Inspired by Mara Hoffman Swim

After seeing an array of fur coats, cashmere sweaters and alpaca pullovers during New York Fashion Week, I'm looking forward to the spring and summer months filled with easy dresses, shorts and swimsuits. Right now, I'm particularly inspired by Mara Hoffman's swim collection of suits and cover-ups. Pulling color and pattern from the Ndebele tribe in South Africa and Zimbabwe, Hoffman created original prints of geomet ric paintings, etchings and batiks. The silhouettes are kept simple and functional, and look fresh when paired with colorful, chunky beads. I especially appreciate how Hoffman keeps her suits wearable for all women, offering several cuts and styles for different body types.

We Love: Boxing Kitten

During the a/w 2011 edition of Capsule Women's I visited the Boxing Kitten stand and was really impressed with the playful and sophisticated designs that the NJ-based brand offered for fall.

The main focus of the fall line is on the signature African-inspired, geometric prints applied to 50s-inspired skirt silhouettes, elongated pleated trousers and playful dresses.

Boxing Kitten has been on the market since 2006 and quickly became a favorite of style icons like Beyonce and Erykah Badu. The African-inspired prints are always offered in an array of color and print combinations and often applied to contemporary, flattering silhouettes.

Make sure to check out their site: boxingkitten.com

Farm @ Rio's Jockey Club

As New York Fashion Week comes to an end and London Fashion Week gets under way, with new trends for the Autumn/Winter '12 season, here in Brazil, we are ready for winter collections '11.

Last week womanswear brand Farm held a mini market at Rio's Jockey Club to launch their winter collection and celebrate Gávea, a small neighborhood in Rio which inspired Farm for this collection.

Farm invited a few other names such as vintage shop "Eu Amo" and body care brand "Granado" to show at the market where you could also buy books and art.

The fall collection has brought a great mix of products divided into denim, tailoring, knitting, accessories, among others.

The pop up/market also had space for customization, bar and special shows for the launch, which allowed the customer to enter the Farm universe and experience the concept of the collection.

No wonder that the brand won the prize in Customer Experience in the first edition of GFA last year.

Nordic Knits at MAGIC & Project

MAGIC, Project and Capsule ended this week in Las Vegas and I was there to round up key menswear brands and trends. One of the hot items guys can look forward to for Autumn/Winter 2011-12 are knits with a Nordic flair. Designers are tapping into traditional Nordic pullover sweaters with wintry fairisle patterns like snowflakes, graphic dots and wide borders. Seen at all three shows, I am fairly sure this trend is going to continue for several seasons, filtering through other product categories and morphing into more irreverent, graphic forms.

For the trend analysis breakdown from each show, please check http://www.wgsn.com/ on Monday, February 21.

For the full report on MAGIC, Project and Capsule check back on http://www.wgsn.com/ next Friday, February 25.

Marchesa's haunting romance

Last night, Marchesa showed their autumn/winter 2011/12 collection at a goregous reception in Chelsea. Like Prabal Gurung, Marchesa’s Georgina Chapman was inspired by Miss Havisham, particularly in the 1946 David Lean adaptation of Great Expectations.

For a collection filled with frothy dresses and layered veils, the gowns had deconstructed details and exuded a certain romantic poignancy. I fell in love with the nude mesh sheath gown with red lace appliqué and fishtail hem, pictured above. Other standouts included a dramatic long-sleeved nude gown with lace and crystal embellishment on the shoulders and a silver tulle ball gown with a foiled, sculptural waistline.

Halston glows in the dark

Last night, Halston presented their autumn/winter collection inspired by the bright lights of New York City's nighttime cityscape. The presentation featured Mongolian fur coats and butter-soft leather blazers, paired with luxurious jersey lounge pants. Long and fluid gowns in silk jersey, cashmere and micro-pleated crepe were the stand-outs, and several of the light pistachio frocks even glowed in the dark.

DKNY knows New York women

For autumn/winter 2011/12 Donna Karan explored the simplicity of horizontal lines with a variation of textures and colors in her show entitled "Something New York." A neutral palette formed the base of the collection with pops of orange, red, pink and blush. The key looks featured dual-color, blazer-silhouetted capes and leather jackets paired with skinny wool pants or mini-skirts. Karan explored more mature pieces like silk blouses and angora sweater dresses, but kept a very young point of view, creating a modern Jane Birkin-esque woman.

Classic beauty at DVF's American Legends

Backstage before DVF's show yesterday, models were looking classic in matte skin, ruby red lips and smoky eyes. Hair was pulled back into sleek low ponytails to accommodate black wide brimmed hats. Inspired by the Wild West, the show was entitled "American Legends," and featured classic tunic dresses, Navajo-inspired prints and bold colorblocking.

Prabal's opulent yet weathered collection

This morning, Prabal Gurung presented his autumn/winter 2011/12 collection, inspired by Great Expectations' Miss Havisham and the unravelling of her life. Playing with hard and soft elements, Gurung paired rich motorcycle jackets with romantic organza blouses and floor length skirts. His luxurious coats and knits were given a more youthful appeal with nubby embellishments and fur accents, and on ethereal feather and sparkly gowns, Gurung added wrap belts, bondage-style straps, studs and zippers for a tougher look. The fabrics, which included silk faille, crinkle chiffon, chantilly lace and silk georgette, were pre-washed and treated to have lived-in wear and tear, showing the undoing of his opulent woman.

Jason Wu's baroque opulence

For autumn/winter 2011/12, Jason Wu was inspired by Robert Polidori's photographs in the book "Parcours Museologique Revister," which documents the 25 year-long restoration of Versailles. Wu used 15 types of lace in the collection, seen paneled on boxy blazers, chiffon blouses and falling-leaf print dresses. We love the collection's gowns, which included dramatic sculptured skirts, gold paillettes, leaf embroidery and burn out ostrich feathers. Sporty wool anoraks and blazers paired with tuxedo pants showed off Wu's ability to create functional separates.

Vena Cava's Zina Cava

Vena Cava's autumn/winter 2011/12 show was inspired by what designers Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock wore when they were in junior high. As a fellow pre-teen of the 90s, I loved the show's throwback to the My So-Called Life era and can't wait to sport the brand's lace cropped tops and Palazzo pants.

The designers also gave away another visual treat entitled the Zina Cava. An homage to all things 90s, the zine features collages of Kris Kross, movie stills from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and nostalgic short stories from the decade that brought CK one, AIM and slap bracelets. Grab a Zima, turn on your favorite Fiona Apple song and enjoy!

NYFW: Laura Vela handbags

Laura Vela, a 24-year old Spanish designer, is debuting her signature handbag line during the autumn/winter 2011/12 edition of NYFW. Laura's Argentine-made bags will be exhibited at the Lincoln Center lobby for the duration of the shows and are a direct reflection of the designer's young, romantic and playful outlook on fashion. Laura's collection consists of contemporary treatments and details applied to classic silhouettes and styles.

Novelty at the Winter X Games 15

This year’s Winter X Games 15 in Aspen, Colorado was full of fun, surprises and extreme moments – in fashion that is. The adrenaline-pumped crowd was ready as ever to support their action sport heroes on skis, snowboards and snowmobiles. Just as crazy as some of the tricks performed by the athletes, kooky snow fashion emerged onto the slopes, like the guy in the full-on Sasquatch suit or the curly-wigged snowboarder in the silly striped outfit. It’s moments like these that make crowd-watching at the Winter X Games as exciting as the sporting events themselves.

Check back later this week on wgsn.com for the full Winter X Games 15 street report.