Critics grew tired of New York Fashion Week's ubiquitous loud, often-disjointed prints as the shows wore on, which proved unfortunate for Michael Kors and his safari-inspired collection. Proenza Schouler, on the other hand, was hailed for showing bright, bold patterns as they ought to be done. Meanwhile, Marchesa's runway show was considered a sweeping success, and Reed Krakoff is still finding his footing.

THE HITS:
Marchesa
• “[They proved] that they can design clothes that move, that sing, and that have a reason to exist beyond knocking you over the head with their technical audacity.” [NYT/On the Runway]
• “[The runway format] seemed to add a dose of reality, a welcome shift... Perhaps it's not enough to drop jaws; sometimes, simply enticing and intriguing is much chicer.” [Style.com]
• “The new format allowed the designers to display two things they haven't in the past: the three-dimensionality of the dresses, for they are just as awe-inspiring from every angle, and their fluidity… By allowing the viewers access to these new facets, they grounded their transcendental work, making them more mortal and tangible than ever before.” [Vogue UK]
• “[I]t was dazzling… The play of sheer with embroidery…was masterful… These clothes are far from subtle, but they were never intended for the faint of heart.” [WWD]

Oscar de la Renta
• “There was a fresh, upbeat look… we challenge you to find a lovelier, more ethereal dress than the one with the delicate handkerchief hem…[H]ow fab to see a designer hit the refresh button after 40-plus years in business.” [Style.com]
• “[D]e la Renta was indulging in some decadent showmanship by presenting a variety of styles from far-flung eras…Day, night, work, and play were all covered with almost reckless abandon…The drawback to this was that, despite it being breathtaking, there was a lack of focus.” [Vogue UK]
• “[This] will surely be the pinnacle of high-end panache we'll witness in the four week season… while opulent and patrician, de la Renta was not in the least formulaic… de la Renta has reached a unique position of pre-eminence in his profession.” [Fashion Wire Daily]
• “[D]e la Renta offered a joy fest that was as beautiful and exuberant as it was diverse… What was consistent: the connoisseurship of thought and execution; the signature flamboyance: the delight with which the clothes were created and worn (the girls looked happy!).” [WWD]
• "Oscar de la Renta has left Park Avenue in more ways than one… there was also something for younger fashionistas… The eveningwear did not disappoint.” [WSJ]
• “It is the confidence of a master couturier that gave the collection its easy elegance, so prints with a tropical vibe were controlled, with stripes resembling pineapple spikes.” [IHT]

Proenza Schouler
• “What made everything so appealing was the silhouette: the slightly higher waist, accentuated by a cropped top or jacket, with a relaxed knee-length skirt.” [NYT]
• “There was no shortage of innovative ideas - eel skin hot pants paired with raffia tops; a natty and risqué series of semi-sheer crocheted raffia cocktail dresses finished with gym rat bustiers. Plus there was a fantastic finale - a foursome of embroidered tulle tops and dresses that had great ladylike poise.” [Fashion Wire Daily]
• “[A] witty and stylish collection.” [IHT]
• “Though affixing a collection to such specific references can render them either lifeless or overly-nostalgic, McCullough and Hernadez know themselves, and their customer, too well to allow it from becoming bogged down in clichés...Once again they've shown a mastery of unearthing the unforeseen vibrancy from even the most world-weary muses.” [Vogue UK]
• “[I]t was all masterfully handled on slim, retro-modern shapes that had sex appeal and grace...It might have been the first time a banana-leaf print was seductive.” [WWD]

Narciso Rodriguez
• “[J]ust about everything in the collection was well thought-out and worth having a closer look at...the things to notice were the linen jackets...[his] other treat was long dresses, the simplest of which were in 1940s-style print silks with asymmetrical hems.” [NYT]
• “It wasn't complex for complexity's sake; the results were elegant and crisp...The finale number, with its swirl of icy blue at the hips, is a contender for dress of the week.” [Style.com]
• “Occasionally the slicing and cutting seemed too complicated. But mostly the show had a modern angle.” [IHT]
• “Jolts of tomato and sea foam were seen throughout and kept the collection's energy afloat when, at times, it skirted with becoming too self-aware of its conceptual nature.” [Vogue UK]
• “[A]n impressive collection that pulsed with different-drummer vitality...[the show-closing dresses] seemed to float down the runway, and they looked great.” [WWD]

