What to Wear to New York Fashion Week: Tips From the Pros

Julia Lichtenstein | February 7, 2012 | 0 Comments

KENTON’s closest friends and supporters give us the dirt on who they want to see, what they expect to notice, and what we will spot them wearing in the streets during this season’s fast approaching NYFW.

With so many shows on the roster this season, we asked our friends which designers they were most amped to see.

KENTON’s very own Arts & Entertainment Editor, and blogger Misti Schindele is anticipating collections by Nicholas K, Naeem Khan, Betsey Johnson and Reem Acra.

Sebastian Masmela of Agentry PR is absolutely thrilled to see what Bernardo Rojo has up his sleeves for his first runway show as the creative director for Joseph Abboud.

KENTON’s founder and Editor-in-Chief, Alexander Liang is excited to see our close friend and extraordinary designer, Rolando Santana’s show, along with Custo Barcelona, Tadashi Shoji and Zang Toi.

Celebrity Stylist and founder of “Derek Loves Shopping”, Derek Warburton is most excited for the shows he is styling and producing, including couturier Kim Hicks show, and his company’s very own “Real Fashion, Real women”, which is being held on the rooftop of the Empire Hotel to benefit homeless women from the bottomless closet.

Jewelry designer Karen Ko would love to go see the Victoria Beckham and Naeem Khan shows again, but also looks forward to discovering new, cutting edge fashion forward designers at the Concept Korea Show.

After seeing what European Designers had to offer up for next fall, we wanted to know what our friends sensed were going to be some runway trends:

Entrepreneur, store owner, and fashionista, Dawn Del Russo expects to see bold colors and glossy black leather along with more monochromatic looks, and hopes to see hints of the jeweled embellishments we saw in Chanel’s Pre-fall collections.

Sebastian Masmela thinks we will see the mixing of materials on outwear pieces, such as rich wools complimented by lighter fabrics such as cashmere.

Blogger, and FashionIndie Style Editor & Social Media Director, McArthur Joseph is expecting us to see a lot of Black, neon brights, crazy lux furs, & buttery leathers.

Alexander Liang thinks we will see a lot of fur, and hopes for lots of statement color. For men, he anticipates some more camo, following what was just seen on the European runways.

Derek Warburton says: “skirts, skirts, skirts! It’s all about men in skirts, honey!”

We wanted to know what inspired the people who inspire us:

NH Media Publicist and KENTON friend, Natasha Huang takes pairing tips from Olivia Palermo, whose style is highly coveted for her ability to match the unexpected – a lavish pair of pumps with an H&M skirt, or a classic vintage fur with edgier accessories.

Blogger and Bluefly social media guy, Dan Chizzoniti, gets dressed for himself in the morning. While he looks to the trends that hit the runway for inspiration, at the end of the day he makes sure what he puts on speaks to his own aesthetic.

We love that blogger, Justin Bridges is taking inspiration from the less conventional, darker designers of our time. From drop crotch and draped pieces, he has found wearing darker colors to be a little liberating while menswear takes a turn towards more classic American heritage turn.

Derek Warburton is inspired by “Ab Fab” (Absolutely Fabulous) and its mix of mid 90′s glamour, along with much talked about “Downtown Abbey” and its industrialist aristocratic feel.

Karen Ko is a huge fan of mixing fierce, statement pieces with feminine, color blocked looks. Her mantra is: Be daring and stand out with some class and edge!

Everyone had his or her own secrets of how to look fabulous while staying warm during winter’s NYFW.

Sebastian Masmela turns to man’s trusty and always-classy friend, the sports coat, along with a thick sweater and patterned scarf for the chilly weather that may come during NYFW (although today’s mildness was astonishing).

Misti Schindele sticks to the tried and true essentials like good quality scarves, gloves, and coats to keep her warm.

McArthur Joseph is all about being functional and fashionable when the cool weather sets in, but won’t cover up a great outfit unless he absolutely must.

Our very own Alexander Liang says that it’s all about great boots, a statement coat and some fur!

And of course we wanted to know what we could count on our friends and supporters to be wearing during the week!

This season Misti Schindele is showcasing new faces in plus-size fashion like Eloquii and LYS (Love Your Size), along with designers like Michael Kors or Ralph Lauren who most people don’t realize design for plus-size women. Brilliant.

Dan Chizzoniti says he won’t know what he is going to wear until the morning of each day. He wears a lot of plaid, cardigans, skinny pants and boots, so we can see some of that on any given day.

Justin Bridges says he never knows what he will wear until he knows. Good answer.

Dawn Del Russo has a new pair of Nicholas Kirkwood heels that are ready to make an appearance. We can’t wait to see them!

A big thanks to everyone who took part in making this article possible – we are so lucky to have friends like you! Check out everyone’s looks from last season below:

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