Love all the rave reviews Gwen has been getting for her latest L.A.M.B. collection! And aw,it was Tom’s first fashion show 🙂
From Yahoo:
New York – The much awaited first New York fashion week to take place at Lincoln Center came in like a lion and went out with the L.A.M.B. show on Thursday, Sept. 16, as designer Gwen Stefani shut down the tents with 47 looks for spring 2011.
There were no floral prints or pastel pompoms for this gutsy lady. Instead she presented tribal African prints in bold hues like navy, maroon and deep mustard yellow for the color-savvy, and the black and white options spiced up in leopard, zebra, and ombre for everyone else. A butterfly print, which Stefani said after the show “was an accident but came out great,” was a bit overkill at times in full pieces, whereas it seemed just enough in moderation when holding the look together as a belt or on an African bra top under an open sweater ensemble.
Plaid was a favorite, recognizant of Stefani’s punk No Doubt days. Along with former Spice Girl Melanie Brown and musical legend Debbie Harry of Blondie, No Doubt band members Tom Dumont and Tony Kanal showed their lead singer lots of love backstage after the show. “The show it was incredible,” said Dumont, the guitarist. “I’ve never been to one before.”
Stefani proved that even a great look can require little effort as a short, bold-colored, off the shoulder frock was easily a charmer, with the flexibility to go from brunch to the beach and straight into a bold evening out on the town. There were lots of ruffles, and layers of ruffles on sleeves and short dresses.
Her best looks were the feminine styles of A-line, maxi and wrap dresses, as well as menswear inspired looks. With all the hanging, draping, and wrapping, braided rope belts hung low on the hips giving shape and extending the ethnic feel to the collection.
Stefani’s husband, musician Gavin Rossdale, sat front row with son Kingston on his lap, the two of them dancing to the reggae beats anxiously awaiting the next look. “I like the long dresses, but there were so many things I loved,” said Rossdale. “I was so happy for her, and they all looked so much like her.”
With singer, wife, mother and fashion designer all on Stefani’s list of achievements, there was a certain comfort in her plaid sets and cropped-tops in seeing that she’s still just that girl who has fun with fashion, likes bare midriffs and baggy pants, and that’s all part of what makes the L.A.M.B. niche so successful.
EDIT-Another rave review from MyFDBlog:
Since it’s no secret Gwen Stefani puts on one of the best shows in town, it came as no surprise that the L.A.M.B S/S 2011 Collection was the perfect finale for New York Fashion Week. The energy inside the Theatre of Lincoln Center was vibrant and it felt like party from beginning to end. With stars like the iconic Debbie Harry, Russell Simmons, Christian Siriano, Mel B, and No Doubt band members, it was clear expectations were high. Setting the tone of the show right from the start, DJ Jeremy Healy produced a remixed soundtrack featuring electric and innovative artists such as Santigold and MGMT. Even with such fierce music and star-studded front row, nothing could over-shadow Stefani’s rocking, bold designs.
As the first looks of the collection came down the runway, it was obvious Gwen Stefani’s personal style would be constant throughout the show. Along with her own influence, African Tribal prints seemed to be the main theme of her designs. Prior to the show, Stefani was quoted as saying prints “are really hard to do and really hard to wear” but her collection remedied both of those obstacles.
She played up her bright prints with a mixture of light drapery, bagginess, and even some structure. Drop-crotch pants, ruffled
dresses, flouncy rompers, and structured jackets were all key pieces in the collection. Mixed in with the bright colors and prints, tie-dye, plaids,
and stripes also appeared on the runway. The L.A.M.B collection stayed consistent throughout, while finding a happy medium between Rock Star and Rastafarian.
-Lauren V.
EDIT-More reviews from around the web:
From FullFrontalFashion:
DESIGNER: Gwen Stefani.
WHERE: The Stage at Lincoln Center.
FRONT ROW: It was a motley crue at L.A.M.B. I was told I would be sitting among the TWILIGHT stars and couldn’t help but get a bit excited — to my dismay, though, it was just Spice Girl Mel B I was sitting near. Also nearby, Gavin Rossdale (Gwen Stefani’s husband) and Carmen Electra. Oh, Jeffrey Wright was right in front of me — I love him. He rocked as Basquiat!
