Cheryl Shops

Where & When: Tuesday, September 15th at 2 p.m., the Tent, Bryant Park
Runway Recap: Of Max Azria's three brands, his namesake line tends to get lost in the shuffle; BCBG's customer is young and trendy, and Herve Leger's is skinny and rich, but Max Azria, the mid-priced line, has wavered on whether it wanted to be as accessible as the former or as luxe as the latter. Thankfully, it appears Azria and his wife Lubov have found their direction with minimal, clean shapes in quietly luxurious fabrics like silk crepe and georgette. But lest you think the neutrally colored collection was boring, the Azrias finished their garments with asymmetrical slashes highlighting various points of the body, metallic cage overlay, and lattice-like beaded detailing. Perhaps the strongest counterpoint to BCBG and Leger was the silhouette, fluidly skimming the body instead of hugging it tightly. It was all very mature and sophisticated, but quietly sexy too, and after this strong showing, I'd say Max Azria the label has finally found its identity.
Standout Look: The tightly edited show included a bunch of dresses that I'm sure we'll soon see on the red carpet, but my favorite was this ethereal taupe crepe look--the industrial-looking metal cage detail at the yoke was an interesting contrast to the flowing crepe fabric.
Bonus Points: This was the most celeb-packed front row I'd seen yet, with Leigh Lezark, Kelly Rowland, Tinsley Mortimer, Katrina Bowden (from 30 Rock), gymnast Nastia Liukin, Lucy Liu, and Mickey Rourke (yes, Mickey Rourke) representing.
Where to Buy: Click here for store locations.