nyfw | favorite looks, part I

I meant to release this post a few days ago, giving you my bites on what I've been loving thus far.  But I thought it was better to give you an overview now that we're over halfway there.  Mutiple designers, a variation of styles trends, and so much to discuss, no?  So far, I'm convinced that darker palettes reign supreme.

Let's start with day one.  The 10AM show at Lincoln Center for BCBG Max Azria always sets the pace for the remainder of my fashion week.  I usually spend most of day one at presentations and shows at Lincoln Center, with small break between to catch up with familiar faces.  This season was no different.  I continued over to Richard Chai for a second season shortly after, where muted greens and purples took the stage, and the newfound maturity of Chai's collection (remember how playful it was?) was all about styling -- pairing beautiful understate knee-length dresses with menswear-inspired coats to more casual boxy bombers with trousers.

Then later that day was my first time at Timo Weiland, where the collection set the bar on how sporty should look without looking overdone.  Best of all, I love when a collection comes off wearable without any existence of being high street-y.  And this was it.  Timo Weiland combined heavy texture, beautiful suiting, and separates that easily resonate with that downtown girl from an uptown world.

Friday started off with presentation at Pier 59, followed by me running up and down Manhattan with hailstorm and a flurry of snow.  But what stuck with me most was the Yigal Azrouel show at Highline Studios.  I'm so impressed when girls can strut their stuff on a filled-cobblestone runway, but even more intrigued by the overall mystique behind each look presented.  Each look, from make-up to toes was a blend of textures that created the overall allure just as Yigal had intended.

Ended Friday uptown at Rebecca Minkoff shortly where there was a flurry of playful motifs, impeccable styling, and covetable outerwear -- something that you can't have too few of, especially with a snowstorm outside.  I'm always impressed by Rebecca's ability to style pieces with a touch of tomboy -- striped bermuda shorts, oversized outerwear with quilted details... need I say more?