New York Fashion Week goes by in a flash. To break down the best of the best, BAZAAR selects the top 5 looks from each major collection. Consider it your definitive guide to the runways. Plus, check out our complete Spring 2014 Fashion Week coverage.
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1
Marc Jacobs Spring 2014
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Give a man a few extra days and watch him show right on time. As in, to the minute. But that was just the beginning of the shocks Marc Jacobs delivered on the last night of New York Fashion Week, as a massive lightning storm lit up Manhattan and the streets nearly flooded. It all felt vaguely apocalyptic, especially considering the oppressive heat inside the armory (so hot, they passed out fans) and the epic set: sewer pipes, a busted-up RV and other broken miscellany of modern life strewn along the road-looking catwalk that hovered above hundreds of ottoman rugs. Then Jacobs' collection came out, all gothic Victorian and...sporty.
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2
Marc Jacobs Spring 2014
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He mixed lacy Victorian blouses and heavily embroidered jackets with dressed-up board shorts and sneakers or floral slides. The mélange should make no sense, but here, it did, pulled together by color and confidence. These gothic-sporty looks segued seamlessly into oversized florals done in similar silhouettes. The florals looked heavy and near fall-like. But they were beautiful and surely Jacobs' well-shod fans will happily sweat these looks in the spring. But considering spring lands in stores in the middle of February's drudgery—score.
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3
Marc Jacobs Spring 2014
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The long gowns—in all their iterations on this runway—were simply stunning. Simple leaf-printed silk t-shirt columns moved like liquid, with just the right amount of embellishment at the shoulder and the waist. He then rendered those leaves in darker color combinations—navy and maroon; brown and black—and heavier fabrics, like a zipped knit sweater worn in layers over matching shorts and sandals. The shoes were all flats: sneakers, moccasins and sandals.
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4
Marc Jacobs Spring 2014
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As Jacobs has loved a little dazzle in the last few seasons, there were shiny knee-length dresses (paired, oddly, with glittering moccasins) in a dizzying array of options. Blue sequin stripes over black lace. The same in maroon. A peek-a-boo graphic purple floral, and so on. He really loved the idea of pairing a heavy cardigan or sweatshirt, often zipped shut, with a metallic skirt in the same hue and just as heavily embroidered or embellished.
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5
Marc Jacobs Spring 2014
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In a stroke of genius, Jacobs homogenized the models—they all walked out with the same slightly sullen look and short, choppy blond wigs. It forced people to focus on the clothes and the mood. You almost missed Sky Ferreira walking. No, the attention was firmly on what was unfolding fashion-wise. Jacobs' ending veered dangerously in costume territory with literal Victorian lace dresses before jagging right back into a final set of gorgeous open floral lace gowns that were sheer yet covered up. First in red, then blue, then green.
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6
Calvin Klein Spring 2014
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It's been 10 years since Francisco Costa assumed the design mantle at Calvin Klein, following in the footsteps of a design and branding giant. Never mind that, within months of his first day, the company was sold, the staff let go and the company completely restructured. Yet Costa didn't even break his stride, let alone break a sweat (at least visibly). Ten years on, he has built upon Klein's original vision of sharpness, sexiness and modernism while adding in his own love of art and architecture, as seen on his latest runway.
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7
Calvin Klein Spring 2014
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For spring, there was air in the silhouettes which gave the body room to move. An extra flap on a cream skirt and dress, sheer panels on an ivory sweater, carpenter tabs and stiff hems on pants played into Costa's penchant for both beautiful fabrications and structure.
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8
Calvin Klein Spring 2014
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Nothing here was straightforward. Yet, it wasn't fussy or overdone. Gray cable-knits were shot through with colored string while multicolored feathers and wisps hung from the hems of lunch jackets and boxy tunics.
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9
Calvin Klein Spring 2014
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As spare as his predecessor liked to keep things, Costa likes pattern and texture. Here, bands of pattern crossed each other on dresses, sleeveless shells and pleated skirts.
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10
Calvin Klein Spring 2014
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Monotone fringes and frayed edges were used as details everywhere, taking on the appearance of chic peach fuzz. These are clothes you want to touch as well as wear.
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11
Ralph Lauren Spring 2014
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Ralph Lauren launched his business in the '60s—and even though it all started with a wide men's tie, he no doubt was taking note of what the ladies liked, too. For spring, it came full circle with a nod to the swingy mini and mod shapes of the era done in graphic black and white. Sprinkled in were his beloved school uniform ideas, replete with a wide tie (wink, wink), knee-high socks, varsity sweaters and so on.
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12
Ralph Lauren Spring 2014
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Black and white made a great counterpoint to the reflective white runway — the florals, men's checks and other optics stood out, the best being a tiny-checked mini dress that looked young, fresh and fun.
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13
Ralph Lauren Spring 2014
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Lauren didn't introduce any color until Look 26, when the floodgates of bright hues opened. Green, orange, pink, yellow, red and others were so bright, they neared neon. And the accessories? Matching bags set against black shoes and sunglasses.
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14
Ralph Lauren Spring 2014
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This was about clean, minimal lines. Mini skirts and dresses, pants and tops were simple and cut slightly away from the body. The mini dresses looked about as effortless as we imagine they'd feel to wear.
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15
Ralph Lauren Spring 2014
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For evening, Lauren mixed in a newer length — the mini — but saved the best for last. A red strapless column with a built in cape. Very dramatic, but modern. It was a nice departure from the embellishment and Downton Abbey-heavy motifs of the past few seasons, and was right in step with the clean modernism New York has embraced.
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16
Marchesa Spring 2014
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Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig were inspired by those Gothic and Victorian curiosities, those bizarre objects pertaining to taxidermy - critters and dried flowers. But in the Marchesa world of red carpet dressing, that can't exactly translate to dark eyeliner and black severe clothing, can it? Instead, the ladies riffed on the gentler, uber-feminine side of things.
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17
Marchesa Spring 2014
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What was new for them were the silhouettes. Everything was pulled in and fitted to the body. Gone were the giant pouf gowns that took up three seats. But remaining was the level of embroidery, embellishment, and super-luxe materials that make them an award-season no-brainer.
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18
Marchesa Spring 2014
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Girls slinked by in lace-up Louboutins, their hair worn down, the lips deep red (yes, goth to the core). The dresses—and a few separates—had ruffles and layers and fringe. Florals came via embroidered bodices or sewn-on bouquets.
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19
Marchesa Spring 2014
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One gown in particular must have taken hours, days, weeks to hand-bead—it was crafted completely of looped strings of bone-colored beads, like a mummy wrapped in luxury.
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20
Marchesa Spring 2014
Media Platforms Design Team
There was a heaving bosom spirit to the collection, as if the girls were characters in a period romance. Damsels in fitted bodices with ethereal skirts...you know the story. This heroine always looks beautiful, even when Frankenstein is beating down her door.
Nandini D'Souza Wolfe has been writing about fashion since she was a 22-year-old in wire-rim glasses, fleece vests and Doc Martens. Her look has evolved, but she still approaches the art, commerce and personalities of the fashion industry with the same excitement. She has been reviewing the runway collections for Bazaar since 2009, the same year she wrote Harper's Bazaar's book, 'Fabulous At Every Age', and helped launch its semi-annual Runway Report. Recently, Nandini edited Tory Burch's New York Times Bestselling book 'Tory Burch In Color' and served as the designer's Editorial Director. Prior to that, she was a senior editor at W Magazine and Women's Wear Daily. When not writing about fashion, she is usually playing tennis or Uno with her two children and husband.