Utilitarian...

Celine

Five seasons in, and you would think Pheobe Philo would show signs of slowing down? F/W and S/S seem to be Pheobe's playground to test out a variety of ideas, and during the off seasons she puts out strong, well edited collections. Her clothes and accessories at Celine are flying off the shelves and influencing the entire fashion community; she proved with this collection that that will still be happening for a little more time. And... can I please, please, please get that army green coat? I could have swore it had my name written all over the inside. 

Reed Krakoff

Reed is really making me excited about New York fashion, and coming from a resort collection that's saying a lot! His fantastic work at Coach over the years has lead to some really amazing accessories at his own line. I'll have to introduce his line to my mother when it hits stores in a few months. She is a Coach fanatic, but I know she will love Reed's independent work even more. There was so much that I loved about this collection; the tailoring, mini skirts, apron dresses, and the shoes. 

The Row

The Olsen sisters are shaping up to be some of my favorite New York designers with their uber-lux (they use exotic skins like it is an everyday fabric) and simple designs. I love how they play with unusual proportions in their latest outing. The long skirt lengths play with the trend of below the knee hem lines, but take it a bit lower than what most designers are doing. It's really refreshing if you ask me.