There were no complicated themes or inspiration stories. Instead, Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos focused on one basic question: "What's in a woman's closet?" If the designers have their way, it'll be their updates on classic fare, like a five-pocket silk "jean" or a leather and wool varsity jacket. The duo's past collections have had a tendency to be one-note, but here they wisely emphasized a range of versatile options. Sheer Breton shirts, a cool ankle-length silk trench, and chunky alpaca-knit sweaters looked wearable but had enough flair to pique a girl's interest—it's the sort of approach that some of the most successful young New York designers have been taking. With their latest effort, Shipley and Halmos are aiming to position themselves in that company. —Romney Leader
Big Spenders: Seventh on Sale Gala Attracts an A-list Crowd
Kitted out like the courtyard of a medieval castle, complete with fake torches, the 69th Regiment Armory was filled to bursting with deeply discounted designer merchandise and eager shoppers in the form of Valentino, Ralph Lauren, Giambattista Valli, Iman, Eve, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
Comparison Shopping: We pit two much-hyped new style guides against a classic of the genre
With Victoria Beckham and Rachel Zoe's new style guides hitting the bookstores, we decided to test the authors' fashion sense against that of designer Anne Fogarty's 50-year-old gem, Wife Dressing.
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