bebe's New Direction for Spring 2013

Yes, it's snowing in New York City. And what better day to feature a favorite spring collection than the first day of snow? Particularly when one of my favorite presentations came from a 34th Street store: bebe. The 2013 bebe presentation at Bortolami Gallery was a surprisingly lovely and monochromatic eye-opener that revealed a very different but stunning new direction for the retailer. Sophisticated, modern, sensual, go ahead and mark my words: bebe will be your new retail destination this coming spring.

bebe
One West 34th Street at Fifth Avenue

Zang Toi Spring '13

Jessica, our Midwest operative, reports on Zang Toi's spring collection for 2013.

The show began with very elegant, classic pieces with a focus on black and white skirt and suit separates. One of the early stunners was a cream-colored dress with a high ruffle collar (above, right) followed by a procession of structured dresses in muted pastels.

As the show transitioned from black and white to color, the dresses became increasingly formal. One of my favorites was a pale pink gown with a full skirt and flowered detailing at the back (above).

Pastels reigned the evening looks with decadent jewels decorating the necklines, waistlines and shoulders. These intricately jeweled dresses really stole the show, some with low cut backs, cut-outs along the side, or a one-shoulder design. If Zang Toi has his way this spring, jewels are here to stay!

Photos courtesy of Zimbio and Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

Chris Benz Spring '13 Collection

Intern LCogs observes the Chris Benz Spring 2013 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Chris Benz's spring 2013 collection is all about the beautiful/ugly contrast. Benz explains, "It’s a madcap mix of old lace over a shocking color and really garish prints mixed with really beautiful prints."

The beautiful bright colors, layering, and fun prints made for a wonderfully intriguing collection. Although several of the same prints were used in different ensembles, all of the pieces maintained a unique look. 

I spotted quite a few celebrities at the presentation, including Paula Abdul, Susan Sarandon, and Kelly Osbourne. It was incredibly thrilling, but there's nothing like a celebrity sighting to make a girl feel out of place! I've been told that this is a common fashion week ailment for a novice, and by my second season I'll be like "Kelly Osbourne who?"

Photos by Laura Cogswell

Juicy Couture Spring '13 Collection

Intern LCogs observes the Juicy Couture Spring 2013 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Juicy what I see? A fabulous new Juicy Couture spring 2013 collection. The ensembles were all very playful and fun, with a slight hint of sophistication. It's the perfect line of street-style clothing.

Give me that adorable denim jumper! These pieces are wearable, casual chic. There's nothing particularly special about the line, but it has great usage of color and style. 

The show we were expecting to see at Lincoln Center ended up just being a montage of the collection modeled by Candice Swanepoel. Everyone gathered around outside Lincoln Center and drank free Champagne while watching the jumbo screen. 

Fotini Spring '13 Collection

Intern LCogs observes Fotini's Spring 2013 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Fotini's inspiration for her Spring 2013 collection was the whimsical gardens of Provence. Light pastels and bright whites decorated the presentation. Models were organized around a platform that displayed the grandest piece in the collection, a beautifully beaded white strapless gown.

Fotini used delicate hues to create sumptuous looks, similar to the 18th century painters that inspired her color choices.

The deep v-neck dress was a personal favorite (above, left). Organza, silk chiffon, and lace were the perfect materials to enhance the elegance and grace of this collection.

Pairing the collection with a table of colorful French macarons was a fitting and delicious choice.

Photos by Laura Cogswell

Emerson Spring '13 Collection

Intern LCogs observes the Emerson Spring 2013 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week...

The feeling at Emerson's Spring 2013 collection? Edgy tomboy elegance. Dark multi-colored prints, full length gowns, and braided up-dos owned the runway. The show made me think 'punk goes prom,' thanks to the added touches of hard-edge styling and the balloon towers with confetti.

 I loved the different necklines of each gown, especially the babydoll top and deep v-neck. 

I wasn't a big fan of the tights that accompanied most of the ensembles, although they coordinated well with the overall look and feel of the show.

Tracy Reese Spring '13 Collection

Intern LCogs observes the Tracy Reese Spring 2013 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week...

