Resort! Resort! Resort!: Anna Sui

Although the 40th anniversary of The Summer of Love was last year, Anna Sui's resort collection screamed peace, love, and rock and roll. Sui, the only true rocker among the New York designers, created a collection that was incredibly cohesive and wearable (unlike her fall 08 collection). The line featured tie-die frocks along with tunics in earth brocades. It was simple and easy to wear. It was youth, free, and nostalgic of an era not-so-different than the one we live in now.

Resort! Resort! Resort!: Versace

In typical Versace fashion, Donatella Versace created a resort collection that was everything we have come to expect of the italian brand; over-the-top glamour and a love of all things shiny. The collection featured a few knockout looks, it was all about being tan and blonde.  Ms. Versace created a line that was strong and sexy. The day looks featured skinny pants, trenches, and casual jackets. For evening, it was all about the cocktail dress. Using pleats and folds, Versace was able to concoct another quintessentially Versace collection. I think Ms. Versace has finally found her place and the brand's place in the fashion community. Versace is back in the game, and creating clothes for women who are not afraid of too much glamour and just want to have fun.

Resort! Resort! Resort!: Fendi

For Karl Lagerfeld's second collection of the season, he decided to go 70's. This collection, of 16 looks, was simple, wearable, and for the first time in a few seasons, chic. I was not a fan of Lagerfeld's last two collections for the Italian brand, so when I saw this collection I was enthralled and ecstatic. Whether you like his collections or not, you cannot deny that Lagerfeld has incredible skill and craftsmanship beneath the sleeves of his signature Dior by Hedi Slimane suits. He showed a few particularly convivial cocktail dresses featuring great tailoring and magnificent use of technological fabrics. I especially liked the first dress (above), it was Mary Tyler Moore meets Molly Ringwald. There were some great day looks as well, no one does a short-short Like Karl. He went back to the fun, whimsical, girlie, days much like S/S 2007, that was a great show!

Resort! Resort! Resort!: Bottega Veneta

In a word, Thomas Maier's Resort collection for Bottega Veneta was easy. Easy to wear, easy to see women wearing, and easy for the eyes. Maier created a collection using, surprisingly, bold colors. He made an excellent statement on the menswear-as-women's wear topic. His use of color blocking, like the dress shown above, was a brave step away from his previously subtle collection. The thing that struck me about these clothes was wearability of them. The model, Chanel Iman, looked comfortably yet still strong and fashionable. I could see these clothes on a women in her 20s or her 60s. It was all about the slouchy suit and the loose-fitting dresses. Thomas Maier has turned, what was once an uptight and dated brand, into an unrestrained, effortless, facile, yet incredibly luxurious icon of style.

Hermes: Gender Segregationists on Madison

For the first time, ever, the french luxury brand will soon separate men from women. The retailer will open, in 2009, a four-level, 6,000-square-foot men's-only store at 690 Madison Avenue. The new store will be exactly across the street from the Hermes flagship, at 691 Madison Ave (above).

Resort! Resort! Resort!: Proenza Schouler

In their Resort 2009 collection, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the boys behind Proenza Schouler, we saw a calm, cool experimentation with size and proportion. They used great layered structural linens for day and sultry black satin in their evening looks. What I love about Proenza is their young signature cuts. There is something under-the-radar about them that's exciting and fresh.

Broadway in Bryant Park Will Feature Tony Noms and Broadway Mainstays

The line up for the summer "Broadway in Bryant" park festival was announced recently. The backyard of The New York Public Library and home of New York Fashion week will play host for the series now in its seventh season. The concerts will include performances from new shows like In The Heights and old favorites like Avenue Q and Hairspray. The full schedule is as follows (but is subject to change):

July 10 - Chicago, Monty Python's Spamalot, Cry-Baby, [title of show] and Stomp
July 17 - Avenue Q, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia!, In the Heights and Pure Country
July 24 - The Lion King, Passing Strange, Hairspray and Godspell
July 31 - The Little Mermaid, Altar Boyz and Cirque Dreams
Aug. 7 - Spring Awakening, Gypsy, Xanadu and Mary Poppins
Aug. 14 - Grease, Young Frankenstein, Rent, Legally Blonde and 13

Resort! Resort! Resort!: Oscar de la Renta

For Oscar de la Renta Resort 2009 is all about color and cut. The show, which was held on May 14, 2008 in New York, used a variety of colors to show pieces that screamed Upper East Side elegance in a subtle and beautiful way. The show opened with a stunning gold skirt suit, it was Jackie O and Anna Wintour with a bit of Indian royalty. The colors moved from more fall-esque colors to blues and reds to exquisite black poofy evening gowns.Toward the middle of the show, Mr. de la Renta presented a cocktail dress (above) that blew my mind, it was in this blue and red print that was popped with an air of youth and chicness. The cut of the suits, were much like the cuts of his fall show in February, they were modern without losing his quintessential New York class. Mr. de la Renta's pieces were not for every woman, but this was for that classy luxurious working heiress.

Resort! Resort! Resort!: Chanel

It is that time of year again, resort season for the world's top designers. This season is less of a spectacle and, like pre-fall, collections are shown in a smaller more professional environment. Karl Lagerfeld showed his Chanel show in Maimi, Fl. I thought the collection was really hit or miss. The evening and work looks were exquisite, I saw a whole lot of Karl and his signature uniform of black and white suiting. Unfortunately the day and swim looks were a bit old and somewhat tacky. The Chanel menswear was also less than spectacular, at times, there were great looks that featured great knits and denim shorts. But I don't think men are going to sport the plain white T-shirt with an embossed Chanel logo that Karl showed, and especially at Chanel prices.

Costume Institute Flies, and Soars @ The Met.

The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art premiered its' latest exhibit on May 5, 2008. The $7,500-a-head event was titled "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy", and was (as always) a who's who of New York society. Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour (pictured above) wore a bizarre but immaculate Chanel Haute Couture gown. George Clooney and Julia Roberts wore Giorgio Armani, and even arrived with the designer. My best dressed would have to be, surprising, Christina Ricci and Zac Posen, that had a certain simplicity and sense of humor I admired.
The Exhibit itself was small and somewhat lackluster. But there were some cool pieces, I especially liked a Hussein Chalayan white dress (also above). The coolest thing at the exhibit was an mannequin that wore a Clark Kent costume and then in the blink of an eye, it was a superman costume, I have no clue how they pulled that off.
"Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy", which was headed by Mr. Armani and Ms. Wintour, as a gala was stocked full of an ever growing population of stunning fabulosity, the exhibit was bland, but hardly mattered.