Fashion Week Reviews from Inside the Tent on Monday, September 8th 

via FashionPulse.wordpress.com:

• Ports 1961: We loved the live music, compliments of the Cowboy Junkies during the show, which lent nicely to the collection theme of the Pacific Northwest and feminine lines that compliment and lengthen. We found a bolder (both in design andcolore palette) collection than in the past with Ports, although we preferred metallic trim to all over metallic shimmer and shine. The fabrications we loved were the meshy lace dresses, tulle, jaquard, and lame’, which traditionally would have worked more for f/w collections. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the artistic “runway frou” which included large petruding masks that resembled something out of The Lion King, the musical.
• Sergio Davila: Taking his queue from 1930s immigrants, Davila delivered an easy collection full of classic sportswear pieces such as cardigans, henleys, bermudas, and casual trousers. The collection was largely for men, but we did enjoy the few women’s looks, in particular the cut-off trousers. At retail, we can definitely see this doing well, as the clothes have a familiar feeling to them, with the thick gauge cardigans and thin, gauzy henleys taking center stage.
• Melani von Alexandria: Unfamiliar with this designer, we weren’t sure what to expect. Sometimes skipping a meal or a power hour of writing is difficult to rationalize when a show is off-site, but in this case, we were glad we took the risk! The collection was as lovely, sweet, and sophisticated as the young designer, who impressed us with her tailoring skills and cohesive collection that left us wanting to see more. Loose, flowing silhouettes channeled a modernized 1920s vibe in soft neutral colors such as cream, peach, taupe, and midnight. Her dresses were by far our favorite, although she also proved to us that she nows how to cut a mean pant.
• Gottex: We’re happy to go on the record saying that all the years we’ve seen a Gottex show, we’ve yet to be let down. Just when you think that nothing new can be added to the swimwear category, Gottex goes and does something completely refreshing. Everything from nautical motifs to classic Grecian paraded down the runway, and Gottex really knows how to smoothly group and transition the show from one theme to the next. Interesting halter one-pieces caught our eye, and we are really starting to believe that the one-piece is the new bikini. We loved the completely oversized anchors and interlocking rings, and applaud the company for revisiting the early 1990s via neon swimear. We also saw loads of cream-colored swimwear with such an amazing drape that it would take the most skilled and delicte of hands to execute. Last of all, we must thank Gottex for avoiding the monokini — we couldn’t bare to see another one of those on the beach next summer!