10 Hottest Trends From The Runway At New York Fashion Week The fall shows at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week finally ended Thursday night in New York City. As the dust settled, designers and fashionistos blew off steam at Double 7 and Hiro Ballroom with Axel Rose (what's with the handlebar moustache?) and Mick Jagger in tow (L'Wren's customary fashion week lunch, complete with caviar and scalloped potatoes, had been that afternoon). This weekend the lucky ones have split for a few days of rest and relaxation others, if they're designers, will start work on their next collections. And the hard core fashion press have already decamped to London, Paris and Milan. The down time between shows or airports is perfect for rethinking what we saw this season and what we can expect en masse for fall. So here are 10 trends that played front stage in New York and will be front of mind for many over the next few months. 1. The white suit. Check it at Prabal Gurung, Alberta Ferretti, J. Mendel and Phillip Lim. Obviously it's nothing new. But it's still hot. 2. Fur, especially fur bags. Carmel colored wraps at Dennis Basso and orange or teal toned diamond pattern covers at Bibhu Mohapatra led the way. Vivienne Tam also used it cleverly in shades of plum and camel. We also saw huge fur covered bags at Basso, Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors, among others. 3. Navy and black. This has always been an underused but incredibly chic pairing, when it's done well (it can be difficult to pull off). Look through Prabal Gurung and Proenza Schouler for the latest interpretations. Or ask any Parisianne. 4. Cut outs in dresses and shirts. Terry Richardson just did a stunning cover for Harper's Bazaar of Gwyneth Paltrow in a black cut out number; she and Rihanna each bared their ribs at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. In New York, we saw the look at Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors. 5. The side bun. Just ask Rebecca Minkoff, Cynthia Rowley or anybody who saw the Suno show. 6. Black, as ever. Ralph Lauren did a whole section of his show at Skylight Soho in black. So did J. Mendel and Prbal Gurung, among others. Even the usually ethereal Jenny Packham rocked a noir walking suit and swooping embellished dress at her show Monday morning. 7. Dragon scales. We saw them most notably at Armani Priv and in some of the alligator accents at Dennis Basso. It's fitting, since this is the Year of the Dragon, designer Vivienne Tam told me. She takes the Chinese astrological calendar seriously, advising me to stay away from water and to plan carefully for best prosperity in 2012.
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