Karen Walker tote bags given to the front rows at the show

This past Saturday was a rainy one but that didn’t stop the fashionistas from attending the Karen Walker show for New York fashion week. But underneath all those umbrellas, lucky show-goers managed to snag Karen Walker totes filled with fashion swag!!

Walker is a designer hailing from New Zealand with a definite knack for casual luxury. Her spring 2010 collection was inspired by the British television series ‘The Prisoner’ which aired in the 1960’s, and took place on a mysterious Edwardian seaside village, a prison for retired spies cached as a holiday resort. The dichotomy of an island vacation versus an island in captivity lends itself perfectly into Walker’s work. Her designs appear effortless yet put-together, masculine yet feminine, adorable yet fierce. In this way, it is clear that one of Walker’s many gifts is her ability to balance design. If there is a proper way to layer three different patterns and prints in one outfit, it is walking down her runway.

Her runway was filled with chic and playful designs. I loved the bold use of stripes and their emphasis on a loosely-fitted top or bottom. Paired with a frill or ruffle, the overbearing stripe suddenly becomes chic. The belted dress with cascading layers at the hip is forgiving to any silhouette and brings with it an air of casual elegance.

Tiered dresses, ruffled shoulders, and bubble-shaped jumpers added young coyness and youthful vibrancy to the palette. I love how the light, short, and airy dresses were anchored down with a pop of color from practical boat shoes or a dark, unbashful sock.

Walker’s command of jacket design is astounding. She showcased more than a dozen different varieties of outerwear on the runway - all made of various materials, cuts, and designs. Some tailored, some ruffled ponchos, some trenches, some capes - each jacket had a fundamental statement.

Karen Walker greets the crowd.

The show was a wonderful medley of shapes, lengths, and colors that seamlessly flowed together. To make such incongruity effortlessly harmonize on the runway is a feat that should not be taken lightly. With her stunning spring 2010 collection, Walker has managed to appeal a yacht-full of different personalities and tastes under one label.

Visit Karen Walker

Tags: Karen Walker, Runway, seaside, Spring/Summer 2010 Fashion Week.

Kirsten Dunst for Boy by Band of Outsiders

Looking like Goldie Hawn in the movie Overboard, Kirsten Dunst in Boy by Band of Outsiders is ready to jump ship. Wearing one superbly cut yacht-worthy white suit and numerous other nautical-inspired pieces like a navy admirals-style blazer and a bright yellow off-the-shoulder top, Dunst stars in Boy’s spring ‘09 lookbook and video and works the cool girl preppy angle.

Karen Walker & Y-3

Other designers seen incorporating sea-faring styles into their spring repertoire are Karen Walker and Y-3, using bright royal blues to create sporty looks in sheer stripes and solids. Even Hussein Chalayan has taken to the trend with a delicately striped mini-dress, sail included.

Hussein Chalayan & Y-3

Tags: Boy by Band of Outsiders, Goldie Hawn, Karen Walker, Kirsten Dunst, nautical, preppy, sea, Spring, Y-3, yacht.

Far from the bustling crowds at Bryant Park, people quietly filled the seats of the Altman Building in Chelsea for the Karen Walker fall/winter show on Valentine’s Day. In this collection, the designer stayed faithful to some of her favorite silhouettes but incorporated a somewhat unusual inspiration. According to a source close to the designer, Walker examined “basically trash and things that are considered ugly, like weird prints or track pants, wanting to reinvent them into something pretty.” This was evident in the cracked china and shattered crystal prints that adorned dresses and tops which were made of thick sweatshirt material. Working in a palette of subdued browns and grays, the designer included structured dresses and separates topped with voluminous double-breasted coats that evoked the feeling of crisp fall mornings. The collection, appropriately titled “She’s Cracked,” embraces the beauty of destruction and unconventionality in a way that is feminine and wearable.

Lower images by My Nguyen.

Tags: cracked china, double-breasted coats, Fall 2009, fashion show, Fashion Week, Karen Walker, New York, reinventing, Runway, sweatshirt, track pants, wierd prints.

If you happen to be in New York this week, you’re in luck. Not only can you claw your way through the Barneys Warehouse Sale but get ready to party 1990’s Grind-style, or head over to Craigslist for fashion week tickets and you just might score a free ride to Jersey.

Join the frenzy. Indeed.

1/ The bi-annual Barneys New York Warehouse Sale starts today just in time for fashion week. Now is the time to find your Dries Van Noten, Lanvin, and Marc Jacobs at 50-75% off. Our tip: Wear a dress or skirt for easy try-ons as there are no dressing rooms. We would love to hear what treasures you find as well!

*255 West 17th Street, between 7th & 8th Avenues. 212-450-8400

Hours: Thursday, Feb. 12th - Friday, the 13th: 8am - 9pm / Weekdays: 10am - 9pm, Weekends: 10am - 7pm

2/ Party like it’s 1992 again at photographer Clifton Parker’s fashion week bash with host Eric Nies. Yes that Eric Nies, the early ’90s host of MTV’s dance show The Grind. Our tip: Don’t forget your baja jacket.

*Friday, Feb. 13th / Hudson Terrace, 641 West 46th Street, between 11th & 12th Avenues / Doors at 9pm /  RSVP necessary to info@cliftonparker.com

3/ British designer Matthew Williamson will be opening his first U.S. store in New York’s Meatpacking District, with an opening party on Sunday night. Fans of Williamson’s Indian-inspired togs include Sienna Miller and Jade Jagger. This one will be a tight list. Our tip: Ogle from across the street.

*Sunday, Feb. 15th, 6:30 - 9:30pm / 415 W. 14th Street, near Washington Street

Hopefully Bryant Park is a little more organized.

4/ Who says there are no free rides? Maybelline and Marie Claire are teaming up to offer complimentary taxi rides to fashion week attendees as they leave the Bryant Park tents on Thursday, Feb. 19th. The stunt is to promote the Style Network’s new reality series Running in Heels, starring Marie Claire fashion editor Nina Garcia. No word yet on how far one can go once inside the cab. Our tip: Hoboken, please! (Fashion Week Daily)

Surprise, honey! We're not on the list!

5/ Can’t get into the shows? Need a Valentine’s Day date idea? Try Craigslist. For anywhere from $80 - $500, you too can stand with the best of them. Since the last time we checked, Charlotte Ronson show scalpers seem to be pretty popular. Our tip: Don’t waste your money. Instead, stay tuned to The Totam for fashion week updates from the Rachel Comey, Karen Walker, Tom Scott and Matthew Ames’ shows. (The Cut)

Tags: 1992, Barneys, Bryant Park, Clifton Parker, Craigslist, Dries Van Noten, Eric Nies, Fashion Week, Hoboken, Jade Jagger, Karen Walker, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, Matthew Ames, Matthew Williamson, New York, Nina Garcia, Parties, Rachel Comey, Running in Heels, Sienna Miller, store opening, Style Network, The Totam, Tom Scott, valentine's day.