Fashion Week Fall 2011: Milly

You always know you’re going to have a good time at the Milly show. The enthusiasm and upbeat energy was palpable on Wednesday as people took their seats. And the show did not disappoint. Michelle Smith said her inspiration this time ’round was French fashion photographer Guy Bourdin, whose brightly colored graphic, and sometimes controversial work for Vogue, Bazaar and companies such as Charles Jourdan was legendary. Considering Smith’s love of color and time spent in France, it is understandable that she would be attracted to the sexy and alluring work of Bourdin.

Against the beautiful backdrop of monochromatic trees, the jewel toned collection came down the runway. I always love Milly’s outerwear and this season was no exception. The new longer lengths were evident immediately with this double-faced wool cape jacket (another shape we’re seeing a lot of) over a similarly colored wool gab culotte skirt.

Milly’s youthful feminine flair was exemplified perfectly with this emerald silk herringbone jacquard ruffle dress under a midnight blazer.

We are seeing a resurgence of corduroy for fall as in this eggplant wide-wale blazer over the beautiful knit cardigan, emerald silk blouse and wide -wale corduroy culottes. I’ll say it again – color is back for fall and Milly handles it here with perfect ease.

Another version of the popular peacoat silhouette emerged in ruby paired with cognac wide-wale corduroy full leg and pink cap-sleeve sweater.

It’s hard to see the details in this shot, but the knife pleats in these culottes are fabulous. This is a classic dress me up dress me down item that would be a great staple in anyone’s wardrobe come fall.

This Mongolian lamb vest is one of the mainstays of the collection. It was shown over several different outfits and looked fabulous with each, as here paired with this beautiful thistle brushstroke print metallic jacquard dress.

Continuing with the fur trend, here is the Mongolian vest seen in its jacket incarnation.  I love the textural contrast with the wood tweed skirt.

How glamorous is this look with the Mongolian vest in natural this time over an ivory wool jersey dress – although the inspiration for this look seems to come more from last season’s Peggy Guggenheim than Guy Bourdin.

Another fabulous cape appeared in melange tweed, shown over black silk chiffon blouse and double weave pin tuck trousers. A versatile wearable and interchangeable look!

The outfit above signaled the switch from vibrant color to an elegant scheme of black and gold. Witness this vest of black fox thrown over a black silk georgette blouse with lace insert and double weave pin tuck trousers. The fabulous Amelia – an antiqued leather oversized clutch is part of the Milly’s handbag collection – the first spring accessories collection debuting now in stores.

This spring marks not only the introduction of the handbag and jewelry collections but also the “Milly Minis” clothing line for girls aged 2-7 and the opening of the flagship boutique on Madison Avenue.  In fact sitting across from me was Elizabeth Hasselbeck with her 5 year old Milly Mini daughter, Grace, attending her first runway show. To the left is Kristen Chenoweth. The new line offers the opportunity to expand the brand’s already devoted following to a new generation of future shoppers.

This wraps up my fashion week coverage for this season. I would like to thank my friend and personal shopper extraordinaire Linda Levy of Richards in Greenwich and husband Peter for extending the invitation and to all the fabulous people at IMG who made it a comfortable and effortless experience. They do such an incredible behind the scenes job ensuring that absolutely everything runs smoothly.

31 thoughts on “Fashion Week Fall 2011: Milly

  1. This is the most beautiful collection…and the best use of color and shape I’ve seen in a very long time, the first picture took my breath away! Thank you for sharing your experience with us!
    xo J~

  2. Thank you so much for the coverage—how exciting it must have been… these textures and colors are just beautiful. My favorite of all has to be the sapphire blue—so rich and luxurious…

    xoxo

  3. Ooo… A most fabulous collection, I truly love it all!! The knife pleats, the cords the palettes are stunning!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

  4. Truly so inspiring to see such a beautifully executed and wearable collection. So many lady-like details that seem worthy of wearing. Love the palette and the dressmaker touches that harken back to a time of grace and elegance.

    During all this coverage….Did you fall in love with one thing that keeps calling your name?
    pve

  5. I love Milly. Own lots of her clothes, love the ladylike vibe that is a common thread but always fun, fresh and wiht a twist. So many gorgeous looks here, the emerald green dress,a love…the velvet separates, the mongolian vests…too many pretty things to say just one! Thanks for sharing….I know I will be definitely buying from this collection…your coverage has been fantastic!

  6. While the colors are nice I have to admit this isn’t my favorite line. Maybe because of the frills and bows, the line almost seems to little girlish. Just my personal opinion maybe because I prefer cleaner classical lines. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for the coverage all week!

  7. Beautiful! I think the gloves + their small spots of color play a big role in each look here. There have been so many wild color combinations in collections this year… like the ruby red, pink, and cognac above {I love it}. I’m off to find the Amelia! Thank you for the great inside look this week Stacey!

  8. This is absolutely my favorite collection. Beautiful, real and wearable. Knife pleated skirt outfit is a must. Thank you for vetting the Fall Fashion Week. You did a beautiful job. Have a great weekend.

  9. the velvet, the colors, textures…and black of course.. love it all…love fur…so glad it’s back…
    the designs have a certain sophistication yet an element of fun….so gorgeous…
    maureen

  10. How exciting it must have been to attend these shows! Thank you so much for sharing the experience. It was great to see what we have coming up in the Fall. So many beautiful collections!

  11. Long a fan of Milly, I was so excited to see that you were posting on her show. (Like crack to a cocaine addict, honestly, more photos to drool over & possible purchases to fantasize about, honestly.)

    Again I am surprised t actually like one of the capes, and think the rich jewel tones are a big plus for the collection, with so many other lines going dark and gray/taupe/brown, this should make these pieces really pop

    Thank you for another divine post,
    tp

  12. Came back to drool once more and to see what I should plan to buy…settled on the green dress, and may have to splurge on the mongolian vest. Anyway just wanted you to know I added you to my blogroll today! I love your blog and know I am in for a treat everytime I come here:)

  13. Very chic…I’m really enjoying the fashion show! especially images 6 and 7.
    Thank you for sharing.

  14. Q-
    I noticed that you mentioned the difficulty found in reading the online magazines.
    I have trouble reading the online magazines at times and have found it really easy on my iPad.
    Teresa
    xoxo

  15. This collection just makes me so happy! So many amazing details and that green dress is absolute ruffled heaven! I wouldn’t mind if my whole closet was full of Milly, not one bit.

  16. Absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed your fashion week coverage so much! Didn’t hurt that there were so many designers you covered here that I too love so much! Great job! Maybe we will run into each other in Richards (or Mitchells) one of these day!:)

  17. Wow this was a knockout collection Q. Milly has really grown up! I’m happy to see she is embracing longer lengths and more luxe looking fabrics. I will be rethinking Milly for Fall.

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