(MENAFN- AFP) New York Fashion Week wrapped up Thursday with collections from American design royalty as Ralph Lauren offered cashmere elegance and Calvin Klein urban eroticism ahead of a final show by Marc Jacobs.
Celebrities were again out in force with rapper Kanye West front row at Ralph Lauren chewing gum in a bomber jacket, and British actress Sienna Miller in a white suit at Calvin Klein.
West has been a fixture this Fashion Week, making his New York design debut with a collection for Adidas, while attending shows in the company of wife Kim Kardashian and the couple's 20-month-old daughter.
West looked delighted to be at Ralph Lauren, greeting a star-struck Chirlane McCray, wife of the New York mayor, posing for photographs and getting a picture on his own cell phone with Lauren and his wife after the show.
Lauren presented a long, refined silhouette in brown and gray, with dashes of black, white and cream. The designer, who refuses to use real fur, sent models down the runway in shearling hats, coats, stoles and cuffs.
There were cashmere turtlenecks, cable-knit skirts and sweaters, feminine touches in a chiffon skirt with feathers and beaded georgette, and cowboy influences in wide-brimmed hats, fringes and tassels.
For evening, Lauren offered tuxedo-inspired trouser suits, tailored to trace the contours of a woman's body, complete with watch-chains and dress shirts, and georgette or tulle-beaded evening gowns.
The 75-year-old designer came out to rapturous applause at the end, kissed his wife and shook West's hand, and walked the length of the runway dressed in his own label's jeans and a plaid shirt.
Lauren told reporters that it was a "very sexy" collection that emphasized "very sharp black silhouettes."
He told AFP that West had asked to come. "I've met him before and I was glad to have him," the designer said.
- Leather, patchwork shearling -
Former supermodel Christie Brinkley praised the designer for "throwing things together" so interestingly.
"You see comfortable classic pieces but they're put together with such style and flair like the thick socks under the sandals... and very American, very Western-inspired," she said.
Francisco Costa, the Brazilian-born women's creative director at Calvin Klein, sent edgy leather and patchwork shearling clothes down the runway in black, ivory, forest and blush in a SoHo loft.
Costa told AFP backstage that he was inspired by strong women who combine feminism with feminity. "I think there's a great energy in New York, in the whole world, women are speaking up a little more," he said.
One of his inspirations was a book of polaroids taken by Italian designer Carlo Mollino on the cusp of the 1960s and 1970s.
"When you think of (French actress Catherine) Deneuve at that time, also, it's that kind of woman. But here she gets blended in with this New York spirit, the Lou Reed cool. She's kind of cool, she's a cool chick. She's sophisticated and beautiful and cool. There's an ease about her."
There were haircalf coats worn over leather sheath dresses and leather leggings; patchwork shearling coats, leather and suede dresses, and body-hugging metallic knit long-sleeved T-shirt dresses.
In an unusual look for Calvin Klein, handbags with chunky metal chains were worn across the body; and large button detail and a stud-effect were not dissimilar to the rock gothic, grunge on show at Alexander Wang.
"It's a lot of confidence, strength," summed up Costa.
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