Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week was a smashing success. Although many designers have felt the pinch of the recession many others put on their rose coloured sunglasses and created fun, colourful and dazzling designs for Fall/Autumn 2009-10.

On one end we saw lots of black, dark blues and violets and on the other end of the spectrum there were ultra girly shades of electric pink and orange as well as some precious blue tones. And in the middle there were sophisticated olives and rich grapes in a luxurious satin. At Carolina Herrera we saw neutrals take form into the definition of glamour as they were offered in their most brilliant shades and textures.

As for shapes, designers stuck to the no fail classic hourglass silhouette. Cigarette pants were extremely popular at many shows and to my dismay, leggings are back. I’ve gone through my notes and narrowed down the crème de la crème of New York fashion week. Here are my top picks.

Highlights:

Nicholas Kirkwood Boots at Rodarte
I’m always in for thigh-high boots hence my heart raced when I saw models stomp down the catwalk in these fascinating boots by British shoe designer, Nicolas Kirkwood. These boots can go with your shortest skirts or tightest jeans.

Bright Pinks and Acid greens at Michael Kors
Michael Kors, unlike most designers at New York fashion week embraced happiness and colour. What I did like were the use of hot pinks and acid greens in an autumn collection. Why not advance your classic black coat and black oxford pumps with one of these bright beauties and an extra long black silk crepe shawl.

Rich colours including Caviar and Smoke at Carolina Herrera
I was intrigued by Herrera’s Fall 09 collection; it was just very, rich, lush and exuded glamour. I especially loved how the different fabrics brought the neutral colours alive through their different textures. There was also a great amount of embellishment on the clothing themselves which is definitely a hot trend for autumn which you can pick up on right now.

Black Is The New Black
Yigal Azrouël is definitely one of the rising stars of the New York fashion scene and his collections are always very versatile and representative of how a modern woman wants to dress. For autumn, Yigal stuck to a black palette with a few pops of colour and played up details. I have always loved the idea of head to toe black, and this collection proved that great detailing is far more important than colour. I also took note of the makeup which included strong smoky cat-eyes paired with ultra nude lipstick, it’s he new quintessential makeup look for autumn.

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