Trends at NY Fashion Week

One trend that really caught my attention while I was looking through all of the trends from NY fashion week was the line by Anna Sui.  Her line had a very western-meets-flapper style which I thought was really neat.  All of her pieces were full of flowery patterns paired with leggings and boots, which is already a huge hit in the fashion industry.  Sui added a new flair with the cuts of her dresses, which resemble the 20's flapper style, along with the feathered headband which is making a name of its own this season. I'm definitely one for taking fashion risks with patterns and colors, and the way she paired the patterns of the dress with the patterns from the leggings and boots made me really excited.  I'm a big fan of patterns and anyone who wants to take risks with patterns is OK in my book.

I also wanted to take a second and acknowledge the BARBIE FASHION SHOW!!! Who doesn't love Barbie?  The collection from the Barbie Fashion Show was really cute.  Growing up, every girl played with Barbie and it's just really cool to see the closest thing to a real life Barbie walking down the runway.  Every girl in the show wore the same, pink, open-toed stilettos which really made it look like you were playing dress up with a real Barbie. 

Cultural Influence on Fashion

I think one of the most influencial cultures on fashion at the time is the Indian culture - the saree to be spacific. Everywhere you look these days, it seems as though the "long-flowing" look is a big trend. The saree has been part of the Indian culture for hundreds of years and the style of the saree is now making its way over to the U.S. The comfort and colors pay a huge part in its success... Women want comfort and style at the same time, and the "saree style" dress is the perfect way to get both at the same time. Not to mention they can come in almost any color and pattern you could imagine. Dress them up for winter or throw on some flip-flops for summer, the "saree-style" is proving its self a huge success.

Another influence from the Indian culture is their big, bold, beautiful jewelry. Traditional Indian jewelry is made mostly of gold and real jewels, but in the fashion industry you can see the same style of jewelry offered in places like Forever 21, Wetseal, and also major department stores for very, very cheap. One of the major trends that can be seen these days is simple and plain clothing mixed with big, flashy, and extremely detailed jewelry which can be seen all throughout the Indian culture.

My Favorite Designer: Bestey Johnson

My favorite designer is Betsey Johnson. Her clothes have a very 1950's Rockabilly/Pin-up girl look that is very different from every designer today. While other designers tend to stick to trends and what's popular at the time, Betsey creates her own style that just works. Her clothes are fun, bright, and colorful...not to mention exremely cute.

In the 60's Betsey Johnson was part of the Warhol scene (which I find absolutely fascinating). She even used Edie Sedgwick as an in-house model. You can tell that her clothes still reflect that era which, I think, is awesome because no other designers still want to make clothes from back then... They all want to follow the "trendy" and "modern" style of clothing.

I think the fact that she is such an independent woman.. who, by the way, has overcome breast cancer.. and isn't afraid to take risks is what really draws me to her clothes. Sometimes I wish she wasn't such a great designer and then maybe I could afford to buy one of her dresses! Maybe one day...

www.betseyjohnson.com