Fall 2009 Fashion Week

This past week was Fall 2009 Fashion Week in NYC. Due to the economy, a lot of designers scaled back their shows and moved them to more intimate venues around the city rather than show their collections under the tents at Bryant Park as usual. There was still plenty to see though and it was easy to tell that some of the trends that are already in place will continue into fall. Keep buying feminine pieces with ruffles and boyfriend cardigans, as both were seen coming down the runways. There was also lots of big jewelry. The colors were somewhat somber, given the economy and that it is fall after all, but there were definitely pops of purples, royal blues, deep orange, red and even some neon yellow and pink. As with most fashion weeks, not all of the ready to wear things coming down the runway were something any of us would ever wear, but some collections did include items that could be translated into the normal life of a twentysomething woman. You have to remember that most of this is what inspires the designers who create the clothes for you and me though, so I think it is always worth a look. I thought Zac Posen's collection was particularly wearable as is, especially if you had a need for a gown for an event. Speaking of which...J. Mendel, Badgley Mischka and Oscar de la Renta put out some absolutely gorgeous gowns. I won't be surprised if we see some of them on the red carpet at future award shows. What I didn't think was at all wearable...the handbag hats by Isaac Mizrahi. Not sure what he was thinking.

Anyway, if you'd like to check out all of the collections in depth, I'd recommend checking out Women's Wear Daily and Style.com. They seem to have the best round up of photos and reviews from the week. If you'd like to see the Pantone report that predicts the top colors for fall, you can check that out here. I particularly like the Majolica Blue. In fact, I already own a cocktail dress in almost that exact shade. I think the American Beauty is also quite lovely.