Inside New York Fashion Week's Sexy Sunday: Reviews of DVF, Tracy Reese, and LaQuan Smith

Oh, Biba, you never went away. That famed London store, full of ’70s boho joie de vivre and the vision of founder Barbara Hulanicki, was a palace of stripes and glitter, and long coats and long hippy dresses, but also glitter, sheer glamor. It was a true dressing-up box and treasure trove, all in one.

Jonathan Saunders, chief creative officer for DVF, has bought the spirit of Biba back to roaring life with this wonderful collection, and of course Biba and Diane von Fürstenberg, the label’s founder (who is married to Barry Diller, chairman of IAC, The Daily Beast’s parent company), share a fashion sweet spot. It is to Saunders’ credit that he balances producing something original, but also in tandem with the spirit of von Fürstenberg, who was there at the show Sunday in a black outfit with a silvery pattern.

The last collection Saunders designed for DVF shared some of the grace notes of boho chic, but was more conservative than the more overt and fun game of dress-up here.

The models’ outfits spanned a creative and colorful rainbow: a short camel jacket was paired with a tasseled and layered yellow dress. There were more tassels and fringing elsewhere, including a sober blue dress. There was a bright orange jumpsuit, flowery dresses, high-heeled boots, cork shoes, geometric prints, an off-the-shoulder black dress with colorful detail, a black jacket with green furry collar. It was another dressing-up box; an exhalation of Biba-streaked joie de vivre, and very welcome. TIM TEEMAN

Tracy Reese is a designer beloved by many women and for good reason. Her feminine sophisticated clothes are made not just for the runway or celebrities but for many types of ladies, of all ages and body types.  

This fashion week her presentation at Pier 59 was themed around the idea of individual beauty. Speaking about the inspiration of the show the designer told the Daily Beast, “There’s not just one standard for beauty.”

The models were a refreshing mix of different ages, sizes, and ethnicities, and the clothes took a backseat to the models themselves, who while draped in the new collection spoke—in a multitude of languages—off the cuff about what they loved about themselves. SARAH SHEARS

Sticking with the unofficial theme of this NYFW, LaQuan Smith’s presentation was hosted on the basketball court at the Beacon School, a Manhattan prep school on the west side of 44th street.  

On the court, set among volley ball nets and basketballs, a gorgeous and diverse group of models were perched on school desks, and wrapped in camo, tartan and fishnet. Skin-tight off-the-shoulder long sleeve crop tops, thigh high boots, mini skirts and high-thigh-split skirts constituted the bulk of the provocative collection.

The designer’s sexed up interpretation of prep school standards recalled Alexander McQueen without feeling derivative.  

A dance troupe came in and out of the court reciting cheers of “LaQuan Smith” and stomped unison, hip hop played in and out over the speaker between cheers while the incredibly hip and stylish crowd mingled among the models and took photos with the dapper young designer.