Spanish designer Toni Francesc quickly became one of my favorites last season when I saw his collection for the first time. His craftsmanship is impeccable and every design is tailored perfectly. While some may see his designs as safe, they are very wearable and would be a perfect fit for the the ultra-chic fashionista.

From Damrosch Park/Lincoln Center,

Presented by Style Coalition, every year the Fashion 2.0 Awards recognize the most innovative fashion designers and brands for excellence in online communications, social media and new technologies.  Created in 2010 by Style Coalition’s founder Yuli Ziv, The Fashion 2.0 Awards are now the leading awards in the online fashion industry. The 2011 Fashion 2.0 Awards were sponsored by TheFind.

Fashionably Yours,

New York lable RUFFIAN, showed a fabulous collection. Tuxedo and menswear inspired looks graced the runway and the show closed with elegant, black dresses in both lace and sequence. 

XOXO from Lincoln Center,

For the Eva Minge show I trekked a few block south from Lincoln Center to the Hudson Hotel. The collection started off with a lot of lace and then was quickly overrun with wool boots and closed out with elegant evening gowns. The boots are what struck me the most. You will either love them or hate them and I’m not quite convinced that I’m in love. Who knows, they may grown on me. We’ll see if I’ll dare to be caught in them come winter.

Fashionably Yours,

Today I viewed the Mara Hoffman Winter 2011 Collection for the the first time. Despite the huge crowd in such a small space, I was pleasantly surprised by the designs. The collection was a combination of airy maxi dresses and over sized knit sweaters. The chunky-knit sweaters were by far my favorite. In  nine months when winter blows through the city, it’s what I am looking most forward to wearing. 

From Lincoln Center,

:: VENEXIANA::

Designer: Kati Stern
Spring/Summer 2011 Collection
9:00 pm ~ September 11, 2010
Studio, Lincoln Center

The Venexiana show was awesome as always. Kati Stern’s collections are consistently glamorous and well designed. After four seasons I finally got to meet Kati Stern backstage after the show. Here are some designs from the Spring 2011 collection: 

Kati Stern and Beverly Johnson backstage

Visit the official website at: http://www.katisternvenexiana.com/ to learn more about VENEXIANA

Fashionably Yours,

Thanks to the lovely folks as EFFEN Vodka (Maura, Katie and Lauren) we attended the HERCHCOVITCH;ALEXANDRE show for the first time at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Now let me tell you a little about EFFEN Vodka, who was a sponor of New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. EFFEN, which is Dutch for smooth, even, balanced, is the only vodka to be created by the industry for the industry. The bottle wrap is made of smooth rubber designed to give bartenders a nice grip when flipping, shaking, and pouring fashionable drinks. to learn more about the EFFEN brand and locations where it can be purchased, visit the official website at: http://effenvodka.com/  You can also find drink recipes on the website. I had the opportunity to taste EFFEN in the great martinis that were passed after the show in the lobby of the tents and they were great. There is nothing like a sexy smooth drink after a long day of fashion shows!

:: HERCHVOVITCH;ALEXANDRE ::

Spring 2011 Collection
5:00 pm ~ September 13, 2010
Studio, Lincoln Center

Alexandre Herchcovitch is a Brazilian fashion designer. His Spring 2011 collection was full of bold striking colors and straight lines reminiscent of Mod fashion from the 1950′s and 1960′s. Visit the official website: http://herchcovitch.uol.com.br/  to learn more about HERCHCOVITCH;ALEXANDRE collections.

From Lincoln Center,

:: Monique Lhuillier ::

Designer: Monique Lhuillier
Spring 2011 Ready To Wear Collection
3:00 pm ~ September 13, 2010
The Stage, Lincoln Center

Monique Lhuiller’s Spring 2011 collection was inspired by a lush euphoric Garden of Eden full of beautiful water color hues and stark reds and greens.  Forty RTW designs came down the catwalk. The collection was full of cocktail dresses, pencil skirts, high waisted trousers and of course, Lhuiller’s signature gowns. This floral brocade one shoulder asymmetrically draped trumpet gown was my favorite:

Visit the official website to learn more about Monique Lhuillier’s collections: http://www.moniquelhuillier.com/ 

Fashionably Yours,

:: Toni Francesc ::

Spring 2011 Collection
9:00 pm ~ September 14, 2010
Studio, Lincoln Center

Spanish designer Toni Francesc unveiled his Spring 2011 collection at Lincoln Center’s Mercedes-benz Fashion Week on Wednesday evening. This was my first time viewing his work and after a long day of shows at the tents I was exhausted and wasn’t really sure what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised when the calm zen-like music started and models started gliding down the catwalk in fabulous designs. This presentation was a much needed departure from a day of not so impressive shows. It was obvious from the moment the first design turned the corner that Toni Francesc has a love affair with well tailored clothes, sensuous taste and extraordinary detail. What I loved most about the collection is that his looks were what I like to call ”360° designed”. The swooping details were on the front and back of the dresses which made them beautiful all around. There is nothing worse than a dress that is fabulous in the front but has no appeal from the back, so I really appreciated Francesc’s work. The accessories in the show were a perfect match to the line and consisted of asymmetric wooden bracelets and neck pieces from Nashelle. The collection was entitled “Urban Forest” and drew on natural elements, hence the wood in all of the accessories. Toni Francesc’s enthusiasm for his work has left an impression on me and I am looking forward to following his designs for years to come. I think I’m in love!

To learn more about Toni Francesc visit the website at:  http://www.tonifrancesc.com/

 From Lincoln Center,

:: Nautica ::

Men’s Spring 2011 Collection
12:00 noon ~ September 10, 2010
Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery~Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center

Nautica’s new collection for Spring 2011 stayed true to it’s roots of all things sailing. The gallery styled show was held at the Library for Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. This was my first walk though presentation ever, while the elaborate runway shows are a spectacle to see, it was nice to be able to take my time to view the designs up close and ask the live models to do a little turn if you wanted to see the sides or back. The collection was classic Nautica -swim shorts, khaki’s, striped sweaters, wind jackets and sport blazers.

  Visit the Nautica website at http://www.nautica.com/home/index.jsp to learn more about the men’s collection.

Fashionably Yours,