I ♥ NY: Natasha Poly for Vogue Paris

Burberry, Altuzarra

Magazine: Vogue Paris February 2013

Editorial: I ♥ NY

Models: Natasha Poly, Tony Ward

Photographer: Terry Richardson

Styling: Geraldine Saglio

Location: New York

The French issue of Vogue decided to pay an hommage to the city of New York in one of its February editorials, while New York Fashion Week was in full swing. Natasha Poly reminds me of the classic French icon Brigitte Bardot enjoying all the traditional sights of New York, more or less like the world's top people in fashion were wandering about the city between shows themselves. The photography blends black and white pictures with colored ones, telling a dynamic story. 

Salvatore Ferragamo, Altuzarra

Fendi, Altuzarra

Milan Fashion Week AW 2013: Backstage

Dolce & Gabbana

I couldn't resist to this small midnight treat of backstage photos of Milan Fashion Week - from the statuesque mosaic dresses of Prada to the pastel colors of Blumarine and the crazy purple hair and makeup at Fendi, this Fashion Week has seen a lot of great moments!

Fendi

Max Mara

Milan Fashion Week AW 2013: Street Style

As Milan Fashion Week drew to an end, I thought we could catch our breaths before the Paris shows and refresh our eyes with some great and colorful street style looks spotted around Milan. As it usually happens during the AW shows, the weather was fashion's worst nightmare with snow, wind and rain at any time of day. Luckily for us, these wonderful ladies know how to layer in color, choose the most amazing shoes and keep a great sense of style adding on accessories like caps, hoodies and umbrellas to face the weather. There's one item in particular which I would love to have... can you guess which one?

Milan Fashion Week AW 2013: Giorgio Armani

Milan Fashion Week ended yesterday with a Giorgio Armani show playing on the Garçonne look, as was stated in the show's program, the boyish 1930s independent woman look with waist-length jackets and full, fluid trousers in a mostly black and midnight blue color palette giving it an irresistible chic French air.

Among my favorite looks was the stunning gown in the opening photo, the black and grey suit with rounded lapels, the black and dark blue dress with tassels on the front, the black dress with a front pocket, the dark blue and black gown and the black skirt paired with a grey top with black bows. Have a look at my selection of the most interesting looks from the runway:

Oscars 2013: Best Dressed

Amy Adams - Oscar de la Renta

I thought we could take a break from fashion week and have a look at my favorite looks from the red carpet of the Oscars last night. I didn't manage to stay up and watch the show, but I'm planning to do that very soon, so today was a very difficult day trying not to find out who won, when everybody is talking about this! The looks are very diverse, from this stunning pale grey creation by Oscar de la Renta and the blue lace Elie Saab, to the Old Hollywood glamour of Louis Vuitton and Armani Prive or the simple chic of Dior Couture. Have a closer look and tell me what you think. Which one was you favorite? Did I miss anyone?

Alicia Vikander - Elie Saab

Reese Witherspoon - Louis Vuitton

Milan Fashion Week AW 2013: Dolce & Gabbana

This snowy Sunday was a very busy day for the Italians divided between election day and .concerns about their resigning pope. With this state of feeling in mind, the Dolce & Gabbana show called "Tailored Mosaic" was the perfect metaphor for church and state. The designers' previous collections were often inspired by their Sicilian heritage, but never so clearly as in the beginning of this one, with prints of mosaics and stained glass windows inspired by the 12th century Byzantine and Venetian murals in the Cathedral of Monreale. This part was the perfect representation of the church. The next part of the show presented herringbone tweed suits, over the knee skirts and A-line dresses. Adding drama to this incredible mix was the background music chosen from soundtracks of Federico Fellini's films. The grand finale showed a multitude of red lace evening dresses.

Among my favorite looks were the golden mosaic pieces in the first part of the show paired with luxurious headpieces reminding me of the old Byzantine Empire such as the mini dress and the ones with straps or the mosaic skirt paired with a black lace top. From the second part of the show I thought that the grey tweed suits were very flattering and well executed and I really loved the black lace knee-length dress and of course the mesmerizing bejewelled red lace dresses. This is my rather long selection of the most interesting looks from the runway (when you have 75 amazing looks to choose from, editing becomes quite difficult!):

Milan Fashion Week AW 2013: Emilio Pucci

Last night Peter Dundas presented his collection for Emilio Pucci in Milan enveloping the audience in a different vibe than the previous shows of this Fashion Week. The designer dove into a colorful collection with a lot of fun, mixing simple, pale printed skirts and heavily embroidered tops, shorts and lace tops, all paired with very high skinny suede boots. The collection is somewhat extravagant, but in a minimalist way - the extravagant pieces are always small in proportions and they are paired with more toned down garments. The designer's motivation for this collection was that he "wanted color and glamour. We need something that makes us happy", and I believe that this collection truly served this purpose.

Among my favorite pieces were the embroidered tops, the black and white poncho, the baby blue coat, the skin colored mini dresses, the black and navy fur coats and of course the zebra print shorts. This is my selection of the most interesting looks from the runway:

Milan Fashion Week AW 2013: Prada

The second day of Milan Fashion Week brought with it a stunning collection from Miuccia Prada. The garments were very strong, confident and dramatic, but the drama could be felt long before the show actually began. Prada's industrial show space was transformed into an intriguing space with bleachers of wood, velvet drapes hanging from the walls, marble and transparent plastic pillars. The backdrop increased the effect of the dark space, with the silhouette of a twirling woman, a prowling cat and a metal security grille. With this setting in mind, the models came out on the runway with wet hair and unbuttoned dresses and shirts as if coming right from the shower. The collection evokes a burgeois-lady chic inspired by the forties and fifties with tweed, fur, metallic leather and handheld purses. The color palette was very interesting varying from the darkest black to ochre, rust, turquoise and baby pink.

