milk studios fw13

Fall favorites hailing from 15th and 10nth Avenue.

Even though the Lincoln Center serves as the face and main stomping grounds of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Milk Studios in Chelsea caters to a slightly different scene. My first trip to Milk this week was for the Last Magazine party—and immediately you notice that everyone is dressed in a sea of black, already juxtaposing the type of girls that “peacock” neon of every variety around Lincoln Center. It seems that neon and color-blocking primary colors is the type of guarantee you can get if you like to be mauled by street style photographers all over Midtown, a ritual perfected by bloggers who travel near and far to grace the lens of Tommy Ton.

The Milk crowd is a little bit edgier and international, with more Rick Owens in your peripheral vision than you will see florescent, and much like the up-and-coming designers they showcase, the atmosphere has this uncontrived cool, which makes visiting Milk feel more like an all-inclusive party than a ranking. Saturday Night at Milk showcased my favorite looks of the season—each designer previewed a collection that was completely unique from one another but rightfully amazing in their own vein.

Photos 1&2: Calla showed the most brilliant display of utilizing pastels and graphic prints that had seriously left me swooning. The collection was romantic, quirky, and colorful, the color palate ranging from muted yellows to mint on the bright end to magenta and black on the darker scale. Photos 3&4: Ostwald Helgason nailed down looks that was a mixture of librarian chic meets sports lux: Chunky sweaters were paired with pencil skirts, and baseball caps were styled with popped out collars. An effortless attempt at pulling off looks that’s smart but still low key. Photos 5&6: Jonothan Simkhai is where you’ll hear and see editors murmuring about the “Next biggest thing”, and a quick peak into his collection and you’ll understand fully. There is not one piece of outerwear from his preview that hasn’t made me long for a time machine to take me into Fall 13 immediately—quilted bombers, contrast motos, and a fresh take on the blazer are a few of the things I’ll be e-mailing Jamie and Jordan at Krupp after this post.

The best thing about Milk Studios…are the appetizers! This season has been my busiest up to date, that every hour was allotted to either doing coverage or commuting to the next show, and as a result a typical day’s meal was equivalent to either a few glasses of champagne or a bottle of Smart Water. Fashion Week must be the reason why this industry is so skinny. It’s like one long marathon of touring New York City, exercising your calves, and putting your battery life to a test. Here’s to wishful thinking that Whole Foods will be a future sponsor of New York Fashion Week.