DKNY Fall 2010: New York Heart & Soul

Pictured: Designer Donna Karan walks her victory lap at today’s DKNY show flanked by her children and watched by Nina Garcia and actress Keke Palmer. (Photo Credit: M. Hall)

Designer Donna Karan put on an amazing show for her Fall 2010 collection today in the meat packing district. The show’s inspiration was the heart and soul of New York, so its only fitting that her collection was exhibited in this working district away from the tents at Bryant Park. From my seat, I had an amazing view of the collection. As a lover of DKNY (her lower priced line), I was not disappointed. The collection was an eclectic mix of patterns and fabrics. There were plaids, kilts, roomy boyfriend jackets and comfortable jersey knits with sparkling accents. The color palette was perfect for fall wear, charcoal caps, sapphire coats and burgundy wraps. The silhouettes of her dresses were long and lean, reminding me of 1920s style. And of course with all DKNY garment there is that ease of fit and comfort of the garments that was apparent in the way the models walked. They moved effortlessly. No Agyness Deyn stumbling or high-heel teetering. Here’s a few of the designs from the show that I loved. I’ll look forward to seeing these on the racks at Macy’s, Bloomingdales and other savvy shops.

Pictured: A graceful DKNY Dress with a real 1920s style. (Photo M. Hall)

Here’s a full length view of this beautiful, but short, dress.

This is called the “collage” dress due to the mix of fabric patterns and textures. (Photo: MB Images)

Pictured: A beautiful blue/sapphire coat with scarf, jersey shirt, newsboy type cap and knit scarf (Photo: M. Hall)

Pictured: Stylish plaid jumpers and coats are part of DKNY Fall 2010 (Photo M. Hall)

Pictured: A unique color block, merino wool top with sequin accents above the bust. (Photo: M. Hall)

Overall, I was quite impressed with this collection. Its very understated and elegant, with incredible diversity. There is evening wear, outerwear and plus tailored jackets. I read last week that Donna Karan was dismayed by the current state of Fashion Week. In an interview at Parsons Design school last week she said, “We need fashion shows, but that’s industry, it’s not for the general public. All the communication has to stop. It doesn’t go out on the wire, it doesn’t go out on the Internet, it doesn’t get out for the manufacturers to copy the designs. I mean, we’re killing our own industry . . . There’s too much information going out there. We have to learn the word restriction.” So, although I took over 20 pictures of DKNY, I’m only showing you a few of the highlights. I do feel empathy with the designers who work so hard, only to have their designs publicized and copied via pictures shown on the Internet and in the media, long before their collections hit the racks and department stores. From my perspective, while there may be copy cats, there is only one Donna Karan and her style is inimitable. Its hard to believe a copy cat could knock off this vision of New York’s Heart & Soul with such flair and style.