Fendi Fall/Winter 2011

Karl Lagerfeld knows how to stick to a theme. Known more for his work with Chanel, the designer uses the Fendi label to present more wearable, utilitarian clothes. Nowhere was this more obvious than the Fendi Fall 2011 collection.
Think New York, think lady in her 30's, think Upper East Side, think colour, and chances are you'll get the collection. I have to admit I didn't particularly like it when I first viewed it two weeks ago. But you know what? The more I look at it, the less I can find a look I actually don't like.
It's a superb collection- the colours, the jackets, the furs, the skirts, the stockings, the goggles, the bags; everything is so well-tailored and -styled. Sure, this isn't a collection for the younger, more Downtown set, but I can easily see older, less trend-seeking ladies milling about, whether to the office or even a fashion show in some of these looks.
The mix of textures- fox, crocodile, shearling, mink, Persian lamb- was exquisite, but the most impressive thing about this collection was how chic, yet practical these clothes are. Bravo.

Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2011

With every other model wearing a variation of a double-breasted black jacquard jacket with matching trousers cropped right below the knee, a porkpie hat, and oxfords, it seemed that for Dolce and Gabbana, masculine is the new feminine for Fall 2011. But while that may be true, the designers really were just playing with a hot trend in fashion these days- feminine, but masculine.
The show progressed alternating between one boy look, one girl. On the "fellas": crisp shirts, low-slung pants, boxy vests, bright sequined evening jackets, and fur coats inset with stars. And for the gals: plenty of sheaths, plus corset dresses and billowy floor-length numbers in bigger star patterns, lace motifs, and musical-note prints.As one can see, I was more intrigued by the "male" pieces. Should I be embarrassed to say I would wear most of them?

Emilio Pucci Fall/Winter 2011

Ultra-sexy and über-feminine, the Emilio Pucci collection from designer Peter Dundas was a certified win! The cleavage was enhanced in sinuous dresses which featured a high, jeweled collar above a cutaway décolletage while fairytale ballgowns emerging in ivy-hued silk were slashed to reveal spine, thigh and cleavage, glittering sequins and crystals in gold and forest-green fashioning one sleeve. Also a part of the proceedings today, was a capsule collection for men that Dundas debuted alongside his womenswear.
Fabrics were sumptuous, coming in all manner of materials- from loden wool, to black velvet embellished with crystals arrayed in diamond patterns, as well as a reintepretion of classic Pucci prints in hand-painted renderings. Flawless!