Runway in Review

New York Times

WOMEN’S FASHION

By ALISON S. COHN

Yannis Vlamos/Associated PressA look from the Lacoste Fall 2012 collection.
Alexander Wang
Designer: Alexander Wang
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11, Pier 94, 711 12th Avenue
Photos:slide show

• “It was just bizarre and, yes, a little pretentious.” (On The Runway)
• “Alexander Wang has turned a Hudson River pier into a house of mirrors to show a fall-winter collection that should figure prominently in the 14 shops he’ll be opening in East Asia this year.” (AFP)
• “The clothes including wool sweaters and tweed jackets were more straightforward than Wang’s recent cool-girl downtown vibe.” (A.P.)
• “Exuded a new precision, as well as a new, expensive polish. And we’re not just talking about the all-gold hardware.” (Style.com)
• “A distinct movement away from his more louche, languid inclinations.” (Vogue.com UK)

Altuzarra
Designer: Joseph Altuzarra
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11, IAC, 555 West 18th Street
Photos:slide show

• “There was a lot of depth here: the designer culled influences from Morocco, India, and the ’60s-era Italian comic book hero, Corto Maltese — and it all melded together beautifully.” (fashionologie)
• “Looked rich and intriguing.” (Heard on the Runway)
• “Altuzarra has an innate sense of elegance all his own, … one that corralled the eclectic images on his inspiration board into some very stylish looks.” (Vogue.com)
• “‘I just wanted to do things that women want to wear,’ Altuzarra said before the show, ‘to figure out how to make clothes that look rich but feel easy.’ We’d say he’s done it and then some.” (Style.com)

Boy and Girl by Band of Outsiders
Designer: Scott Sternberg
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11, SIR Stage37, 508 West 37th Street
Photos:slide show

• “Scott Sternberg’s lineup of sweet rosebud-printed wool gauze dresses had hints of the prairie aesthetic he’s riffed on in the past.” (WWD)
• “[Sternberg] took a little of the folkloric tradition of the region and his de rigueur cinematic cues … and mixed them with his signature sportiness and romanticism to create a collection that stuck to his unique, consistently charming vision of American sportswear.” (Vogue.com)
• “‘The Good, the Good, and the Good’ may not do much as the title of a spaghetti western, but it serves just fine as a description of this season’s Band of Outsiders, Girl, and Boy collections.” (Style.com)

Lacoste
Designer: Felipe Oliveira Baptista
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11, Theatre, Lincoln Center
Photos:slide show

• “Let it snow. For his second season at Lacoste, Felipe Oliveira Baptista hip the slopes with a collection of Alpine-ready separates.” (fashionologie)
• “Felipe Oliveira Baptista mined the archives and created a strong sport-inspired collection.” (WWD)
• “A strong, sure-footed performance that touched on a thread of Lacoste Olympic history without losing sight of the fact that 99 percent of his clothes are never going to be in a position of being accessorized with a medal, gold or otherwise.” (Vogue.com)
• “This was a solid collection executed as smoothly as a faultless glide down a black run.” (The Daily Telegraph)

Prabal Gurung
Designer: Prabal Gurung
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11, IAC, 555 West 18th Street
Photos:slide show

• “Following his stellar spring 2012 collection, Gurung kept up the momentum for fall. … From wicked black looks (cursed) the show progressed to an ‘uncursed’ almost heavenly finale.” (Fashionista)
• “Gurung upped the ante for fall, showing an extensive collection which ranged from sharp tailoring in black, sliced with black patent leather and elaborately worked fur … into beaded gowns and red-carpet dramatics.” (Vogue.com)
• “Some of the finale dresses seemed to incorporate every weapon in fashion’s eye-catching evening wear arsenal; organza, lame, sequins, sheer panels, ostrich feathers.” (The Daily Telegraph)
• “G[a]ve the idea of a halo effect (assuming that his customers pray daily at the altar of Equinox).” (On The Runway)
• “His opening looks were dramatic in their minimalism, and menacing in their energy. … [S]tark yet chic — something Mrs. Mephistopheles would wear, were she were a powerful businesswoman.” (Vogue.com UK)