Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Yigal Azrouel

Israeli designer, Yigal Azrouel may not have had the most dramatic collection I've ever seen but the beauty lay in the complexity of his effortlessly chic designs. Impeccable tailoring and architectural silhouettes in a mixture of dark fall shades and vibrant fall stains created a beautiful subtle collection. Outfits had modern cuts, body conscious lines and cozy fabrics. There were zippers adorned outside some of the garments that created a contemporary take on 80's sportswear, an oversize patchwork sweater that seemed to be an editor favorite and a beautiful double faced cashmere coat that languidly flowed along down the runway.

Backstage Beauty: AHAVA, provided an unusually serene backstage atmosphere (Nirvana among the chaos) by setting up a Backstage Bath Bar. The area had yummy smelling AHAVA Mineral Bath Salts straight from The Dead Sea which models and attendees could take and use to unwind at the end of the day. The grooming team headed by Dawn Diorio for AHAVA gave onsite mini massages to all the stressed out fashionistas. Actress Malin Akerman (clad in head to toe Yigal Azrouel) even stopped by after the show to check out the scene.

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.