New York Fashion Week Day 1 Roudup

So, day one on the catwalks of a snow-covered New York yesterday and fashion week got off to a rather subdued start after the news of Alexander McQueen’s death. At the risk of a cliché, it really is a horrible loss, he was a wonderful talent.

Yesterday’s shows included BCBG Max Azria, Jen Kao, Cushnie et Ochs, Daniel Vosovic and Richard Chai LOVE. My favourite, Jen Kao showed a subtly sexy collection of textures - figure-hugging, chunky, softly-revealing knitwear, form-fitting, structured leather dresses with fur embellishments and a range of maxi dresses in everything from jersey to leather. The highlights for me were the sheer harem pants and the Balmain-esque sequinned creations.

BCBG Max Azria worked from a base of black, brown, dove grey and white with splashes of brightness provided by yellow and blue inserts in a range of shades. Draping, belting and soft silhouettes ran through the collection alongside some digital code-esque embellishment.

Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B was slightly hit and miss for me – I loved the high waisted, elegant leather trousers, over the knee boots, harem pants, fitted leather jackets and structured tailoring but some of the triple-belting looked a little frumpy even on the tiny models and left me thinking about Jodie Marsh’s tabloid escapades (not a good thing..)