Ayyix1: Nanette Lepore Fall 2011 Collection

For the gal on the go with her head in the clouds.

After viewing the Michael Kors show and nibbling on pastries, we were all set to depart the American Express Skybox, when they opened up the curtains on the other side of the room to reveal the Nanette Lepore show, which was just about to start next door. Never ones to pass up an opportunity for more fabulous in our lives, we switched to Champagne and settled in, enjoying the view of John Slattery and Talia Balsam chatting with Patricia Clarkson in the front row while waiting for the show to start.

We can't decide if we want to use the phrase "functional femininity" or "feminine functionality" to describe this collection. Either way, it's softly romantic clothes for the woman on the go who doesn't want to look too much like she's on the go. There's a slight boho feel, with the short jackets over the long dresses, and there's just enough embellishment to make a gal feel pretty without getting in her way. Sometimes it gets a little too softly romantic for our tastes; there's only so much flowy, ruffley and floral we can take, after all. And then suddenly out comes that leather dress, which feels like it wandered in from another show. We do like the knitwear and coats, however. On the whole, it's not the kind of collection we personally tend to respond to, but it's very pretty (even moreso in person). There's definitely a customer for these looks and like a lot of successful designers, Nanette Lepore knows exactly who she is and she's appealing directly to her.