NY A/W 2011 favorites, part 2!

And now the favorites from which I managed to pick more than just a few looks:

Carolina Herrera





I always try to resist Carolina Herrera because my associations with the brand are 1. older society women, and 2. my old roommate who went to Stern, NYU's business school, while I fluttered around being an English major. CH designs for people who are Not Me, in other words.

It was the last look here that really got me. That is exactly how I want to dress when I get older, I thought to myself, and then I thought wait, I would actually wear that now. And then I kept going through the collection, and I kept finding other things I would also wear, and I wondered if this was what growing up was like, when you hit age 27 and realize you're finally ready...for Carolina Herrera.

Next stop, mortgage.

Jill Stuart




I think this is the first season I've ever actually paid attention to Jill Stuart, and it's because this is the year she decided to do all kinds of crazy shit with prints. I really, really love a good print. At this exact moment I'm also really obsessed with finding the perfect orange dress, and I think the sixth one up there might be it. I mean it probably isn't, because I probably won't be able to find it (where is Jill Stuart even sold? Is she regular designer or just contemporary?), and by the time autumn arrives I'll probably have shifted my affections to some precise shade of purple that doesn't even exist on the color spectrum because I made it up, but right now I really feel that my wardrobe needs a shot of orange and a vixen or two. Give it to me, JS.

Rodarte







I'm honestly still not as obsessed as I've been in past seasons, where I'd seek out the clothes just so I could gaze at them all wide-eyed and lurk around caressing the details until the Barneys salespeople were like "can I help you," in a way where it's not even a question so much as an admonishment, but I would wear these dresses happily, with a song in my heart and naught but moths in my wallet.

The first few looks they showed had some killer long dresses I wanted to know about, all unfortunately covered by jackets I wanted to see less of. I hope to see those long dresses in the wild in the future; who knows, I might do some lingering for old time's sake. The beige dresses are all pretty flawless for all they are pretty beige. I still love you, Kate and Laura!