MyDaily Dispatch: New York Fashion Week Kicks Off

Posted: 13/02/12

Sarah Karmali

Follow: Alexander Wang, Fashion, Fashion Week, Gisele, Kate Winslet, Monique Lhuillier, New York Fashion Week, Prabal Gurung, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria Beckham, Zac Posen

While we were seriously distracted by all the Bafta and Grammys madness last night and this morning, we feel we've neglected New York Fashion Week, which also signalled the start of the Autumn/Winter 2012 season of shows this weekend. (Gosh, it all happens at once, doesn't it?)

Regular readers may remember our handy MyDaily Dispatch - a daily rundown of all the need-to-know trends, beauty looks and front row faces from the past 24 hours at fashion week. And yup, you guessed it: it returns for another season, starting RIGHT NOW...

And what a weekend it was in NYC. We had David and Harper Seven cheering on Victoria Beckham, with Kate Winslet bringing additional Hollywood power to the New York front row. Then we saw Gisele strutting her stuff on the runway, some serious red carpet-worthy gowns from Monique Lhuillier and an indoor snow storm from Lacoste. Oh, and not forgetting a ladylike style trend, a couple of fierce beauty looks, and a possible contender for Galliano's Dior crown...

Confused? To see what we're on about, check out the gallery below:

MyDaily Dispatch: New York Fashion Week begins

The Show: Alexander Wang The Down-Low: Gisele brought some supermodel power to the Wang runway, closing the show in a seriously sexed-up leather look. Does it get much better? <a href="http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2012/02/11/catwalk-review-alexander-wang/" target="_blank">Read our Alexander Wang show review here</a>
The Show: Zac Posen The Down-Low: Unabashed feminine drama from Mr Posen, and we particularly fell in love with this finale look on Coco Rocha. The origami-like detail and strong Tokyo influences made this collection striking in its own right, but the mood and sophisticated techniques also called to mind Galliano's Japanese collections, under his own label and for Dior couture. Almost a year after Galliano left his post at Dior, it did make us wonder - is Posen the man for the job? <a href="http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2012/02/12/zac-posen-new-york-fashion-week-catwalk-review/" target="_blank">See Zac Posen show highlights here</a>
The Show: Victoria Beckham The Down-Low: David very nearly stole the show when he turned up to support wife Victoria Beckham with the increasingly-adorable Harper Seven in his arms. The proud husband then took up a front row seat alongside Anna Wintour, and proceeded to snap away with his camera all the way through (so cute.) VB herself also hit the catwalk during the show finale, in a chic belted LBD. <a href="http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2012/02/13/david-harper-beckham-victoria-beckham-catwalk-show-new-york-fashion-week/" target="_blank">See show highlights from the Victoria Beckham collection here</a>
The Show: Tommy Hilfiger The Down-Low: It was all about the spectacular setting at Tommy Hilfiger. The Amory on Park Lane was transformed into a huge indoor park, complete with autumnal trees, street lamps and - crucially, given New York's sub-zero New York climate - heating. <a href="http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2012/02/12/tommy-hilfiger-catwalk-review-autumn-winter-2012/" target="_blank">See Tommy Hilfiger show highlights here</a>
The Show: Prabal Gurung The Down-Low: Charlotte Tilbury created "bird of paradise" eyes for Prabal Gurung, taking inspiration from Gurung's far-reaching pool of reference - petal prints, duality and skulls - she created an eye makeup look that was part Avatar, part peacock feather - and utterly stunning. <a href="http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2012/02/12/prabal-gurung-eye-makeup-charlotte-tilbury/" target="_blank">Go backstage at Prabal Gurung here</a>
The Show: Monique Lhuillier The Down-Low: Monique Lhuillier filled the New York runway with some seriously covetable red carpet-worthy gowns. We're willing to bet we'll see at least one of these beauties on the Oscars red carpet later this month... <a href="http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2012/02/12/monique-lhullier-catwalk-review-new-york-fashion-week/" target="_blank">Read our Monique Lhuillier show review here</a>
The Show: St. John's The Down-Low: Kate Winslet made a rare front row appearance at the St. John's show (well, she is the face of the brand.) The actress was simply beautiful in a black leather-look dress with blonde waves.
The Show: Lacoste The Down-Low: Guests were transported to a winter wonderland for the Lacoste Autumn/Winter 2012 show, as models paraded round a perspex wall filled with falling snow. <a href="http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2012/02/11/catwalk-review-new-york-fashion-week-lacoste-autumn-winter-2012-2013/" target="_blank">Read our Lacoste show review here</a>
The Trend: Scarlet lip The Shows: (L-R) Derek Lam, Monique Lhuillier and Zac Posen The Down-Low: Forget the natural look, this season the red lip is back with a vengeance. The rules? A matte finish, perfectly penciled edges and the brightest scarlet shade you can find. Minimal eyes balance out the beauty scale. For all our extensive catwalk coverage, visit the <a href="http://www.mydaily.co.uk/category/fashion-week/">fashion week hub page</a>.
The Trend: Belt up The Shows: (L-R) Prabal Gurung, Monique Lhuillier, Diane von Furstenberg and Victoria Beckham The Down-Low: Only three days into New York Fashion Week, and our eagle eyes have already spotted an overriding trend for Autumn/Winter 2012. It's all about the nipped-in waists for the new season, with a sprinkling of waist cinching belts spotted all over the catwalks. Whether wide and metallic a la DVF, or skinny and doubled-up a la VB, the loose shapeless sillhouette looks to be a distant spring memory...