ideeli at MBFW: Day 6

We got a major shot of fashion fabulousness on Day 6 with the double whammy of Badgley Mischka (shop today's sale!) and Vera Wang showing polar opposite moods, one light, airy and glittering, the other dark, architectural and brooding.

The front row celebs at Badgley Mischka—Gabrielle Union, Kristin Cavallari, and Denise Richards–were seated next to each other and coiffed to the hilt. The society ladies in the audience weren’t holding back either, some wearing full-on sparkle, and it was just 10 a.m. Badgley Mischka showed a mix of their couture and contemporary line Mark + James and the result was a playful-luxe vibe. A crystal tulle top with denim jeans was a standout look for us, and of course the evening wear, in shades of petal, rose, smoke and white, was tops.

In between shows we spotted Anna Wintour and Linda Fargo of Bergdorf Goodman chilling in the outdoor lounge. It was a gorge day so we took a break out there as well, although we kept our distance from Anna (there’s a palpable force field around her!).

At Vera, the show surprised with its dark colors–black, eggplant, forest green— and forceful attitude (see above). We loved all the sculptural pleats and draping, which looked akin to urban armor. Evan Lysacek and Serena Williams (sandwiched by André Leon Talley and La Wintour) were front and center—so fitting, especially for this collection, which had a toughness we imagine elite athletes can relate to.

Tune in tomorrow for more from fashion week as we head into the home stretch!

Brooke's Style Pick, Vera Wang Lavender

We asked one of our buyers to tell us which ideeli item this week is on their "ideel" shopping list.

Name: Brooke

Job title: Senior Buyer, Ready-to-Wear

What is your "ideel" item of the day for tomorrow, Thursday?:   I love the silk flower print dress by Vera Wang Lavender.

Why is this your favorite item?  The print is amazing and I cannot say no to a mini dress.

If you can pick an activity to schedule around this outfit what would it be? The rehearsal dinner the night before my wedding! 

Last word:  "Fashion fades, only style remains the same".  -Coco Chanel

Don't miss our Vera Wang Lavender sale on Thursday, June 11th. Save up to 76% off. Prices start at $30. Event starts at 11:00am, EST. 

Are you STILL not an ideeli member? Join now  

Wedding Style, Vera Wang

A bride-to-be might worry for months about making her wedding day perfect, and that includes finding the ultimate dress. But flash forward to the end of the night on her wedding day, to the champagne soaked floors, disheveled hair and a crinkled dress - yet she’s still looking radiant - and you see that there’s a real case to be made for imperfection. 

A not-so-perfect, artfully mismatched look was the theme of Vera Wang’s Spring 2010 bridal collection, which she presented in her New York showroom on Wednesday, April 8.

Wang’s wedding gowns mixed and matched fabrics like silk with asymmetrically draped tulle, added mismatched bows tied in all different directions and tacked together sweeping mille-feuille layers, turning the back of one ball gown into a walking cross-section of the Grand Canyon. “Mixed-media” as Wang put it. 

“It’s as though they were tossed in a washing machine,” said Wang, and then, one imagines, were tumble dried. “They’re youthful and more organic than most gowns,” she said.

Asymmetrical draping of effervescent clouds of tulle layered with hand-painted silk made these gowns both fragile and substantial - there’s an intense level of design and couture-like finishing, yet a lightness and sense of dynamism. These dresses have movement and feel completely fresh. Part of this is due to the way they were constructed, using lighter bodices on the inside, and then building the dresses onto those “tubes.” 

Wang understands that not all her customers want a dramatic look for a wedding-as-fashion-shoot type of event. “There are gowns that satisfy the more informal wedding,” said Wang, pointing to a slender, delicate silk charmeuse bias-draped gown with a more sparing use of mille-feuille as a ruffled accent near the bottom of a flared skirt. “You really have to wardrobe them for specific locations.” 

A fashionable bride getting married in a garden, for instance, might appreciate the spring green and lavender ball gown, as though she were sprouting from the earth as one the season’s first crocuses.

“Especially with the recession, I wanted the dresses to stand for more,” said Wang. 

Next year would seem to be the ideal year to get married, if a Vera Wang wedding gown is what you have your eye on: She’s lowered her median price point 30 to 40 percent, from $5,500 to $3,800. “There are 10 gowns at the $3,800 level,” she said. 

Wang calls it “demi-couture.” While Wang has worked with her team to get the prices down, none of the quality has been sacrificed. Each gown has a highly artistic feel. “They’re not easy to duplicate,” she said, “but we’ll get it down.”

Vera Wang Goes Medieval

Vera Wang's youthful secondary line, "Lavender" informally kicked off the Fall 2009 season in their showroom on Friday, January 30th. The theme?  Medieval mod.  Quirky, dark, but oddly cheerful,  the line includes peasant-y yet structured tops and dresses with modernist graphic prints, piqot edging, and the occasional beaded embellishments.  As before, layering is key which is fantastic news for customers looking to build on their existing wardropes by adding key pieces to work "the look".  The hard yet soft styling is full of bohemian charm so don't toss the motorcycle boots yet, Vera gave us a great reason to hold on to them.