Resort/Cruise Collections 2011: Carolina Herrera, Narciso Rodriguez, Donna Karan

More from the Resort Collections 2011: More Pink, Black & White and 70's GlamCarolina Herrera Resort 2011:
The Venezuelan-born designer showed light elegant clothes (yes, it's what she is known for) for Resort 2011. Every piece was perfect...well, perfect for a Met Gala Opening, perfect for the Upper East Side socialites--both Mom's and Daughters--and perfect for the wives of those Goldman Sachs bankers who need a little "something-something" to go out on the town in. She showed gloriously printed dresses-both gowns and cocktail styles, as well as bright fuchsia pinks, canary yellows (my favorite being the above off-the-shoulder fitted gown with side pockets) and yes...a little Black and White. I can JUST see the gown above on Barbara Walters, Nancy Kissinger or even Princess Letizia of Asturias, the Crown Princess of Spain. These were timeless, a little 60s, a little 70s, a little 80s, yet somehow still NOW and very chic.

Narciso Rodriguez Resort 2011:Narciso Rodriguez, also went LIGHT, for Resort 2011. These were clothes with a soft "hand" showing effortless draping. He is going beyond his "semi-bondage/racer-back athletic girl", at least for Resort. So I guess, his "woman" loses her hard edge when she heads to her Caribbean vacation next February. Standouts include this soft-pink suit (above) with a perfect shapeless blazer and cropped trousers; A little white knee-length wrap dress (love the shoulder pads and dropped shoulder!) with black waist-tie and..

This turquoise "one-shoulder" kimono-inspired wrap dress with contrasting straps and ties. These are simple yet stylish dresses that would still turn heads in St. Barths...or Manhattan.

Donna Karan Resort 2011:
Karan sent out her girls--with the hairstyle du jour, the "Slick Back"--with all the items Karan devotees want, including this easy-breezy jersey tunic dress with elongated sleeves (I'm sure those will be cut down by 10" before they hit the department stores kiddies!).There were also lots of glam gowns such as the slate-gray one-shoulder jersey draped dress above. There was a mid-70's vibe to her collection with hints of Bianca Jagger and a bit of Shelley Hack, the "Charlie Girl" .
The jackets had the length of 70's jackets, the extended shoulders of the 80s but those pants--and styling definitely say 2011! This is what you wear when you are invited to celebrate New Year's 2011 in Aruba with Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, Beyonce, Jay-Z and all those Ukrainian multi-millionaires who are paying for your flight there.
Happy Resort darlings.

Michelle Obama's Borrowed Bling

All eyes are going to be on the Obamas tomorrow, and in honor of the monumental occasion, I’ve taken a vow against ‘snarky" until after the Inauguration. Of course, there’s nothing like a good honest recounting of the fashion facts, right?

We’ve been waiting for months to see what the Divine Mrs. O will grace us with during the monumental festivities, and so far…well…so good.

Narcisco Rodriguez seems to be the belle of the ball in the fashion designer race to become the next “Oscar de la Renta” to the nation’s First Lady.

Mrs. O was bedecked in a camel and black N-Ro skirt and coat at the “We Are One” concert” on Sunday, and she accented the ensemble with something borrowed - namely a $17,000 pair of diamond earrings from designer, Loree Rodkin.

Both designers dressed the First Lady-Elect on Election Night, but will they win the golden Inaugural Ball ticket? Stay tuned….

In the meantime, waste time before you stream the Inauguration ceremony at work tomorrow taking the New York Times First Lady Fashion Quiz. I got 12 out of 15 - not too shabby for a jewelry hound, I suppose. I'm a little rusty on my Mamie Eisenhower trivia..

What score did you get?

Michelle Obama Jewelry Update

Michelle Obama's Election Night Narciso Rodriguez dress got so much attention, many forgot to inquire about her jewelry. But Jewelry Insider readers were curious - as every good jewelry hound should be - so I tracked down the source of the icey earrings that glittered around the world last week.

The diamond danglers were desinged by chic jewelry label, Loree Rodkin, and Vogue UK reports they are 18K white gold triple dangle earrings in pear, oval and marquee shapes covered with small diamonds, costing an estimated $10,000.

Does this mean that the jewels were a one-time splurge for the frugal First Lady? Or is this a sign of blings to come?

To be continued...

Where's The Brooch? Michelle Obama's Election Night Jewelry Fashion

Well, he did it. In case you’ve been living in a cave, Barack Obama is the next President of the United States. The fabulous Michelle Obama is not only as smart and capable as our 44th President, we love her new take on significant other fashion. Her down-to-earth style and mixed use of designer and ‘off the rack’ is a far cry from Jackie-O’s fashion plate model and nowhere near Cindy McCain’s $70,000 outfit gold standard.

We’ve tracked Mrs. O’s jewelry fashion choices throughout the campaign, and last night she wowed us again with a diamond look worthy of the paradigm shift heard round the world. Her black and red Narciso Rodriguez dress was a fashion risk, but one that paid off in our book. Although the country is likely divided on the subject. Just a hunch.














And while the dazzling diamond drop earrings and blinged out bangles were a surprise choice for the jewelry-conservative Obama, we noticed one thing was missing. Where’s the brooch?

From her speech at the Democratic National Convention to her lauded appearance on the Tonight Show, brooch bling has been the jewelry of choice for the First Lady Elect. It’s, of course, good to keep the jewelry hounds guessing, but we hope she hasn’t put the brooch out to pasture along with Karl Rove, Dick Cheney and the neocons.

In the meantime, if Oprah has already picked out her Inauguration party frock, we can only imagine what the Divine Mrs. O will wow us with. One thing is for sure.

J Crew ain’t gonna cut it.

New York Fashion Week - Day 5

February 5th


Fall 2008 Ready-to-wear