For Ellery"s first-ever Pre-Fall collection

For Ellery"s first-ever Pre-Fall collection, Sydney-based designer Kym Ellery decided to focus on luxe. There were serious fabrics here—brocade, velvet, duchesse satin—and high-drama silhouettes, like the voluminous organza dress or the inventive bustier with fabric folded all across the front. Though the shapes were hardly traditional, the very dressiness of this collection made it feel a touch staid. Even the ladies who lunch like some ease in their clothes these days. Not that there weren"t individual pieces that expressed just that—the cropped brocade pants with a little kick out at the hem, for instance, or the motorcycle jacket in wine-red ponyskin, an aspirational lust object, indeed. But the standouts here had to be the simple sheath dresses with the trumpet sleeves: No trouble to toss on, and the effect was incontrovertibly soigné.Welcome to visit my Coach Handbag store: http://coachoutlet.kchbags.com

"Urban warrior." It"s a concept almost any girl could get behind

"Urban warrior." It"s a concept almost any girl could get behind, not least a New Yorker. Who doesn"t need a little stomp in her step to survive the morning commute? "I always walk to work with my headphones and sunglasses on, and you"re in your own world thinking about what you need to do that day. You need to be prepared," said Tracy Reese backstage after her show. Clothes aside, it was sound advice: Embrace the day"s challenges and conquer them head-on. To translate that sense of power into her clothes, Reese focused on rich textures like patent leather, lots of faux fur, and marled knits (knitwear is one of Reese"s strongest categories right now) that would make an instant statement. This fall there are still plenty of ponchos, and Reese"s looked great with fluffy fringe and tonal embroideries. More stand-out were the pieces that incorporated some kind of faux fur, like the black-and-white getup that opened the show, and a moto-jacket-fur hybrid later on. "I didn"t want it to be precious," Reese said. These fur pieces were better suited to a night out with friends than an opera house, and that"s what women are looking for these days. Reese is best known for her prints, and there was no shortage of them here. She played with African motifs with mixed results. They looked strong on statement coats and a few interesting head-to-toe knit ensembles, but on body-con dresses it was a little been there, done that. Another key influence was—you guessed it—the "70s. "I love the "70s influence, but I didn"t want it to feel retro," Reese said. "We really tried to think about how you might integrate a cool "70s-feeling piece into a modern wardrobe." Touches of suede were a subtle nod to the decade, while jackets and dresses with sharp collars and sporty zippers were a bit more literal. Overall, there was a lot going on, especially if you were at the show to experience the fog machines and DJ set. But mixing and matching is Reese"s thing, and there were some inventive new ideas to appreciate here.Welcome to visit my Coach Handbag store: http://official.uscoachoutletbags.com