Lela Rose

The scattered landscape of the Galapagos Islands blended with telescopic lunar images and evening skies was the inspiration behind Lela Rose’s Fall 2010 runway collection of ultra feminine pieces.  With metallic brocades, sparkly tweeds, playful minis, and delicate blouses, these clothes were definitely made for the ultimate girly girl.  Storm colored constellation patterns were splashed across a number of skirts, tops, and structured dresses while a line of cream and gold colored cocktail attire also made an appearance on the runway.

The designer’s 13th Payless Shoes collection perfectly complements her dainty fall collection.  Lela Rose for Payless Shoes feature a selection of peep-toe ankle boots with glitter and knit detailing and a few very simple but pretty ankle-stap sandals.

Rebecca Taylor

We love ourselves some Rebecca Taylor. Her affinity for femininity always puts a smile on our face, and as well-tailored as her pieces always are there are always some exciting surprises. This season they came in the form of leopard-print coats, ruffled skirts, and some very cool thigh-high boots (more on those in a second!). Overall Taylor balanced the sweet like fluttery layers and ultra-soft sweaters with edgy pieces like jackets and pants that had a rock’n'roll mood to them.

The shoes certainly didn’t disappoint either – black patent platforms decked out with navy blue ruffles, satin dress shoes adorned with ruffles or bows, and those thigh-high suede boots (that provided the perfect counterbalance to Taylor’s girly looks and the right complement to her rougher pieces) made up an impressive group of footwear.

Leanne Marshall

The Project Runway winner has a superb track record of impressing her audience and consistently drew “oohs” and “aahs” from viewers on Sunday. It’s hard for her not to wow, though, with her intricately tailored pieces and layers galore that have a feminine quality that so many designers seem to try and only a few can pull off. But in many cases Leanne struck a balance between the contemporary woman who would prefer a high hemline over a long one; who might prefer to offset a girly piece with a pair of knee-high boots or something menswear-inspired. Leanne managed in this way to ground her more frilly pieces and incorporate some gorgeous and very wearable jackets and knit tops. The last look, an ethereal blue dress, floated down the runway to applause.

A wide range of shoes were incorporated into the show, provided by a Fashion Week favorite Nine West. It was a well-edited selection and knee-high honey colored boots, black ankle boots, and peep-toe lace-up booties added gravity to Leanne’s signature flirty pieces. And we must give a special congratulations to Nathan Johnson, the Lead Makeup Artist for Leanne’s show – his spectacular leadership created some truly gorgeous looks on the girls!

Custo Barcelona

“Hairy Metal” was the appropriate theme of the Fall 2010 Custo Barcelona collection at NYFW. Custo never disappoints as a high-energy, fast-paced show that consistently leaves us feeling like we just partied like rockstars all night in Spain. This season, designer Custo Dalmau sent bright colors, loud prints, metallic accents (and a whole lotta fur) down the runway on models who seemed to be enjoying themselves as they walked with an attitude that matched the volume of the clothing. The combinations were interesting if not a bit mind-twisting:  cold metal came face to face with warm fur and prints were inspired by liquid metals like mercury, melted silver, red-hot iron and tin.

The shoes were as fun as the show and, even with the visual barrage of colors and textures from above, it was hard to not stare at them as the models stomped by. Lace-up boots with fur in bright colors and prints were probably Custo’s best choice as something quieter might have been lost, and although we’re fairly sure they’re a little too wild for mainstream, bravo for the footwear flair.

Read: “New York Fashion Week: The Shoes – Day 3″

Read “New York Fashion Week: The Shoes – Day 2″

Read “New York Fashion Week: The Shoes – Day 1″