After a Blockbuster of a 25th Anniversary Celebration collection for Spring, in which Donna Karan Kinda outdid herself for DKNY and was so Amazing It was almost a Best Of collection and one that was Full of Wit and Charm and Fierce Strength and FUN, We find ourselves here in February wondering where all those elements went? Those key elements that always made Donna Karan's work (Especially A La Maison de DKNY) so Magical! That Fun Girly Spirit that no matter how Tough the Woman on the Outside was (and being an Urban Woman, In NY No Less, requires TOUGHNESS) she retained that Giddy Girly Esprit on the inside! That has been lost to a Major degree in both her Donna Karan Collection and DKNY over the years as for her main collection she has sank into this Earth Mother-Hippy-Bohemian-Arsty Fartsy Schtick that has done nothing to elevate the clothes and at DKNY it has just been lost in TRYING to BE Young instead of TRULY BEING Young, Not in age, but At Heart!
Suffice it to say, That feeling of That Giddy Girly Spirit was warmly welcomed back in September... But she seems to have, POOF! Disappeared again, Mercurial as a Fairy in Oberon's Court, She Showered her Tinkly dust over the preceding collection and then, Quick as Starshine, She whisked herself back to The land of Magic leaving Fall 2014 DKNY a Startlingly good collection, but missing the spark that made Spring so Brilliant.
Let it be said though, Fall 2014 was, MAY-JUR! Ok!? It was a Thoroughly Bountiful offering of all the things a Contemporary City Woman and Man need for traversing the Concrete Jungle! Make no mistake, If Spring was more Fun, this was more FASHION! Setting the show up in seeming sections of specific colours more so than themes, Karan first showed Black and White in the first section yielding goodies aplenty! This section also felt somewhat indebted to a Modern Grunge Idea which wasn't bad, but wasn't elevating things particularly but could be glossed over readily!
In this section, A techno fabric Anorak with fur accents thrown over a Sharp Tailored Pantsuit at Exit No. 5 was too good to miss, As was the Skunky looking shaggy Fur coat at Exit No. 19 worn over a "D" Varsity sweater and Swirling Buttery soft Leather A-Line Skirt. Near the end of this section Karan injected some Taxi Yellow into the mix as well as beginning to phase in the next colour, Grey, which would be the major theme of the next Section, more on that in a Bit. The Yellow though, added a Dash of life, looking great in Tiger/Camo Stripes and as a Varsity Jacket!
Next Up, Black and Grey, A brief soujourn to be sure, but wonderful nonetheless, afterwards, Onward to a Mash-Up of Purplish Blues and Wine-y Reds contrasting to the Black and Grey. This section gave up some Memorable moments, most distinctly some Men's Suits that were making my breath shorten! Finally, Karan's Last stop was a Section of Banker Grey, with a TOUCH of Punkish Highlighter Pink thrown in to Keep it Alive and Fresh! A Quasi Tuxedo Look at Exit No. 49 was Screaming Whimsical Chic, while Sasha Luss looked Every bit a 90's Grunge Goddess in a Grey Mixed Media Slip gown to end the Show!
I won't bother mentioning Donna's Choice of Street Casting, It, to me, Added absolutely ZERO to the show! It detracted more than anything, but not so severely as to Mar the collection, but it came dubiously close! However, the clothes spoke more volumes than in the Library of Congress. It was a typical, of now, DKNY Collection. It didn't capture that Ephemeral Bliss of Spring, but it stood on it's own terms and was making no apologies. That alone, made the effort more than worthwhile!
That's All.
Bye4Now!
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