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THE SHIT LIST

Baby Phat

Baby Phat is the type of brand that would not be able to exist without other fashion brands, because then Kimora Lee would have no one to rip off. The Baby Phat fashion philosophy has always been ‘high fashion’ meets ghetto fabulous. They have never achieved this philosophy- instead they choose to steal clothing from highly respected European designers. The boudoir looks featured at the end of the show were very reminiscent of what Galliano did for Dior in the Spring 2008 show. To make matters worse the clothing looked cheap, so cheap at times that I thought it was a runway show for Forever 21. This collection was just wrong, wrong, wrong. But then again I wouldn’t expect anything less from Kimora Lee Simmons.

Betsey Johnson

This pains me to write because I have a soft spot for Ms. Betsey Johnson, but Betsey went to the dark side for her Fall 2008 collection. I have a deep love for Betsey Johnson because she has never felt the need to conform to what was going in fashion at a particular time. She just lets her freak flag fly. However I couldn’t help but feel that this collection was styled by Dov Charney, the creator of American Apparel. Geek-Chic glasses, spandex denim unitard….not very Betsey. Although there were several nice pieces, I rate this collection one of the worst because it suffered from bad styling.

Halston

What a wasted opportunity! I knew this collection was not going to be very good, but I thought that its failure would be the fault of Rachel Zoe’s. It seemed like a no brainer, major player in Hollywood buys stake in fashion brand once famous for creating gowns for famous women. However creative director Marco Zanini decided not to honor Halston’s memory and instead designed something that looked like a cross between Calvin Klein and Rick Owens. The color palette was not cohesive: nude, brown, gray, teal, orange, and bright blue, all of which looked ashen thanks to the drab venue choice of the Gagosian Gallery. The collection was predominantly separates, a poor choice with the Oscars in two weeks. Weinstein should have taken a note from his new wife Georgina Chapman’s fashion line Marchesa which has become a staple on the red carpet.

THE GOOD

Diane von Furstenberg

The best fashion shows tend to the ones that are able to tell a story through clothing. Von Furstenberg’s dubbed the collection “Foreign Affair.” She interpreted 1940’s sportswear through three different cities-Berlin, Shanghai, and New York. Unlike many designers who fail to convincingly resolve designing modern clothing from vintage inspiration, Furstenberg handled this challenge with ease. What pulled these looks together was the styling, incorrect styling would have made the clothing seem costumey. The show opened strong and ended strong a task very few New York designers were able to pull off. This collection proved that her talent lays beyond wrap dresses.

Vera Wang

Vera Wang consistently produces my favorite shows of the New York Fashion Season. Wang rarely gets the adoration she deserves for her contribution to ready to wear. She thinks about sportswear in an adoration way and unlike many designers who are attributed to pushing sportswear further, she actual does…For Fall, the collection was made up of simple silhouettes in ultra-luxe fabrics with beautiful ornate detailing . She incorporated the omnipresent colored tights trend by choosing desaturated colors that contrasted the clothing. This collection kept with her aesthetic of deconstructed glamour while incorporated contemporary trends.

Chris Benz

Chris Benz is the latest wunder-kid of fashion. Benz has a knack for taking grandiose yet idiosyncratic historical inspiration and creating quirky wearable American sportswear. His fall presentation was charming, inspired by old French bag ladies. I suppose I enjoyed his collection so much because they reminded me of clothes you would find in a Tim Walker editorial. It may have been granny-chic but he has the talent to make it wearable for the young set. There are not many…or any young American designers who have a grand vision rooted in research that can produce clothing with personality and style.

More on FI’s hates and faves of Fashion Week from Daniel and Rebecca.