New York fashion week inspiration: Jen Kao

This collection involved:

-lots of leather

-lots of knitwear

-lots of fur

-bondage-inspired pieces

-also peep-toe ankle boots, not even cute ones. WHY?

Standout looks:

They're so hard to wear, but I really want a pair of leather shorts.

Also, that vest is genius.

It's... a bondage-inspired... all-leather dress... that's still feminine and cute. Love.

OK so call me an evil animal-hater or whatever but the vest above and the jacket below look SO nice and cozy and I love how the collar would keep your neck warm. I can see wearing these with a pair of soft long leather gloves.

Favorite piece.

All the knitwear was worn with conspicuously not enough underneath, but this is still lovely.

(Images courtesy of NYmag.com)

Here's a look I put together based on this collection. I used a cheaper version of bondage-inspired leather skirt, and tried to tone it down with a simple top and more sophisticated shoes and shrug. (Let me know if you think the toning-down worked or if it just looks weird together.)

inspired by: jen kao f/w 2010 by Anna-and-Lisa featuring Rupert Sanderson shoes

New York fashion week inspiration: Ports 1961

To be totally honest, I thought a lot of this collection was really boring. So many neutrals, so many standard silhouettes, and weird caps which reminded me of Eliza Doolittle's dad in My Fair Lady. Not flattering. But there were some looks I loved:

I just love the simplicity of this dress, and the long clothes.

And also I'm totally jealous of her hair.

It's so anne-hathaway-at-the-beginning-of-the-princess-diaries but in a good way.

Like the piraty look going on here, and am once again tempted to try high-waist pants even though I am fully aware that I'm not a supermodel and thus they wouldn't work on me. At all.

Must. Have. Clothes. With. Shoulder. Details.

Outfit I would actually wear. Elegant, and looks comfy.

I like the idea of all the red velvety fabric here, and it made me want velvet pants in real life, but I'm not sure about an entire outfit of it.

Again with the shoulder details. I need this jacket.

Coats I loved:

(Images courtesy of NYmag.com)

Here's a polyvore set I put together, inspired by this collection. I started off with the dress because I just love the shoulder detailing, and continued the black and gold theme with the boots and clutch. The gold leggings I mostly added because I would never wear a dress that tight and short on its own, and the statement coat is because obviously a look inspired by this collection would involve a lovely coat.

inspired by: ports 1961 f/w 2010 by Anna-and-Lisa featuring Marni bags

New York fashion week inspiration: Daniel Vosovic

The Daniel Vosovic show was all about businesslike attire - lots of great jackets here - but with a feminine, asian twist.

The black coat in the last picture is definitely my favorite piece from this collection, but my favorite trend I'm seeing here is the more professional/formal skinny pants. I'm short, so I don't want to have to wear wider-leg pants to work all the time (when I graduate and get a job, that is) just because that's what's more available as far as professional clothes. So if this trend catches on, I'm excited.

Here's an outfit I put together inspired by this collection:

inspired by: daniel vosovic f/w 2010 by Anna-and-Lisa featuring Bloch shoes

I paired simple skinny jeans with a drapey but fairly plain top, appropriate for work. The real focal point of this outfit would be the coat with its lovely shoulder details. And because I'm the matchy-matchy type, I had to include pink shoes.

New York fashion week inspiration: Vena Cava

Trends from this collection:

• Semi-structured pieces with a softer look. (Jackets, shorts, etc.)
• Black. (Like most of us *need* to feel inspired to wear black...)
• Floppyish hats. (If I owned this entire collection, I'd wear that black hat the most.)
• Black turtlenecks layered under everything. (OK on models, but turtlenecks can look terrible on anyone with curves, imho. Still, the layering long sleeve shirts under more summery pieces is always useful, though hardly original.)
• Fur. (More specifically, fur accents, not entire coats or anything like that.)

Here's a look I put together, inspired by the collection. It uses pieces you likely have in your wardrobe - a simple cocktail dress, a long-sleeved black shirt, fishnets, chunky black shoes, a floppy black hat - with a faux fur vest, which is trending right now.

inspired by: vena cava f/w 2010 by Anna-and-Lisa featuring H&M

New York fashion week inspiration: Richard Chai LOVE

This is one of those collections where despite hating most of the styling, I can't help wanting individual pieces - a dress here, a jacket there. The long, skinny skirts that still manage to show off the shape of the leg are the most interesting to me - they're the most outside of current trends. Are they something you'd wear?

(Images courtesy of NYmag.com)

Trends from this collection:

• Lots and lots of layering. (The kind that only looks good on Susie Bubble and supermodels, mostly Susie Bubble.)
• Long, skinny, but somehow flowy skirts.
• Neutrals with touches of blue.
• Pops of sparkle.
• Arm warmers. (If you, like me, miss your seventh grade shopping at hot topic days, rejoice.)
• Tailored pieces combined with relaxed pieces.
• White doc-marten-ish boots. (And the corresponding grungish vibe.)

Here's an everyday look I put together, incorporating the long skirts and layering of businesslike pieces with relaxed pieces - sort of a hippie-prep combination.

inspired by: richard chai love f/w 2010 by Anna-and-Lisa featuring Forever21

New York fashion week inspiration: BCBG Max Azria

This show was by no means an electrifying contribution to the fashion world, but it is one I can definitely see myself drawing inspiration from for a comfortable everyday wardrobe.

Trends from the BCBG Max Azria show:

• Flowy, drapey garments. (They look sooooo comfy. If I owned them I'd wear them to class all the time. Which everyone knows is EXACTLY the appropriate thing to do with designer clothes.)
• Cinching with belts at the waist. (ORIGINAL.)
• Color blocking. (A trend which is apparently So Right Now, but which reminds me of terrible winter jackets from my childhood.)
• Simplicity. (Little to no embellishment on the clothes, and almost every outfit was paired with the same opaque tights and simple shoes.)
• Emphasis on neutrals. (Lots of grey, black, white and navy with pops of yellow in some outfits. Broke the increasingly old-fashioned "no navy blue with black" rule with reckless abandon.)

(Images courtesy of NYmag.com)

Here's an everyday look I put together, inspired by the collection. With a simple and comfy tunic and skirt, opaque tights, and chunky shoes, it would be a good outfit to wear to class or out shopping. It would also be cute with a cardigan, obviously, or with ballet flats or converse for a more casual look.

inspired by: bcbg max azria f/w 2010 by Anna-and-Lisa featuring Forever21

Items in this set:
Draped Necklace Tunic, $16
Simple Knit Skirt, $11
FADEN, $50
Bronze gold large over shoulder bag handbag tote with gathered detail, 20 GBP
Black 80 denier tights, 5 GBP