The Round Up - New York A/W '15

So the Autumn/Winter 2015 season has wound to a halt, with the last shows taking place in Paris two days ago. Now that all the madness is over here I am with the Round Up, picking my five favourite shows from all four fashion weeks and starting now by taking us right back to the beginning, a month ago in New York City. NYC always brings a grit and an edge to the fashion proceedings, with its sportswear sensibilities and often slick style when compared to the fluff and flounce of Paris and Milan or the quirk of London. Here are some of my highlights...

1. Anna Sui

Regardless of the season or year its inevitable that Anna Sui is one of my favourite shows. If I could wear one designer for the rest of my life it would undoubtedly be Sui - I am totally convinced that she is my spirit animal. This season her 60s/70s bohemian aesthetic was rampant as usual however it did come with somewhat of a Nordic fairy-tale twist. There were furry boots, coats, Nordic knits and even FLUFFY VIKING HELMETS!! Gigi Hadid looked like a Norse Princess, taking the humble bobble hat to heights of sexiness it had previously never dreamed of (see last image) and there were even some sassy scandinavian-looking men knocking about! Another fantastic thing to see was the diversity of the model line-up, something that the fashion industry has really come under fire for recently. All in all, there was nothing unexpected here from Sui, but who gives a shit when a designers modus operandi is this gorgeous?! Anna Sui, I worship the ground you walk on - keep doing what you're doing and I at least will be more than happy.

See the whole collection here: Anna Sui

2. Diane von Furstenberg 

If there's one word I would use to describe this collection it would be 'slinky'. While it may at first glance appear conservative there are a lot of rather sexy elements including the use of silk, lace and that classically svelte silhouette. There appear to be many designers this season who have taken the Autumn thing all too literally (I'm looking at you Thakoon, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger) and used a palette of exclusively shades of brown, so I'm really enjoying DVF's use of colour and pattern, particularly the pinstripe next to the ditsy flower print. In the words of Diane herself on this collection's woman "by day she commands her world, by night she inspires fantasy", in my mind a sort of vixeny business woman who is all about kicking ass and taking names, all while looking smoking hot in a polka dot jumpsuit - now that's something I can get behind! 

See the whole collection here: Diane von Furstenberg

3. Marchesa 

While the fashion world at large is all about the 70s at the moment, Marchesa instead chose to pay a full on homage to the roaring 20s. All the key ingredients were there; fringe, drop waists, beading, dark lips and finger-waved hair, all mixed together to create a perfect prohibition era cocktail any flapper would proudly get drunk on (see what I did there - classic 20s cocktail metaphors).  Its sumptuous, glamorous and a little bit dangerous, everything the 20s are in our rose-tinted daydreams.

Now these shows are supposed to be 'ready to wear' and there probably aren't many places that anyone could actually wear these clothes except for on the red carpet - but hey, I can't afford any of the clothes from any of the designers anyway so for me every show is a form of escapism, and this is really the ultimate!

See the whole collection here: Marchesa

4. Rodarte 

I think what I really love about Rodarte this season is that its kind of confusing - to look at initially its not the most aesthetically perfect collection with no clear theme and that's what really intrigues me. It looks like Kate and Laura Mulleavey walked into a haberdashery and said 'we'll take the lot', sewed it all together and it ended up somehow looking this fucking cool!! Its such a mish-mash of styles and materials -from frilly Victorian blouses and spray on leather to tweed hunting jackets and 80s style velvet shirts - that all comes together and work so amazingly well. Rodarte really isn't afraid to stand out from the crowd and do their own thang, something I am a huge fan of - I can't wait to see more. 

See the whole collection here: Rodarte

5. Altuzarra 

Okaaay, so I went a little overboard with the pictures for this one but can you blame me? Its drop dead gorgeous. If Rodarte is amazingly organised chaos, Altuzarra is an intricate flowing thing of structured beauty. Everything seems so thought out and precise, each look blending so harmoniously into the next that when the giant pastel pink furry coat comes out it somehow makes total sense. Altuzarra made my list last season for their brand of lady-like glamour and this season was just as come-hither as the last, evoking a sort of sexy socialite with modest pieces broken up by kinky details like slits, deep-vs and a hell of a lot of studded leather (I WANT THOSE BOOTS!!!). This was another sizzling turn for Altuzarra - if I look anything like this classy and seductive come this winter I will be one happy lady.

See the whole collection here: Altuzarra

Okay so there we have it, my five favourite New York shows! Here are some honorable mentions you should definitely check out; Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, Phillip Lim, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors and Marc by Marc Jacobs (just a few). 

There were so many amazing shows, all with a very sleek feel to them with tonnes of fur (I'll be going faux) and a lot of contrast between modest and sexy elements which I really love. Hope you enjoyed, guys! 

Daisy.