Students who rock Baby Phat coats and jeans will be proud to hear that for fall 2006, the Baby Phat collection will keep next winter just as hot, if not hotter. While Baby Phat puts a spin on ghetto lovely, other designers set a new trend of relaxed royalty.This season Kimora Lee Simmons, designer for Baby Phat, put on a successful show when compared with other seasons. The show was highly anticipated and even actress Angie Harmon got caught up in the excitement. \n"Yes I am looking forward to the show, I can't wear this many diamonds anywhere else," she said. \nModels high stepped to the sounds of Young Jeezy, Fat Joe and Pitbull. \nThe audience cheered as model Alec Wek came down the runway wearing a butterscotch hooded faux fur coat with patterned trousers and a brown Baby Phat bag. Model Omahyra Mota broke it down on the runway sporting a short fur coat, Baby Phat jeans, a glittery shirt and a pill box hat. Other looks included satin puffed short culottes, a short suit with a black corset and a tweed coat. Simmons used tweed often in her collection. One model sported a tweed plum-colored military coat and another wore short puff culottes paired with a tweed jacket with metallic thread. \n"My inspiration was an eclectic mix of Hollywood red carpet and important pieces that every woman needs in her wardrobe," Simmons said. \nLeather pants paired with a peach silk ruffled blouse gave the collection a harder edge, and a black-belted leather dress that was short in the front and long in the back caught the eyes of many in attendance. \n"I thought the show was great," singer/songwriter Mya said. "My favorite piece was (the) leather dress."
The designers of Y&Kei decided to show off their craftsmanship for its fall 2006 collection, emphasizing lace and sequins mixed with chiffon and organza. The looks were relaxed but elegant as models glided down the runway in lavender pleated and sequined cocktail dresses with gold sequins in between each pleat. The color palette of lavender, gold, black and white was on many of the runways, but Y&Kei took it to another level by placing contrasting detail on each piece, creating works of art within the collection. \nOne such piece was a lavender and lace gown with a bugle bead embroidered bodice and gold thread woven into the bodice. Another piece, a midnight blue double-breasted trench, sparkled as it came down the runway. \nThe true craftsmanship could be seen when models strutted in black and white pieces like a winter white double-breasted coat with a black matte jersey and lace dress with a lace patch work underlay. The looks were fit for a princess and the fabrics and textures brought the femininity of each piece to the forefront. \nAs the show went on, the audience was wooed by an ivory brocade fitted jacket paired with an ivory silk camisole with lace and caviar beads. One model wore a black cashmere turtleneck paired with black lace over a silver embossed velvet skirt. The sparkle of this collection is sure to be a hit during the 2006 holiday season.
This season Reese strayed from her usual ultra-feminine clothing and went for a more simple look. Black slim pants paired with ruffled blouses and wrap sweaters with fur collars and fur caplets took the place of circle skirts and embroidered coats. The palette of oatmeal, brown and mocha with a little metallic copper thrown in the mix was popular with many other New York designers. Reese prioritized being warm and relaxed with ensembles of a sweater toggle coat with a fur collar, a brown chunky sweater with a fur collar and a gray pencil skirt, and a cream spaghetti strap girlish dress with brown sparkles worn with a brown caplet.\n"What I particularly liked was the cable knit sweaters," actress Lynn Whitfield said. "I really enjoyed the show. It is always cleavage and waist with her." \nCoats were a major part of the collection. Two coats that particularly stood out were a brown sweater coat with brown satin ties and a blue embroidered coat with fur trim down the front and around the arms and bottom. Though Reese tried something new, her usual feminine charm was used to complete the collection, giving it the sparkle it needed for fall 2006. \nFashion Week made it evident that gray, midnight blue, black, white and metallic silver and gold are the official colors for fall 2006. The shows became unified as many designers brought back the ultra-long chunky scarf, as well as mini skirts and shorts.