VIBE: As stormy acoustics and projected images of clouds set the scene for L.A.M.B.’s S/S ’11 presentation, bold tribal-print party dresses came out to the beat of banging dub and reggae tunes, sported by mainly peroxide-blonde models who resembled Stefani herself. Throughout the huge crowd, dotted with celebrities, people were clapping and dancing around in their seats as L.A.M.B.’s streety and varied looks passed by. Taking direction, in both print and cut, from numerous ethnicities, Stefani’s dresses and light separates featured graphic African and Japanese prints; gorgeous Indonesian batik and ikat fabrics both opened and closed the show and proved the winners of a collection that was otherwise filled with edgy tailored basics and easy streetwear. The dresses were really the only garments worth viewing on a runway — it wasn’t just the beautiful prints that commanded attention but the complex pleating, ruffles, folding, and embellishment, which made for a striking sight while in motion.
BIGGEST HIT: The first look on the runway — lace-up-back, ruffled dress in African-inspired print. Cute!
TOUGHEST SELL: I wasn’t a fan of the midriff-baring reworked masculine suit pieces.
From StyleList:
DESIGNER: L.A.M.B.
INSPIRATION: Classic Gwen Stefani style mixed with African influences
TOP LOOKS: Strapless African-print dress with bustier top and ruffle skirt; one-shoulder tiered African-print dress with fanned-out shoulder; tailored gray-blue suit with pleat-front pants paired with African-print crop top
ACCESSORIES: African-print weekend bags, leopard-print shoulder bags, strappy platform heels with braided and raffia detailing; chunky and bright African-bead necklaces.
WHO WAS THERE: Gavin Rossdale with son Kingston on his lap, Mel B., Debbie Harry, Omarion, Christian Siriano, Russell Simmons
WHAT WE THOUGHT: A stellar end to the Spring 2011 shows, Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. presentation woke up jaded editors with both a killer reggae-theme soundtrack (Sean Paul, M.I.A., Santogold) and a vibrant collection to match.
With husband Gavin Rossdale and son Kingston sitting front-row, Stefani delivered an African-inspired collection that banked on bright wax-block prints splashed on everything from minidresses and crop tops to trousers and drop-crotch jumpers.
Mixed in with the Africa theme were a few tailored suits and pieces reflecting Stefani’s own decade-old signature style, including midriff-baring tops, lots of punk plaids, and oversize fold-over pants.
While the collection started stronger than it ended, the showing overall — and no doubt the thumping beats, the knowledge that this was the last show of the week, and seeing uber-adorable Kingston run to his mother during her finale walk — had attendees (especially us) leaving with smiles on their faces.
From Vogue:
AS lightning and thunder erupted outside, the audience was treated to a synthetic version within the Lincoln Centre tents, as stormy acoustics and projected images of clouds framed the catwalk for L.A.M.B’s spring/summer 2011 presentation. Bold tribal print party dresses hit the catwalk to the beat of banging dub and reggae tunes, sported by (for the most part), peroxide-blonde models that resembled Stefani herself. The huge crowd, dotted with a motley crew of celebrities including L.A.M.B designer, Gwen Stefani’s husband Gavin Rossdale, Spice Girl Mel B, Jeffrey Wright and Carmen Electra, were visibly moved by the wares on show, clapping and dancing around in their seats as L.A.M.B.’s streety and wildly varied spring/summer 2011 looks passed by.
Taking direction, in both print and cut, from numerous ethnicities, Stefani’s dresses and light separates featuring graphic African and Japanese prints, and gorgeous Indonesian batik and Ikat fabrics, both opened and closed the show and proved the winners of a collection that was otherwise filled with edgy tailored basics and easy streetwear. The dresses were really the only garments worth viewing on a runway – it wasn’t just the beautiful prints that commanded attention, but the complex pleating, ruffles, folding and embellishment made for a striking sight while in movement.
While the majority of the collection was overtly commercial, trend-focused and lacking in a defined aesthetic (L.A.M.B appeals to the masses with projected annual earnings of over US$90 million, after all), the more detailed and experimental creations, fusing countless prints, fabrics and construction techniques, proved that Stefani can both cater to the multitudes as well as a more savvy and niche market.