Among my favorite looks are the black dress in the opening photo, the grey coat/dress with fur sleeves, the striped wool dresses, the green dress and of course the delicate dresses paired with luxurious furs at the end of the show. Here is my selection of the best looks from the runway:

Milan Fashion Week AW 2013: Alberta Ferretti

Another interesting show during the first day of Milan Fashion Week was Alberta Ferretti. The designer who decided to focus on her main brand this year did a great job in coming up with a very romantic and subtle collection, full of light chiffon, sumptuous velvet or wool plaids. 

Among my favorite pieces are the floor-length white gown with a black and white cinch at the waist, the white chiffon blouse paired with a grey wool skirt, the white dresses with black panels, the embellished wool coat and of course the dark blue lace gown. Have a look at the most interesting looks from the runway:

Milan Fashion Week AW 2013: Gucci

Milan Fashion Week opened yesterday wit a bang: the Gucci fashion show with a horde of femme fatales walking the runway. The collection is very dark and sexy in an understated provocative way. Leather was one of the prevalent materials, with high-necked python t-shirts, coats and covered-up dresses revealing the bad girl beneath the femme fatale look. The accessorizing was kept at a minimum not to divert the public's attention from the clothes - snakeskin boots and structured bags with no other embellishment than the bamboo handles and luggage-lock fastenings, reminding us of the House's tradition in luxury luggage. 

Among my favorite pieces are the deep burgundy dress in the opening look, the red suit paired with a high-necked leather top, the black form-fitted dress, the houndstooth skirt paired with a black python leather jacket, the brick orange chiffon dress or the fabulous blue coat with astrakhan lapels. These are the most interesting looks from the runway:

New York Fashion Week AW 2013: Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham's collection was playing with a beautiful neutral color palette of grey, camel, black and taupe with strong inserts of color through purple, primrose and cobalt for a dash of modernity. The elaborate construction of the garments, the perfectly form fitted dresses and large sleeves and the straight and simple cuts with no unnecessary embellishments are very true to the desinger's aesthetic and to her own style. Victoria designs for people like her. 

Among my favorite looks are the purple blouse and high slit skirt looks, the oversize coat, the brown 60s inspired dress, the gorgeous taupe dress and the reinterpretation of the tuxedo as a coat with slits on the sleeves.

New York Fashion Week AW 2013: DKNY

After the dark color palette of the Band of Outdsiders show, DKNY took over the runway with small and large animal prints on knitted dresses and oversize sweaters and splashes of shocking pink or fire-engine red. The brand turns 25 next year, so this collection was all about reviving the iconic shapes and looks that the brand has been known for from the beginning and keeping them modern, thus pleasing both its new  and established customers. One of the 90s fashion staples pinned by DKNY was the sport-style body-conscious dress, that was reimagined with curvilinear neoprene panels with trompe l'oeil color blocking.

The collection presented a very modern working wardrobe. Among my favorite pieces were the all black outfit in the opening photo, the white, camel and black looks, the form fitting colorful dresses, the black and navy peplum top, teh grey oversize jacket and of course the floor length dresses - so chic and simple! have a look at my selection of the best looks from the runway:

New York Fashion Week AW 2013: Band of Outsiders

New York Fashion Week presented a lot of different styles to please even the most critical fashion eye. One of the first shows to draw my attention was Band of Outsiders. This year the inspiration came from the  thirties and forties, as designer Scott Sternberg spent a lot of time listening to Billie Holiday. The designer explains this choice of inspiration due to the fact that "The system of dressing in that time period was giving [him] all of these fresh, obtuse, and interesting shapes to work with". Even more interesting about this collection is the different inspiration for the patterns and prints - while the shapes come from the 30s and 40s, the prints were inspired by 70s Atari video games. The mixture between the vintage silhouettes and the digi-geometric prints was the perfect way to blend a vintage feel into the label's current and urban image.

The color palette is very dark, with lots of shades of grey and navy. The occasional pops of color come from shades of green, fuchsia or burgundy. There are a lot of fabulous pieces in the collection, but among my favorites are the look in the opening photo, the grey and navy sweaters, the crepe de Chine day dress, the wide shouldered knee-length dresses with geometric patterns, the striped jacket and of course the first navy gown. Here is my selection of the most interesting looks from the runway:

New York Fashion Week AW 2013: Models Off Duty

There are a lot of things to look forward to during Fashion Week season besides the actual shows - the cities are surrounded by an aura of fashion and everybody seems to be on the go, running on their best attire. Some of the most interesting and unusual sightings during Fashion Week are the models off duty. A quirky pack of gorgeous girls roaming around the venues usually with outrageous runway hair and makeup paired with the laid back backstage model uniform - jeans and leather jacket. Here are some of their fabulous street style looks during New York Fashion Week, all about facing the cold New York winter in style!

Stay tuned for my overview of the best runway shows in New York starting tomorrow! Yes, I do know I'm a bit behind schedule as London Fashion Week has already began, but I'm working on it, trust me. Milan and Paris will be here in time! I'm full of energy this week, so you can expect an overdose of fashion!

Photos: Vogue.com