Fashion Week Pics: Imaginative Sets Rule Off-Site Presentations, Runway Shows Stay Simple

September 16, 2010

Just as live-streaming, Twitter posts, and Facebook updates have helped make Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week more accessible to the masses, the burgeoning number of presentations over runway shows this season marks a turning point for the biannual trade show, establishing a more inclusive, almost democratic approach that allows more guests to view the clothing up close. (There's no front row.) This style of showcasing collections also offers a budget-friendly option for small and new designers to participate, a notion apparent from the long list of names on the schedule this season. And with many of the presentations taking place outside the tents in raw, unadorned spaces, labels including Billy Reid and Gant by Michael Bastian took the opportunity to set the tone with prop-heavy scenery.

That's not to say a fair share of off-site shows didn't stick to the traditional runway format—established names like Marc Jacobs, Y-3, and Diesel all sent models strolling down a catwalk. However, these were noticeably less decorated than in seasons past. Y-3 kept the focus on rock 'n' roll, Yohji Yamamoto's inspiration for the sportswear line, by giving British rock band the Duke Spirit a central stage at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday, and Marc Jacobs limited the set for his show at the 69th Regiment Armory on Monday to a lamp-shade-shaped structure made from bronze panels.

Photo: BizBash

On Thursday evening at Milk Studios, Billy Reid's presentation took on a Southern inflection (the designer is from Louisiana) with a set influenced by Clarence John Laughlin's architectural photographs of the South during the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. Southern Accents Architectural Antiques provided distressed doors for the backdrop, which was built in Florence, Alabama.

Photo: Bradley Dean

Early Friday morning, Kate Spade creative director Deborah Lloyd hosted a breakfast presentation of the brand's spring 2011 collection, dubbed "The Year of Color." With the clothes separated by color in the different areas of Kate Spade's West 25th Street showroom, the morning gathering was filled with color-coordinated props and signs.

Photo: BizBash

On Saturday morning, emerging designer Rachel Antonoff previewed her spring/summer 2011 line inside a West Village town house. Inspired by sleepover parties and other girly get-togethers, Antonoff's presentation put dollhouses, tree houses, dolls, and forts on two floors of the partially furnished home.

Photo: BizBash

Antonoff's Saturday morning presentation was a reflection of the collection's playful, girly attitude. Aux Armes, a company that creates window and interior displays for retailers, designed the set.

Photo: BizBash

Yohji Yamamoto's Y-3 collection for Adidas blended sportswear with the designer's homage to classic rock. Playing with shadows and darkness, the Sunday afternoon showing at the Park Avenue Armory included a mirrored backdrop—tilted toward the bleachers where the audience sat—as well a stage for the Duke Spirit, which performed during the show.

Photo: Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for Y-3

On Monday afternoon, designer Sophia Kokosalaki presented her line of Diesel Black Gold clothing, influenced by the West Coast's arts-and-crafts movement and desert music festivals. To complement this, the set for the runway show at Pier 92 was composed of a boardwalk-style catwalk and large windows that overlooked the Hudson River.

Photo: Courtesy of Diesel

The Marc Jacobs show hit the 69th Regiment Armory on Monday night, exhibiting the designer's 1970s-inspired collection on a relatively simple set. A central curving bronze structure acted as the entrance to the catwalk and models emerged six at a time.

Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/Getty Images

Like Diesel Black Gold, the G-Star NY Raw special edition spring/summer 2011 collection was inspired by the desert. Although there wasn't moving catwalk as in years past, the Tuesday evening event used a blond wood sculpture of the Dutch denim brand's arc pant as a three-dimensional backdrop.

Photo: Courtesy of G-Star

The showings of Gant by Michael Bastian are quickly becoming a popular stop for Fashion Week attendees. The preppy menswear collection from Michael Bastian held its first showing in February; the second, which took place at S.I.R. Stage37 on Wednesday afternoon, was packed with guests, who took in the 40 men's and women's looks.

Photo: BizBash

Scattered around the raw space, the Gant by Michael Bastian presentation was styled like a photo shoot, with muted backdrops and a number of curious props, from sailboats and old-fashioned suitcases to film reels and leather couches.

Photo: BizBash