Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week-Jill Stuart

If drama and atmosphere is what you’re looking for in a show, than look no further than celebrity favorite (and one of my fav) designers, Jill Stuart. The location alone (The New York Public Library) provided buzz-worthy anticipation, but witnessing the grandeur of the Astor Hall space proved to be mouth gaping reality. The gorgeous wall to ceiling marbling, ornate light fixtures and grand staircases was one of the most beautiful locations to hold so many equally stunning clothes and people. I only half expected, Carrie Bradshaw, clad in her Vivienne Westwood bridal couture, to come racing down the stairs dripping in heartbroken tears after being jilted by Mr. Big.

The real blockbuster event came from the impossibly chic ladies strutting down the runway (in this case a walkway that ran almost the entire length of the hall).

Stuart’s Fall 2010 Line was inspired by super chic, super model, Kate Moss. Stuart wanted to create a rock and roll, edgy party girl who has a confident sense of style. Stuart told Style.com she also thought of women like Charlotte Gainsbourg and Marianne Faithfull. "Women who aren't afraid of mixing prints and silhouettes and textures". Hair stylist, Bob Recine, says this look truly speaks to the kind of style Stuart is all about.

The clothes were in dark shades and rich jewel-toned hues, mixed in with the occasional velvet top hat. Chunky knits were seen throughout the show in heavy scarves, hats and sweaters. I loved the textured (shiny, feathery, chiffon) pants and tops that mixed the right amount of femininity and bad-ass toughness. I also loved the plaid dresses and jackets. Another huge highlight were the thigh high boots. The boots were worn in casual, feminine, and super glamorous ways. The gorgeous military-London punk tie-ups looked extremely wearable, with just the right amount of sexy thrown in with biker-chic toughness to sometimes contrast, sometimes compliment each outfit.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week-Luca Luca

While nude lips was a big trend seen this week, the Luca Luca show went against the grain and opted to go another direction: burgundy-red almost wine-grape, defined lips. The well-contoured kissers, done by James Kaliardos for M.A.C, was created by just using a lip pencil (in shade Vino) that was shaded in to fill in the color of the entire lip. The rest of the face was kept simple: Clear Gloss to add sheen to the lids, individual fake lashes (#30) in the outer corner of the eyes and a skin illuminator (Pigment in Skin Light) to highlight the face. The low-key hair, done by Teddy Charles for Redken, complimented the more dramatic retro-inspired face with a wide, side bun. Blackish, blood-red matching nails (in M2M's Glam Slam as the first coat and shimmery Havana Nights as the top coat) pulled the look together and added a touch of “polish” (pun intended) to the outfits. The collection itself had a dark, moody feel to it. Clingy, sculptural clothing was mainly seen in dark grays, olive tones, browns and blacks. In fact, bright or light colors didn’t make the cut anywhere except for a scarce sprinkling of navy, cream and gold. Raul Melgoza, creative director and designer of Luca Luca, said he was inspired by architectural elements like Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilboa. I did enjoy the contrasts he used: pieces that mixed feminine and masculine textures, shiny fabrics with matte elements, leathers in patent and suede and wool and silk pleated dresses. One of my favorite pieces of the night was a supremely shiny, jeweled green-gray-silver trench dress. The over emphasized collar lapels and impeccable fit and tailoring made it a stand out in the sea of darkened fabrics.


The celeb crowd was a bit varied and a bit of a smorgasbord of noteworthy types, but overall a good showing there to support the designer and brand. One of my favorite sightings was of Luca Luca founder Luca Orlandi and his absolutely stunning wife Oluchi Onweagba with their toddler sitting on her lap throughout the show. Real Housewives of New York star, Kelly Bensimon, Mad Men’s Alison Brie, model’s Carol Alt and Irina Pantaeva, socialite, Tinsley Mortimer and American Idol’s Constantine Maroulis all lined the runway.

Check out my personal pictures and a few pics of my favorite pieces from the runway.





Thanks to Stylelist.com for filling in some of the missing pieces.