Cheryl Shops

Where & When: Friday, September 10 at 10 a.m., the Theatre, Lincoln Center
Runway Recap: Fashion cognoscenti (of which I am not) may look to Marc Jacobs for the barometer of what's cool, but, believe it or not, I look to BCBG (which maybe explains why I'm not the fashion cognoscenti). It's an empire, yes, with stores all over the world, but Max and Lubov Azria definitely have their fingers on the pulse of what young, stylish women want to wear, and the brand is always, always trend-right. So far, the biggest trend to emerge from Fashion Week is minimalism, and, really, New York is several seasons behind Paris on this one, but that's how it always works. Minimalism, which had its heyday in the 90s, was a reaction to the excesses of the 1980s, and if you think about it, it's time for a revival. From reality starlets and celebutantes to subprime mortgages, the aughts were pretty extravagant, so in these days of dialing back one's spending and embracing the simpler joys in life, it makes total sense that minimalism is staging a comeback. That said, BCBG's collection of mostly dresses was incredibly restrained and yet totally youthful. The BCBG girl no longer needs the overdesigned bandage dresses of spring/summer 2010; she has embraced a looser silhouette (continuing the narrative from fall), and with even fewer bells and whistles. The show opened with a series of all-white dresses, many with simple asymmetrical flounces, slowly transitioning to gray, then to vibrant melon, and finally to black, with bits of lace there and there. It all looked so fresh and so clean (to quote Outkast), and you can almost guarantee that this is what we'll all be wearing next spring.
Standout Look: The little black dress will always be a fashion icon, but if there's a proverbial dark horse in the running, it's the little white dress, and BCBG showed many strong contenders. They looked like a breath of fresh spring air, perfectly cut with a not-too-tight, not-too-loose fit.
Bonus Points: Loaded with celebs and top fashion editors, I spotted Anna Wintour and all the Vogue editors, the Elle team, plus Ashlee Simpson, Kelly Rowland, Katrina Bowden, Coco Rocha, and celebutante Poppy Delvigne.
Where to Buy: Click here for stores.