Whats the Scoop? New York Fashion Spring/Summer 2016

 New York Fashion Week starts Thursday and I have to say that I am incredibly sad that I am not going to be there as there is a lot of changes coming this season. IMG, the company that produces NYFW, after getting kicked out of Lincoln Center has moved its operations to two different locations. One is Skylight at Moynihan Station and the other is Skylight Clarkson Square. IMG also acquired the rights to MADE Fashion Week that is held a Milk Studios. The big names that shows at the tents at Lincoln Center like Monique Lhuillier, Reem Acra, and Badgley Mischka will show at Skylight at Moynihan Station while smaller presentations will take place at Milk Studios and Skylight Clarkson Square. So fashion week is moving south in Manhattan, which let me tell you will make getting from show to show a lot easier. Another big change is the exit of Mercedes-Benz as the title sponsor of New York Fashion Week. This year Lexus will be the exclusive car sponsor of the Spring/Summer 2016 collections.

 In runway news Givenchy is forgoing showing their Spring/Summer 2016 at their usual venues in Paris for New York City. The brand is doing so to coincide with the reopening of the Givenchy US flagship boutique which has been closed since 2006. With many famous friends who hold residence in New York City the Givenchy show on  Friday is sure to be a star filled spectacle, maybe a Beyonce or Kanye sighting will happen.

 This Spring/Summer 2016 collection will mark the first time that the Donna Karan line will be shown without it's namesake at its helm. Last month Donna Karan announced that she would be stepping down as creative director of the brand to focus her time on her spirituality. Mrs Karan will not be replaced by a new chief creative director instead the collection will be produced by the existing design team.

Donna Karan is also stepping down from DKNY but the boys from hip androgynous brand Public School will be taking over. They designed a stellar Resort collection and I am excited to see what these boys will do with DKNY for their first runway show for the brand.

Other News:

Coach will present its first ever full runway show. The luxury goods brand has favored presentation style events to showcase their collections in the past so it will interesting to see how they go about their first runway show.

Acclaimed menswear designer Michael Bastian is breaking into the womenswear field. During his Spring/Summer 2016 Menswear presentation during New York Fashion Week: Men's last month Michael showed a few women's looks alongside the menswear. I have not been able to confirm yet but it is a possibility that Michael Bastian can show his first full womenswear collection this week.

Vogue Runway Launches Monday!

On Monday the way that most get their fashion news will change. Style.com, which has been my go to site for runway coverage and images since I started, will be closing its virtual doors to allow for them to make their transition into an e-commerce website. Not to worry though, all of the coverage from style.com over runways is being transferred to a new home, VogueRunway.com. I have been very weary about what Vogue Runway would become since in the past the runway coverage on Vogue.com has been very slim picking. What I liked about Style.com is that they showed all the known designers but also showed emerging and lesser known brands as well. I am being reassured that Vogue Runway will be doing the same thing. I really hope so. With the Spring/Summer 2016 collections starting up on Thursday, Vogue Runway will be put to the ultimate test.

Madonna Annouces Costume Designers for "Rebel Heart" Tour

 Today, ahead of her "Rebel Heart" tour which kicks off in early September, Madonna announced the select group of fashion elites and up-and-comers that will be creating the costumes for the tour. There were the expected designers like Jean Paul Gaultier (who holds the title of Madonna's most famous costume with her cone bra), Moschino (the pop queen wore a custom design by Jeremy Scott for the house to the 2015 Met Ball) and Alexander Wang (who appeared in her "Bitch I'm Madonna" video.) Also not too shocking are Fausto Puglisi (who has designed for Madonna and her backup dancers before), as well as Prada and Miu Miu which again are not shocking. Swarovski is creating looks for Madonna as well is Lebanese couturier Nicolas Jebran (Jebran designed the matador look Madonna wore during her now infamous performance at the 2015 BRIT Awards where her Armani Prive cape caught on her neck as it was pulled and she suffered quite a fall and still continued her performance. The big shock comes from the announcement that Alessandro Michele for Gucci will also be creating costumes. From what we have seen from Michele's Gucci it is a very boho 1970s vibe which is not what we are accustomed to seeing Madonna wearing. Will Michele break away from his seemingly standard look or will he give us the OTT glamorous edgy looks that we are so used to seeing on Madge? I guess only time will tell.

