Daily Front Row

2010 March 8

Runway Reviews: Sonia Rykiel, Jasmine di Milo

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Sonia Rykiel, Fall 2010
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(PARIS) Sonia Rykiel
With giant knit pom-poms on their heads and platform clogs on their feet, the models at Sonia Rykiel had plenty reason to feel good. The collection was focused on knitwear, from peek-a-boo sweaters to chunky ribbed caridgans, and it was all stuff that women want to be wearing right this very minute. In a subdued palette of blush, nude, and beige, the looks ranged from an oversized menswear suit in wool felt to a long, snuggly red wool trench in bright red. Several drab jumpsuits with trompe l'oeil transparencies were jazzed-up with cargo-esque pockets. Equally fun? The final series of maribou-feather frocks the models wore while parading en masse down the runway, singing along to Nirvana's "Come As You Are."

Jasmine di Milo
Jasmine Al Fayed was once known as a designer for strictly party girls--you know, like her sister Camilla Al Fayed. But each season, Al Fayed's evolution becomes increasingly interesting, and for Fall, she dared to move beyond straightforward cocktail frocks and offer more modern interpretations of this way of dressing. An imperial blue velvet kaftan, featuring burned-out velvet detail, was a fine example. But a black minidress made of scores of tacked-on puzzle pieces (the collection was themed "The Puzzle Factory") proved how this designer's skills have evolved, and as she dabbles in daywear (via a burgundy wrap dress, grey leather bomber and a fur or two), the editorial crowd will be watching.