the PIPELINE: Style on Tap

• October 21, 2008 11:59 AM
• Fashion Week

Pack Your Bags With Oscar's Latest Resort Collection

Every once in a while, Refinery29 brings you a dedicated message from a sponsor we love.

Picture it: Lush greenery, soft, soothing shades of sun-dappled coral, amber, and pink dreamily lulling you to a warm, relaxed state of bliss. Yes, one stroll through Oscar de la Renta's latest resort collection inspired by the earthy sun-kissed world of the Caribbean could have anyone scrambling to book a ticket.

The good news is—you don't have to. The designer known for creating gorgeously feminine getaway dresses, trousers, and tops has just welcomed his new resort collection to stores and online at www.oscardelarenta.com. Here, you can be virtually transported to sunnier climes by sweet satin mini suits, relaxed belted trousers, and the lightest body-skimming floral dresses, you'd wish you were setting sail for a private island getaway.



Okay, so maybe fashion can't quite make you feel as though you've had a holiday—or can it? If anyone can do it, Oscar de la Renta can bring the Caribbean to you, online and in stores October 20.

Read More

• October 6, 2008 10:20 AM
• Fashion Week

Williamsburg Fashion Weekend: Economics, Yuppies, and Hipsters Collide in the 'Burg

By Sarah Maher

With artists relocating to Bushwick and beyond, bubble tea chains popping up next door to indie boutiques like Jumelle, and penthouse dwelling NYUers eating sushi on the same street that once housed the notorious Cokey's bar, Williamsburg just ain't what it used to be. So, this weekend's Williamsburg Fashion Week—held at Monster Island's experimental art space Secret Project Robotcan and presenting the eco-friendly, one-of-a-kind or small run collections of eight local designers— felt a tad…out of place. Surrounded by empty condos with the echos of the crashing economy all around, the Saturday night group of designers—Treehouse Brooklyn, Sodafine, and Dear Birthday—assembled their best DIY 'tudes and friends for a relaxed fashion show that celebrated, "the handmade and the visionary," as a folksy, girly spread of champagne bottles under a banner proclaiming "The sky is falling…let's have a picnic!"

Read More

• October 2, 2008 9:27 AM
• Trend Watch

Identity Crisis: From Party Paupers to Vagabond Princesses, Designers Play Around with Mixed Messages

By Christene Barberich

From left: Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Yigal Azrouël, photos via style.com

Fashion's idea of relaxed glamour has been a funny theme that continues to evolve and change from season to season. But it seems that this latest crop of shows revealed perhaps the most interesting display of contradictions. Perhaps it's the crappy economy making everyone feel a little sheepish about being too flashy, or maybe it's just the latest development in luxury's more understated demeanor.

From left: Armand Basi One, Burberry Prorsum, Armand Basi One, photos via style.com

No matter, we're totally intrigued by the series of extreme mixed messages: camp/couture (Ralph Lauren), country/cotillion (Marc Jacobs), or urban/boho (Yigal Azrouël). Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. Perhaps the best mixed messages were a little quieter, as with Christopher Bailey's collection for Burberry where barn coats topped sequined dresses and laid-back knits and leggings were finished off with a drape of sexy satin. So what if some designers can't make up their mind. Half the time, neither can we.

Read More

• September 29, 2008 8:36 AM
• Trend Watch

Color Coded: The 12 Hottest Shades of Fashion Week... so far

By Max Berlinger and Piera Gelardi

New York, London, and now Milan—yes, all the various Fashion Week dizzying arrays of rainbow colors have us already reaching for our sunnies. We picked our favorite color-concentrated moments below, from rich, bold hues like plum, hot pink, and neon orange to more muted palettes of coral, mustard yellow, lilac, and nude.


Plum Dandy
From left: Roksanda Illincic, Todd Lyn, Iceberg, Just Cavalli


Red, Red Wine
From left: Dolce & Gabbana, Eley Kishimoto, Prada, Derercuny

Read More

• September 22, 2008 5:30 PM
• Fashion Week

Dedicated Post: Craft Works—Behind the Scenes of the Spring/Summer Show with Oscar de la Renta

Every so often, we bring you news in The Pipeline from a select sponsor.

Despite a true knack for fashioning the perfect cocktail dress or the most glamorous, Hepburn-worthy trousers, Oscar de la Renta really is the closest thing we have to couture stateside. But this modern idea of "couture" is less about excess and more about a young spirit paired with a love for the details—pretty much what a collection by Oscar is always about.

There are plenty of studios we'd love to spend time in—be a fly on the wall as patterns flourish into party dresses. So having the chance to have a peek at this designers's spring/summer collection in the making was special to say the least. Check out his full spring/summer 2009 collection here (we love the '60s-cut mini-dresses and skinny silver trousers), and if you really just can't wait another five months for a new season of Oscar (we understand!), indulge yourself by perusing his fall/winter collection, available online at www.oscardelarenta.com. Here, you can also register to win tickets to the designer's pre-fall 2009 show in New York. Oscar, up close and personal...just the way we like it.

backstage, behind the scenes, fashion, fashion shows, fashion week, oscar de la renta, style

• Email
• Link
• Comments

• September 22, 2008 12:17 PM
• Videos

Show Style: Backstage and on the Street at Jeremy Laing

By Gabriel Bell, Video by Greg Stefano

Click to play

Jeremy Laing is always a crowd favorite at Fashion Week, so it's a good thing we had our videographer in tow when we snuck backstage and stalked the streets at his show. And what did we find? Pretty people, pretty photographers, and pretty peep-toes.

Read More