Resort Report: Erin Fetherston Makes Magic With Her 2010 Collection

Fashion designer Erin Fetherston is previewing her Resort collection this week and we've got some of the photos!

Full of fabulous separates and dresses, the designer said, "For resort, I was inspired by the French film, L'Amant.  I wanted to capture an effortless, chic sensibility in an offering with lots of mix and matchability."

I'd say the designer nailed it, especially since this is also her first foray into the world of denim. Check it out for yourself.

With the designer now doing double-duty as Guest Designer and Creative Consultant for Juicy Couture as well as designing her own quirky cool designs, it looks like the dynamo has hit her stride. Looking forward to seeing what else she comes up with.

FSB On the Scene: Levi's Fall 2010 Mens and Womens Collection Presentation at Hosfelt Gallery

Wednesday night brought the fashion fabulous out in droves to check out the Levi’s Fall 2010 Men’s and Women’s Collections at the Hosfelt Gallery. As a lifelong fan of the brand, I wanted to see what an artistic installation of denim could look like. Upon ascending the stairs of the gallery, I wasn’t disappointed.

The party, which started at 5:01 (but of course), was a hot mash of downtown and uptown fashion crowd, journalists, bloggers and Manhattan party circuit regulars. While DJ Leo Fitzpatrick spun hot tunes in an equally steamy room, lithe models stood on platforms, modeling the collection. 

Amid a crush of onlookers, the models posed and preened for the cameras in denim’s finest, exuding Americana cool as only models dressed in the world’s first jeans label could do.  Onlookers sipped champagne and chatted away as they strolled through the installation full of photos of models in the fall collection tacked onto the walls amid racks and displays of the clothes, where you could interact them in true collector style. Because those of us who love Levi's are, in fact, true collectors.

The British indie rock band One Eskimo played a live acoustic set and the whole thing was impossibly cool and edgy, a merger of working man’s rebel cool mixed with uptown chic fashion and society…which, I imagine, is exactly how Levi’s had intended it to be. Which is really what the brand is all about anyway: a rebellious fabric that demands to be comfortable in any setting.

Come fall, look for raw-edged roughness and a reinterpretation of classic items from the label to take control of the trends moving into fall. Distressing, paint spatters and industrial washes were everywhere.  There’s an everyman, country-cool vibe to the collection.

The line has given us American style at its very best: raw, rough, honest and straightforward in its interpretation, this is denim that is a platform for the personality of the wearer.

It doesn’t tell you how to style it; you buy it and make it your own. It’s one of the reasons I adore Levi’s. The world’s first denim line has remained true to its roots: still rebellious and effortlessly real.

The Glamorous Life: A Private Viewing of Natori Essentials

I have to say, I get a chance to do some pretty incredible things so when Karen Robinovitz, Creatrix of Purple Lab and marketing genius extraordinaire, invited me to a party she was throwing for Josie Natori, I jumped at the chance. I've been a lifelong fan of Ms.Natori's work and when I learned that it was a private viewing of her new collection, Natori Essentials, at her private Upper East Side residence, I almost fainted. I mean, meeting a designer is one thing but previewing the collection in their own home is something altogether different. I raced over from work to meet Josie and view the collection.

Now, before I get into the collection, I have to say that her apartment is everything you would have ever thought and the woman herself is lovely and amazing. A musical prodigy as a child, she's been everything: a Carnegie Hall-playing pianist, an investment banker and then a world-famous designer. Ever the consummate host, she invited us to listen to her play the piano and then something kind of amazing happened: she asked me to sing with her. Yes, I can sing and yes, I got to sing with one of my favorite designers playing the piano. I can die happy now.

The collection is a wardrobe of all black basics that every woman should own. Effortlessly glamourous and incredibly easy, the Natori Essentials clothing line is full of clothes that Josie believes every woman should own and that look amazing on every BODY.

Available in a wide array of sizes, we're talking wide-legged flowing pants, lace-covered tanks with considerable stretch, a gorgeous cocoon sweater, one-shoulder tops and beautifully-cut dresses. These are the clothes that make getting dressed quick and easy and have you walking out the door looking impossibly chic.

