Fashion Week Accessories Report

By Amy Flurry
March 15, 2010

The luxe outerwear that made an appearance in countless collections at New York Fashion Week—from Alexander Wang's black buckled cape and collarless camel coat to Narciso Rodriguez's leather paneled long jackets to Oscar de La Renta's fur trim, jewel-toned coats—certainly had immediate cache for attendees who braved the cold to get to the shows. But it was the accessories that really drilled home the function of fashion.

LAYERING

Rag & Bone (Photo by Rob Loud/Getty Images), Richard Chai (Photo by Karl Prouse/Catwalking/Getty Images)

“The layering of outerwear and accessories (perfect at Rag & Bone) was what I found most compelling,” says Laura Vinroot Poole, owner of Capitol boutique in Charlotte, North Carolina. “They piled on shawls, scarves, fur gilets, and scarves and maybe add a couple more shawls after that. But it looked so chic and really quite practical in the midst of jumping over three foot snow drifts and braving a near blizzard in New York.”

Designer Richard Chai is another designer who nailed the layering look with his sibling collection, Richard Chair Love. Fashion blogger Nikki Salk of The Fashion Gather compares his runway compositions to putting your clothes on in the dark and actually getting it right. “I loved the angles he achieved from stacking various pieces as well as the keyhole effect it creates when you layer textures,” she says. Here, Chai pairs an oversized fox fur vest with a silk crepe top and twill skirt.

LEGWARMERS

Brian Reyes (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz), Rodarte (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

The bedrock of winter’s accessory wardrobe was the legwarmer, of which the mere mention induces Flashdance flashbacks. Alexander Wang, Derek Lam, Michael Kors and Thakoon all sent their versions of new must-have underpinnings down the runway. The extra long leg warmers at Brian Reyes hit a more subtle, softer note than last season’s hit, the thigh high boot. The look is easy (and cheap) to pull off: just pair extra-long black leg warmers like these with low cut black heels.

Or try something more subtle, like at Rodarte, where cream knit leg warmers over white lacey tights and entwined with ballet-inspired heels looked sublime it was as if the model snow queen had walked off the pages of a children’s book and onto the runway.

Let it be known that a week before that powdery blanket muffled New York, I had a chance sighting of an Alvin Alley dancer on West 55th in jeans with legwarmers covering a high, chunky heel, and so smitten with the look, purchased a pair on eBay that same night. This brown pair is thick enough to wear over heels, and the sparkles lend it a bit of a dance club vibe.

FUR

clockwise from top left: Zac Posen (Photo by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz), Marc by Marc Jacobs (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images), Marc Jacobs (Photo by Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images), Rachel Zoe attends Rodarte Fall 2010 (Photo by Paul Morigi/WireImage)

In keeping with the part folk, part fantasy theme, fur dominated the catwalks. There were fur booties at Zac Posen, but we found ours on eBay for a cool $56.17. Marc Jacobs showed fur helmets, (and celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe sported a similar one the very next day). Jacobs also reincarnated the fur handbag, and shawl collar, both looks that are easy to pick up on eBay now.

RURAL AMERICANA

Billy Reid (image courtesy of Billy Reid), Michael Bastian (Photo by Thomas Concordia/WireImage)

And finally for the men, designers plumbed the past, particularly the rural Americana look. Michael Bastian plumbed the past for a fall collection of red and black quilted nylon hunting jackets, plaid belts and sweaters. The trend of collaborating with American heritage brands, which began this spring with Opening Ceremony's partnership with Pendleton, continued in the form of Billy Reid's partnership with Stetson for fall 2010. Reid’s hats and gloves, fabricated in distressed cordovan leather, wax cottons, and dead stock wools with touches of Nutria fur and English Army-inspired detailing, sent us searching for furry trapper hats and leather gloves.

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