New York Fashion Week

The fashion season is busily underway with New York Fashion Week. The shows were opened with catwalk appearances by singers Sheryl, Lindsay Lohan and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, among others. The musical beauties sashayed down the catwalk in red dresses created by America's top designers. The event is part of the annual Red Dress Collection, organized by The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to raise awareness of women and heart disease.

From Monday onward audiences crowded to witness shows by the likes of Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta and Monique Lhuillier. Jacobs, the darling of the fashion set, had chosen a muted palette and a voluminous silhouette. He had his models parade down the runway in legwarmers - which we had hoped would never make it back from the eighties - and wrinkled hosiery, ankle and calf length skirts and tulip skirts, sloped shoulders and bulky coats cinched and belted at the waist. Voluptuous women can look forward to skirts worn over pants - another look that should be banned - with which Jacobs is greeting the next fall season. Meanwhile some evening pieces seemed to channel the silhouette of Jackie O, with an elegant city coat with three-quarter sleeves and a fur border along the bottom. An obvious trend to emerge form Jacobs' collection is the metallic look, which appeared in skirts, dresses and jackets in bronze, black, silver and gold.

Oscar de la Renta also went for the metallic look, with cigarette pants, boat-neck jackets, pantsuits and evening dresses in brocade. The ever elegant De la Renta has been dressing Park Avenue Princesses for years and his attraction for ladies-who-lunch was once more in evidence. His creations are timeless, ultra-feminine and chic, and often appear to be directly inspired by elegant Hitchcock thrillers such as "To catch a thief". The woman who wears his clothes appears to borrow the drama and glamour from those productions. Unfortunately, this collection included many creations that appeared stiff and old-fashioned, and lacked the harmony that he is known for.

Monique Lhuillier is a relative newcomer to the scene, but has earned her stripes creating elegant, red-carpet pieces worthy of De La Renta and Carolina Herrera. Her fall/winter 2006/7 collection did not disappoint. The dresses and suits were ultra-feminine and harked back to the controlled elegance of the 1950s. Lhuillier chose predominantly grey and petrol hues, lace and tulle detailing and an accent on a tiny waist. She too appeared to be inspired by Jackie O in her First Lady days. Sleeveless dresses with bell skirts and super chic city coats with three-quarter length sleeves and beaded detailing were the order of the day.

The week continues with shows from Ralph Lauren, Catherine Malandrino and Calvin Klein, to name just a few.