Natori Essentials will be available at retailers nationwide soon so there are three ways to get in on these sleek and sexy basics. You can check out the website, follow them on Twitter at @NatoriEssentials or become a fan on Facebook for all the updates fit to print.

As for me, look for me to start rocking some of these sleek and sexy pieces as I work on my own personal style upgrade. After meeting the designer, I'm personally inspired to add more glamour and ease into my life. I encourage all of you to do the same.

New York Fashion Week: Naeem Khan Fall/Winter 2010 Collection

Before The Show: Even though I had a fabulous seat assignment for the Naeem Khan show, I arrived early and I was right to do so. Naeem Khan's presentation was one of the last two shows at Bryant Park and everyone wanted to make sure they were front and center for the designer's presentation. It also gave me time to mix and mingle among the crowd, where I had a chance to meet Colin Cowie, Anika Noni Rose, June Ambrose (who looked dressed to thrill for the occasion - see photo) and a few other people who strolled in. Editors abounded and when Brooke Shields strolled in to take her seat, we knew the show was going to get off to a great start.

The Collection: This collection was high voltage from the very first look. Naeem went for high gloss, high glamour with a gilded collection awash in luxe embroidery, fur, beading and sequin embellishment, feathers - the man pulled out all the stops. Each look that came stalking down the runway drew larger and larger gasps from the crowd.

 All still show photography courtesy of Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Set to a soundtrack of classic rock from everything from The Rolling Stones to Def Leppard to Guns n' Roses, this fashion show turned the crowd upside-down. Let me be honest here: the fashion crowd are a tad jaded and you're told never to smile or show a facial expression during a show but when you looked around the room, feet were tapping, people were smiling and editors were actually gasping. If you're in need of a red carpet look or any piece for full-on paparazzi-exploding glitz, Naeem Khan's collection is definitely where it's at. I'm calling it now: expect to see many of these pieces on the red carpet come fall.

Trend Spotting: Gold and black, fur embellishment, full-on sequin and beading embellishment. It's what he does so well and this collection was bar none.

Overall Impression: Well, you can view the finale walk yourself. He's the first designer I watched receive a standing ovation at the end of the presentation. This show and its collection were in my top three of the week. Bravo, Naeem!

New York Fashion Week: Timo Weiland Fall/Winter 2010 Collection

Before The Show: I ascended the elevator to view the Timo Weiland show amongst a crowd of very enthusiastic viewers. Timo Weiland brings out fans of impeccable tailoring mixed with a touch of theatre and this year's show wasn't about to disappoint. We all walked in to view an installation of pedestals surrounded by black streams from floor to post in a wide room with a movie playing against the wall. The models walked in one by one and reviewers were invited to walk into and out of the collection to shoot and inspect the looks.

Overhead In the Crowd: It wasn't what was heard, it's what was seen. A very tall woman walked in wearing what can only be described as a marching band outfit. A HUGE Beefeater's hat with gold chains, a goat-hair trimmed leather jacket, liquid leggings and ginormous platform boots. I'm a huge fan of the avant but even that caused me to take a moment. Judge if you will but she definitely had my attention.

My two personal favorite looks from the collection

The Collection: The collection was described in its press materials as the designers attempt to "envelop themselves in their homespun, epic tale of eras colliding; the Age of Innocence meets Gangs of New York. The dichotomy of the masculine and the feminine, often captured throughout the history of cinema, is another great source of inspiration for the design duo that seeks to dress modern day dandies, male and female alike."

My take on the collection is that it was very Italian film noir-inspired, with chic retro cat-eye sunglasses, dandy tailoring and sweet, gamine dresses and suits. Think Sophia Loren meets Audrey Hepburn for the women's looks and very Cary Grant meets boarding school for the men. Tweedy and impossibly chic, the hues were saturated and wearable, with scarlet red, midnight blues and loden greens offset by camel and black The textures were rich and sumptuous and the silhouettes were classic and wearable. An extremely smart presentation and a great collection of clothes overall.

Trend Spotting: More camel and red mixed together, tweed and tailored jackets and suits. The textures were rich and I love the retro glamour feeling we're seeing.

Overall Impression: A very wearable collection with pieces for any wardrobe. LOVED Timo Weiland!