Village Voice:Gwen's L.A.M.B. Is Rock Steady

From The Village Voice:

Yesterday in the Lincoln Center plaza, I watched a man dressed as some sort of spelunking Little Lord Fauntleroy pose for a wall of photographers, glowering for all the world like his own personal Lost Generation, before storming out of range and berating his friend for sewing “crooked seams on the pantaloons.” Coincidentally, this is exactly when Fashion Week and I came to an impasse.
The new, more public Lincoln Center digs have done wonders to improve show organization, but they’ve also encouraged a larger crop of over-primped, attention-hungry outliers to loiter in the lobby, waiting for the catnip of random flashbulbs. In a way, it speaks of the larger, troubling inaccessibility of high fashion, that it can be claimed as artistic expression while it courts one strain of conformists and openly excludes so many other people, be it for body size, ethnicity, or just ol’-fashioned haughtiness. Fashion in general should be sensational, sure, but it should reflect that excitement in ways that are not so coldly dismissive to those who evade such rigid, arbitrary standards of beauty.

Angela Ashman
​Few Fashion Week designers do this well; Gwen Stefani is one of them. And that makes sense; musicians-turned-designers are greeted with skepticism nowadays, but perhaps it takes a rock star to make a bold statement that still pleases her fans. The No Doubt glamazon’s L.A.M.B. presentation closed the season on Thursday night, and was a kinetic experience of durable feminine chic; familiar rastafarian influences abounded in ruffled-caplet sleeve dresses, woven-back tanks, variegated grey jumpsuits, and bleached tie-dye linen dresses with asymmetrical necklines and bead detailing. African prints were a new incorporation, and a shrunken bra top paired smartly under a multi-patterned menswear blazer, to which a brightly tribal-patterned sheath was an interesting lateral piece. The harem pants were a bit of a misfire, but this season was more experimental than her past plaids and utilitarian track pants–and, notably, the cuts were flattering enough to be wearable for many body types.

​Orange and navy collage suiting closed the show–but the real finale was Stefani’s runway walk, for which the entire Theatre audience rose to cheer and take photographs (a rare unrestrained moment in Fashion Week; they didn’t even rise for Marc Jacobs). Stefani grinned at her No Doubt bandmates in the front row and retrieved her son, Kingston, from the arms of husband Gavin Rossdale, both of whom had been bouncing to the reggae/pop soundtrack and beaming throughout the show. A hella proud moment for California.

EDIT:More reviews:

From CBS NEWS:

NEW YORK (CBS) The hot ticket on the final day of New York Fashion Week was Thursday night’s spring presentation of Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. line.

PICTURES: L.A.M.B. Spring 2011
Special Section: New York Fashion Week

The 40-year-old singer-turned-fashion designer sent out a collection that was rockstar chic with a tribal influence. There were low-slung fitted pants, cropped tops in bright prints, plaid tailored pantsuits, and flowing chiffon dresses in mosaic patterns.

“I’ve always wanted to do the tribal thing but it’s pretty hard to get right. I think we’ve got it,” she told Associated Press Fashion Writer Samantha Critchell.

Each look resonated well with Stefani’s own personal style – young, fun, daring and filled with a lot of attitude.

Models strutted down the runway in spike heels to a party mix, which included songs with popping beats like Luniz’s classic Bay Area song, “I Got 5 On It,” MIA’s “Paper Planes,” Dawn Penn’s reggae hit “No, No, No, “and MGMT’s “Kids.”

Husband and Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale cheered Stefani on with sons Kingston and Zuma by his side. Also in attendance was No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal, “Project Runway” alum Christian Siriano, Spice Girl Mel B, Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Russell Simmons.

At the close of her show, Stefani rocked the runway wearing pieces from her collection with the No Doubt hit “Hey Baby” blasting in the background. Four-year-old son Kingston joined mom.

From FabSugar:

Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. show last night was just the jolt of energy needed to end Fashion Week on a high note. She took over the theater at Lincoln Center to show off her 2011 Spring designs, which included lots of her signature prints, baggy pants, and draping. Her models walked to a soundtrack of remixed Estelle and MGMT that had the whole crowd bobbing their heads. It felt more like a party, but no matter — her bright designs looked great on the models.

The creations were clearly appreciated by Gwen’s husband, Gavin, who took photos on his phone and grooved to the music with their son Kingston on his lap. Gwen’s bandmates from No Doubt were also there right in the front row. When Gwen came out to walk the runway herself, Kingston hopped off Gavin and took Gwen’s hand to accompany her on the rest of her stroll. It was a sweet end to the fun show — love, angel, music, and babies!

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