Heartbreak within the fashion community today as we learned of the untimely death of designer Lee McQueen of Alexander McQueen.  Shock and disbelief were the sentiments of the day.  We lost a creative genius who leaves behind a void.  He was only 40 years old when he took his own life.  His death took us especially hard in New York because today marked the first day of fashion week, and it was also supposed to be the day McQueen’s McQ line debuted in New York for the first time. 

Lee McQueen was a London born designer who showed his line in Paris.  He had the ability to tailor suits to the perfect specifications of the body.  McQueen was also a master at putting on a runway show, you watched for the spectacle as well as the collection.  Each year he would out-do himself, it was theater and we watched with excitement.  His spring 2010 collection gave us a glimpse of the future, and we eagerly anticipated his next show.  Sadly, it will never be, even if the show does go on. We should not focus on his death, but on the wealth of wearable art he has left behind.

A year ago Marc Jacobs wanted few celebrities at his fall 2009 runway show.  For Spring 2010 two of them managed to get in, Lady Gaga and Madonna.  One of whom was not invited, uh, Madonna.  The same rule apply for fall 2010, and it appears that the rule will be strictly enforced.  “When Marc says “no” he means NO! NO CELEBRITIES!,” says Marc’s business partner Robert C. Duffy on Twitter.  An invite to his runway show is a much desired commodity for editors, buyers, stylists, and yes, bloggers.  Celebrities may not be welcomed, but Marc Jacobs is granting front row access to all when he streams his runway show live this season. 

Marc Jacobs Shuns Celebs From Front Row [Harper's Bazaar Austrailia]

Related: Designers Live Stream Shows During New York Fashion Week

It appears the Internet is playing a starring role in New York Fashion Week.  Several of the top designers are live streaming their runway shows this year.  Among them are Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, Rodarte, Calvin Klein, Ports 1961 and Isaac Mizrahi.  The move towards live streaming the shows online has been a growing trend from previous seasons, and momentum is building.  Will this shift jeopardize the week set aside for the fashion industry to congregate under one tent?  That remains to be seen, but until then here’s a schedule of the shows to watch online:

Alexander Wang – February 13th @ 5:oopm EST – Showstudio.com

Calvin Klein – February 18th @ 3:00pm EST – calvinkleincollections.com

Isaac Mizrahi – February 18th @ 12:00pm EST

Marc Jacobs – February 15 @ 8:00pm EST – marcjacobs.com

Ports 1961- February 11th @ 3:00pm EST – vogue.com

Rodarte – February 16th @ 12:00pm – Showstudio.com

Noted London fashion designer, Alexander McQueen, is showing his diffusion line McQ during New York Fashion Week Fall 2010.  The secondary line is for a younger and more trendsetting crowd.  It is also more affordable than the Alexander McQueen ready-to-wear collection.  McQ will be presented at Milk Studios on Thursday, February 11th.  Practically everyone in the fashion industry will be clamoring for invites.  You can be sure we will make McQueen feel welcome in his New York debut.

Alexander McQueen’s McQ Line to Host Presentation at Milk Studios [The Thread]

Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are taking their label, The Row, to New York Fashion Week.  The high-end clothing line will make its fashion week debut in February.  These two are usually veterans of the front row.  They’re usually surrounded by photographers vying for a shot, and next month will be much of the same.  The Olsen’s have one of the most successful celebrity clothing lines currently on the market.  Their first presentation will be highly anticipated.  Take a look back at The Row’s portfolio from a few seasons back, and you will get a glimpse of what’s in store next month.

Mary-Kate and Ashley to Stage Presentation  [WWD]

Matthew Williamson Spring 2010

London Fashion Week is enjoying a major resurgence.  British designers are returning to London to show their collections again; they are breaking the pattern of showing in New York, Milan or Paris.  The city’s fashion week revival is long overdue because of its wealth of emerging and innovative talent.  Burberry Prorsum, Matthew Williamson, Pringle of Scotland, Jonathan Saunders and Antonio Berardi all returned for spring 2010, and will make an encore appearance for fall 2010.  Fashion Week is from February 19 – 24, 2010 and the excitement can hardly be contained.  “The British Fashion Council is delighted that all five have confirmed they will show in London this February and we look forward to working with them to attract leading media and buyers to London Fashion Week.”  The excitement is not limited to the UK, the fashion industry as a whole rejoices.

London Life [Vogue UK]

Karl Lagerfeld’s spring 2010 collection was youthful with a touch of sweetness.  Ladies, the mini dress is back, and was well represented in this collection.  I loved the mix of the strong shoulders with the femininity of the shorter dress lengths.  The leather details on the upper portions of the dresses looked more like metal plates than leather.  Mr. Lagerfeld’s collection is not for the wallflower who wants to go unnoticed; it’s says ‘the party can start now because I have arrived’.  These dresses are for the rock star types, the ones who are most comfortable in their own skin.  His loyal clientele will be eager to get her hands on these dresses because they are fun, light and flirty.  They’re perfect for spring.

It was a tale of two Paris, and now that the shows are over, fashion critics and journalist are asking, ‘does sex sell’?  The easy answer is a resounding, ‘yes’, but it’s a little more complicated than that.  Sex does sell, but who’s buying it?  There were some very sexy collections in Paris this season, but the shows that gripped the fashion world most were the ones where we were offered innovation and fully clothed models.  Of course Alexander McQueen’s show comes to mind with a look to the future, so does Louis Vuitton.  Both streamed their shows live and opened up this seemingly secret world to everyone.  Karl Lagerfeld even got Chanel into the act with a theme of farm and hay as the backdrop against the refined and polished looks of that house.  Contrasting the collection with the scenery made the clothes pop out.  The sexier collections used the clothes to do what McQueen and Vuitton used technology to do, get us talking.  Let’s face it, one of the purposes for the fashion weeks is to generate buzz.  Did this strategy work?  Maybe the sexier houses were betting that women wanted a change; that gamble would not have been too far fetched, but was translucent clothing the solution?  Dior and Giles Deacon took a calculated risk, but only time and sales will tell the full story.  For now, the strategy has proved itself effective because we are still talking about them.

At Paris Shows, Designers Hope That Sexy Sells [WSJ]

What Professional Woman Wants to Wear Lingerie As Clothing? [The Cut]

Marc Jacob does it again for Louis Vuitton.  He designed pieces that every Vuitton girl will covet.  Separates ruled this runway.  There were tons of shorts and mini skirts in various lengths to match a girl’s mood.  The collection was a mix of lilac, lavendar and coral with the neutral gray, eggplant and black.  Of course he understands that’s how women want to dress; we want the balance of brights with earthy colors.  All those colors were accompanied by sufficient sparkle to enhance the Vuitton girl’s shine upon entrance in a room.  Oh, and did I mention the accessories.  They deserve a separate blog post all of their own.  The bags were scrumptious and the shoes, yummy.  To sum up Louis Vuitton spring 2010 runway this season, it was a sea of afros and must have pieces along side fabulous accessories.  Click here to view the video on Facebook or view the video below and see for yourself.