANNA SUI

". . . elements were stirred together with the Pre-Raphaelite inspiration and a Victoriana-meets-Venice Beach Boardwalk vibe to create a typical Sui stew of upbeat, irresistible idiosyncras."

- Tim Blanks, Style.com

J. MENDEL

"The show started strong, with a series of outfits in white and sherbet tones that featured various kinds of lace. The gowns in that group had real panache ..."

- Maya Singer, Style.com

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG

"She (Diane von Furstenberg) wore her own version of the show's defining look, a `poster dress' depicting lions and zebras roaming through the savanna, but the sandscape print of a halter-neck maxi dress also stood out."

- Nicole Phelps, Style.com

VICTORIA BECKHAM

"Beckham's early history as a designer makes her an unlikely proponent of the new look, but she made a believable case for herself today with rounded jackets; ruffle-hem, A-line tunics; and full, cropped trousers that were clean and sharp."

- Nicole Phelps, Style.com

CAROLINA HERRERA

"The 'Carolina Herrera' woman has always been a classy, cosmopolitan character. Backstage after her show, the designer said that her spring femme was active and international, stopping in France one day and South America the next."

-  Katharine K. Zarrella, Style.com

 

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