Kung Hei Fat Choi– Happy Chinese New Year!
Vivienne Tam’s collections always showcases her heritage, but this year, The Year of the Tiger, Vivianne showcased flawless designs inspired by all types of animals. We especially loved the playful textured tights that added a splash of wild to almost every design.

Vivienne Tam Fall 2010

Who is the customer: Sophistication with a touch of wild-side

Why buy: It only takes one great piece to spice up an outfit or woredrobe.

What to buy: We liked lots of the flounced blouses or heavy long vests but this cream colored coat with the chic funnel-neck is dying to come home with us.

Bypass: Feather dress or skirt.

Overall contribution to fashion: Wouldn’t it be wild to celebrate New Year’s all-year long?

The Twinkle by Wenlan collection is one that is chic and comfortable. Big chunky sweaters to see-through knits, Wenlan Chia has assembled a line that is stylish, timely and cozy. By mingling knit gauges and piles, Wenlan’s designs become three-dimensional and full of texture. After all, a cozy sweater is a lot more than an throw blanket with sleeves. The Twinkle collection is currently sold at more than 350 boutiques and specialty stores throughout the world, including Wink, in our neighborhood.

Twinkle by Wenlan Fall 2010

Who is the customer: Bergdorf’s 5th Floor, (although it’s not currently sold there.)

Why buy: Sophistication and style transcend the chunk

What to buy: We love how this oversized sweater looks belted. We also liked the way a wild printed legging looked with a great solid knit sweater.

Bypass: Brown print dresses.

Overall contribution to fashion: More stylish and novel than Vince but also affordable.

Christian Siriano may have found his voice on Project Runway but he is truly one of the greats. One can only hope that this young talent has a good CFO because there is no lack of talent. The collection was, fierce! Black coats, jackets and dresses were fitted perfectly and touched with soft flouncing. Each look was more fabulous than the next but the real show stopper was the shoes, which were inspired by Louie XVI.

Christian Siriano Fall 2010

Who is the customer: A fashion lover who has the nose to know great talent when she sees it.

Why buy: You appreciate great tailoring and imagination.

What to buy: The obvious choice is a ball gown for the red carpet. If you’re not in the market for white tie attire, go for a fitted dress or coat with flouncing.

Bypass: Chiffon layered trapeze dress.

Overall contribution to fashion: This was Siriano’s third collection shown at Bryant Park and we know there will be decades more. (Well maybe not at Bryant Park, but you get the point.)

Under the creative direction of Tia Cibani, Ports 1961 has turned out women’s ready-to-wear lines that are classic but never boring or predictable. The designs are often structured with a romantic twist or a note of ethnic roots. This collection took a bit of a turn showing lots of unstructured and draped dresses and coats in neutral tones like, beige, olive, dark gray and coffee.

Ports 1961 Fall 2010

Who is the customer: The Ports 1961 customer is sophisticated, worldly and very astute to quality. We love that the designs are feminine but always chic and sometimes edgy.

Why buy: As usual the fabric and textures were a major component to the collection. Watching the show you just wanted to reach out and touch every garment. Any and all of the looks could be worn straight off the runway .

What to buy: A wonderfully tailored coat.

Bypass: The print jumpsuit. It looked great belted on the model but most of us aren’t models.

Overall contribution to fashion: Looking pretty doesn’t doesn’t mean giving up on the chic factor.

The duo behind Duckie Brown, Steven Cox and Daniel Silver, have a knack for attracting the cool guys. And you know where cool guys go, chic girls follow. Much of the collection was a combination of traditional plaids that were always mixed and never matched. All of the looks were worn with cropped pants. We loved the use of color especially as it was used in tweeds.

Duckie Brown Fall 2010

Who is the customer: Bavo’s Launch My Line, contestant and consummate dandy Patrick McDonald, Ugly Betty’s fashion loving kid brother, Mark Indelicato and a fashion forward Jeffery customer.

Why buy: You don’t work at Goldman and have you do have a knack for looking great.

What to buy: A cool combination of plaids

Bypass: Too much matching tweed

Contribution to fashion: Dressing up can be fun, exciting and lux. Daniel, Steven and the men who wear Duckie Brown are living proof.