Spring 2009 RTW at New York Fashion Week

The New York fashion week had twenty designers. They all had different ideas for the Spring 2009 ready-to-wear collection which made it more interesting to compare each designer. One of my personal favorites was Oscar de la Renta. I felt that in his Spring 2009 collection he is trying to bring back sophistication and beauty. His styles were those that you may see Audrey Hepburn or Jackie O. wear. They looked very business-casual like and brought back the ideas of the fifties and sixties upper class. The dresses that were in his show were also ones that you would definitely see at a high school prom but on the more classy girls. I agree with Rachel Zoe that Oscar de la Renta's designs are those that a mother and a daughter would both wear. They really just appeal to all ages.

More on the unique side of things was Marc Jacobs and Rodarte. Marc Jacobs' and Rodarte's designs are two that stuck out to me as not appearing as "ready-to-wear" as others. Marc Jacobs mixed a lot of patterns that normally would be considered 'mis-match'. Definitely not something you would pull out of your closet and say, "I think I am going to were my stripes, plaids, and floral print today." However, it was very inspiring to see the use of the different patterns and colors to create a high-fashion ready-to-wear look. Rodarte on the other hand was extremely different from anything I had ever seen. I would compare the outfits that were on their models to those you would see a gothic person walking around wearing. Inspired by Star Wars, this collection used a lot of skeletal structures such as hole and slits. It showed a lot of skin. I did fall in love with the shoes and the use of colors. The dresses that they brought out at the end were stunning.

The designs that we as everyday Americans would perceive as the most common form of ready-to-wear clothing were those of William Rast. This was the first show with the William Rast line in it because it is a brand new line created by Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala. The designs were the most casual. They used denim several times and created the more 'street clothes look'. Their goal was to portray a more "Americana" look and represent what they feel being American is about. I feel that they did this very well. The designs of William Rast were the most simple of all the other designer names. All in all, I highly enjoyed watchin the New York Fashion Week and I look forward to Paris in just a few more weeks.