Photos: Jemal Countess, Getty Images for IMG
DESIGNER: Derek Lam.
INSPIRATION: New materialisation, fresh shapes and the wisdom of balletomane George Balanchine, who was quoted in the program notes: "There are no new steps, only new combinations."
TOP LOOKS: The boxy, slightly oversized coats were great - especially in a chunky tricolor tweed, and an olive blanket-stripe felt coat; slouchy silk jumpsuits; and a plethora of long flowing gowns (some with leather bodice) at the end of the show.
ACCESSORIES: Nude leather booties with a black heel, tall open-toe boots; black patterned satchels and cross-body bags.
WHO WAS THERE: Editors of every stripe.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: In his show notes, Lam said the rising costs of raw materials have induced mills to innovate new fabric combinations, which he used in his show. There was a freshness to his lineup for autumn/winter, perhaps because, as he explained, "These fabrics challenged me to find new solutions to construct and finish clothing."
Whereas in the past, Lam really clung to a theme or inspiration (the Wild West from last a/w comes to mind), what we saw yesterday was classic American sportswear (i.e., lovely, wearable clothes), almost all of which was outerwear. There were double-face wool coats in sumptuous colours, great two-tone cropped leather jackets, long tunics worn over slim pants (some in plaid) and goddessy gowns to close out the show. We should disclose that it helps to be model tall to pull off the latter, but they were still a joy to admire as they floated by on the runway.