I was reminded of Rebecca Minkoff's collection while at the Tracy Reese show, although Reese's looks were much more loose-fitting and featured a broader color palette. Both collections, however, were geared to the youthful hip and filled with brilliant colors and patterns.

The salwar-styled pants were a personal favorite, and the leather bags and goggle-style glasses were a fun, modern addition to this versatile collection. 

I've been seeing a lot of cinched pants and bright blues in different spring collections, can't wait to find versions them on 34th Street next year!

Son Jung Wan Spring '13 Collection

Intern LCogs observes the Son Jung Wan Spring 2013 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

For her spring 2013 collection, Son Jung Wan was inspired by Spanish artist Juan Miro's piece called 'Everything Under the Sun'. Her muse was a wistful, mysterious woman with an admiration for nature who is surrounded by sunshine and beautiful, dense forests.

The ombre dresses were a perfect representation of sunsets and sunrises. Wan perfectly achieved her goal of portraying nature and beauty throughout the collection. The twist braids in all of the models' hair were an appropriate addition to each piece and aptly fit the nature theme, crowning them like pixies in the forest.

Rebecca Minkoff Spring '13 Collection

Intern LCogs observes the Rebecca Minkoff Spring 2013 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Rebecca Minkoff's Spring 2013 collection was inspired by 60's and 70's iconic photographer Slim Aarons and the feeling conveyed in his photos: "Sun-faded canopy stripes, upholstery, tropical wallpapers and fringed hammocks..."

The majority of the collection was tailored loosely to match the relaxed spring/summer feel of the pieces. I thought the best parts of the collection were the colors and patterns. I'm loving Minkoff's theme of combining blues, blacks, and whites throughout most of the ensembles.

I was delighted to see Minkoff's famous handbags on the runway as well. Here's a shot from the show that the designer created as a desktop calendar on her blog.

My personal show experience? This was the first show I attended in the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Theatre venue, and was thrilled by the whole thing, probably because I was so excited about seeing so many celebrities. Here's a photo I took of the front row across from me... I brushed past Bryan Greenberg on my way out after the show and almost died.

Photo Credit: Laura Cogswell 

Tadashi Shoji Spring '13 Collection

Intern LCogs observes the Tadashi Shoji Spring 2013 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Tadashi Shoji's spring show was a lace and gown lover's paradise. Elegant and grand but not overwrought, the dresses represented all that Tadashi Shoji does best: classic red-carpet looks.

The entrance was adorned with flowery blue lighting. Similar to the clothing, it echoed the embroidered lace shown throughout the collection.

But the stunners of the collection were the colorful patterned gowns. A departure for Tadashi, these were the crowd pleasers of the show.

Chadwick Bell Spring '13 Collection

Intern LCogs observes the Chadwick Bell Spring 2013 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week...

Chadwick Bell's Spring Summer 2013 show was enchanting. The lit up cube displayed at the entrance of the runway reflected perfectly the style of the collection to follow. 

I would simply describe the show as modern meets classic with clean and refined styles. In the show packet there was a descriptive story about a girl on a spiritual journey of self-discovery, and this quest for clarity inspired each piece within the collection.

This show was perhaps the only one where the models not only walked down the runway but also through the aisles. This produced excitement amongst the audience members, and gave everyone a chance to get a closer look at the beautiful cut and quality of the collection.

Kaelen Spring '13

Nancy observes the Kaelen Spring 2013 Collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 

Judging from the Kaelen Spring 2013 Presentation, peplums will be on trend for at least another season. I suppose if they are as well made as the ones below, this fad can still be fresh for Spring 2013. 

       

The clothes fell into the category of closet staples for me; it consisted of well made, tailored pieces in neutral basic colors. The only color was a bright pop of yellow seen in the shirt dress below, which we're seeing a lot of this Fashion Week season. Fun color, but not digging the egg like shoulder pads. 

      

While the vertical patterns seen on some of the dresses and flare pants intrigued me, there was nothing particularly striking or memorable in the collection. Most pieces remained simple, delivering clean cuts and flattering lines. On trend, Kaelen samples the pattern on pattern look we will be seeing a lot of, on the left. The dress on the right, however simple, would be my personal favorite piece of the presentation. 

      

All photos from mbfashionweek.com