Back at the beginning of the year when Madonna first released her "Rebel Heart" album we saw her performing and promoting the album in many matador styles. Will be see a lot of Spanish flair during her upcoming world tour? Or will Madonna hit up with something completely different? When it comes to Madge only time will tell. The sketches of the looks that Madonna will be wearing from these listed designers will be released at a later date and you know that I will be all over covering it for all of you fabulous readers!

Yves St Laurent Returns to Couture! (Kinda)

 It was announced this morning that Saint Laurent was going to be relaunching itself back into couture under the Yves Saint Laurent label. Back in 2012 when Heidi Slimane first stepped into the role of Creative Director at YSL and dropped the Yves from the name he also hinted to the fashion world that he was going to be saving the Yves Saint Laurent label for a return to haute couture at some point. Well that day has come, kinda. Yves Saint Laurent will be creating custom "couture" pieces but there will be no presentation of seasons during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week any time soon.

 Heidi Slimane is going to only be creating Yves Saint Laurent Couture for a personally selected group of individuals. The collection will be created with the clients personally and on a case by case basis. We do get a sneak peak into what the collection will include with an all black and white ad campaign that Heidi Slimane shot himself in the YSL Atelier in Paris. Classic suits and timeless gowns were what was featured mostly in the campaign, but we have been told that the Yves Saint Lauren couture collection is not just limited to formal wear for women but will also include everyday wear as well as menswear. To get Yves Saint Laurent couture one must apply and then be personally selected by Mr Slimane.

I have also been told that the Yves Saint Laurent Couture label will work with clients to recreate those enviable "custom" red carpet looks that celebrities wear for major movie premieres, awards shows, and film festivals that are worn under the Saint Laurent label. I have to say that I am really excited to see where the Yves Saint Laurent Couture label goes. The house of Saint Laurent has had a 25% increase in sales in the last year and I am hoping that if the couture label really takes off and sells that one day in the near future we will actually see Yves Saint Laurent back on the couture circuit during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.

New York Fashion Weeks Moves For Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear Shows

 After getting the boot from Lincoln Center after the Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear shows IMG Fashion (the official planners of New York Fashion Week) has announced that the Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear collections, that used to show at the tents, will be presented at one of two locations. The first is Skylight at Moynihan Station in Midtown Manhattan and Skylight Clarkson Square in SOHO. It seems as if the days of the shows being held in giant un-tentlike tents are gone. With IMG also acquiring MADE fashion week, held at Milk Studios in Chelsea, it seems like Fashion Week keeps edging closer and closer to downtown. This is a move that doesn't surprise me. Vogue, and all of Conde Nast Publications, moved their offices back in January downtown to the new One World Trade Center "Freedom Tower" and almost all of the designers are headquartered in SOHO, Chelsea, the Garment District, and the lower side of Midtown that the move seemed fitting. And let me tell you as someone who has had to book it from Milk Studios in Chelsea to Lincoln Center that I will be grateful for the lower Manhattan locations making it easier to run, walk, and hail cabs to make it to shows at different locations on time.

Runway Report: Gucci Fall 2015 Menswear

 Gucci announced this morning that senior accessories director Alessandro Michele will be taking over the roll of full creative director for the house, starting with the women's wear collection next month. I am fearful Michele at the helm of Gucci. Having always been a favorite, for both men's and women's wear, the Gucci Fall 2015 Menswear failed to excite me in any way. Michele did have a hand, and was one of 12 team members to take the bow at the end of this show, and I feel that this is one of the worst Gucci collections that I have ever seen (it really stings to type that.) Overtly feminine silhouettes, including silk and lace 'blouses' are not anything that will translate into sales for menswear in most markets.

  I can not see an American millionare buying a red silk poet blouse with a  pussy bow. There were a small amount of coats, six out of the 36 looks, that I think are actually market worthy. I hope that there is an amazing commercial collection in the works because this just does not live up to the Gucci standard set by Tom Ford and Frida Giannini. I just can not get behind much of this collection. In a season that has been wowing me this collection was a HUGE disappointment. 

Honestly, what is going on with the accessories for this collection. Two strap sandals, clogs, and leather slippers with fur insoles did nothing to help jut this collection into any better status. The suede bag reminded me much of Bulgari bags that already exist, that could defiantly spark a lawsuit for the house for copying signatures. I will keep an open mind going into the women's fall show next month, but I am fearful that one of my favorite fashion houses might start to loose it's luster in it's new era.