Anna Sui
• “Anna Sui rarely fails to put a smile on your face with her whimsical prints and girly dresses, and her show Wednesday night was no exception...Her prints were especially witty...Though her references were specific to a time and place, the collection still looked contemporary. ” [On the Runway/NYT]
• “Yes, the looks ring retro, but they are cut and colored for a modern woman whose yen for the beauty and fantasy of fashion transcends mere trend.” [Style.com]
http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2012RTW-ANNASUI
• “[A] wondrous romp on the runway...there was real wearability here in all those great day dresses and swingy separates.” [WWD]

Calvin Klein
• “Francisco Costa is hardly the first designer to explore lingerie as a runway statement, but his collection certainly expressed that idea in some noble new ways, notably a long ivory evening dress in silk satin with a mesh bib front that was transparent.” [On the Runway/NYT]
• “For a long time now, Costa has practiced one half of the Calvin Klein brand DNA, minimalism; this season he nailed the sensuous part of the house code, too.” [Style.com]
• “[H]is latest runway outing proved to be a brilliantly tender reinterpretation of the label’s pared-down sense of style.” [Fashion Wire Daily]
• “[P]redicated on a more ethereal version of the lingerie based on a body-skimming, below-the-knee cut... a positively gorgeous exercise in building a collection of distinctive pieces around a single concept.” [WWD]

Ralph Lauren
• “Defiantly pure in its slim silhouette and shiny new colors, and elegantly staged on a white marble catwalk, Lauren's latest collection was the best expression of a key trend in this season of shows - an aching for ladylike grace.” [Fashion Wire Daily]
• “[A]ctress Olivia Wilde perked up when a pale pink — sorry, bois de rose — halter gown came down the runway... [her] gaze toward the silver-to-pink evening dresses said a lot, and whoever works on them at the R.L. outfit deserves a fat raise." [NYT]
• “No one does the early era of speed — linear cuts and shimmering surfaces — better than Ralph Lauren, nor with more nostalgia. His 1920s-inspired collection — “The Great Gatsby” without the decadence and ennui — lit up the last morning of New York shows with a pastel prettiness.” [IHT]
• “Ralph Lauren’s demure take on Twenties’ style... made for a lovely show, and if one would have liked the romance tempered with a tinge of irony, such isn’t Lauren’s way.” [WWD]

See the Complete Marchesa Spring 2012 Collection
See the Complete Oscar de la Renta Spring 2012 Collection
See the Complete Proenza Schouler Spring 2012 Collection
See the Complete Narciso Rodriguez Spring 2012 Collection
See the Complete Anna Sui Spring 2012 Collection
See the Complete Calvin Klein Spring 2012 Collection
See the Complete Ralph Lauren Spring 2012 Collection

MIXED:
J.Crew
• “[The J.Crew designs] looked rather trendy… It’s not that the clothes weren’t good looking, nor commercial, but they did not offer much of an escape.” [NYT/On the Runway]
• “[Jenna Lyons and co.] have a formula, and there was no rejiggering of it… here weren't necessarily any big new ideas like that in this collection, but that doesn't mean it didn't connect with the crowd.” [Style.com]
• “[It was] a happy blitz of color and prints worn in brash combinations…all of which hit the mark... there were great staples.” [WWD]
• “Sportswear without a twist was offered in a presentation from J.Crew… Paradoxically, the menswear, with its close attention to detail, seemed to offer more design allure than bright, accessible, sub-preppy women’s line.” [IHT]

Michael Kors
• “[T]he collection looked more like hillbillies on safari…The clothes he showed, on a runway covered in burlap, were torn and ripped, sewn in crude patchworks, or just dirty looking. His cashmere sweaters had holes in them.” [NYT/On the Runway]
• “He demonstrated a mostly sure hand today ... with the easy American sportswear that he owns no matter what the season.” [Style.com]
An African Safari, as exotic a holiday destination it may be, proved a little rugged, uncomfortable even, for a collection of clothing - sported by intrepid models exhibiting excessive tans. [Vogue UK]
• “The whole look could have come across as a terrible pastiche, but in Kors' savvy hands it made for a snappy, intriguing collection and a great set of highly commercial clothes.” [Fashion Wire Daily]
• “[S]uch travelogues need filtering to work in the global world. (Ponchos in the city, anyone?) Had Mr. Kors taken the leopard or zebra prints and developed them digitally, he would have given more depth to the collection.” [IHT]
• “The prevailing palette looked drab, so that the occasional zebra-print sighting felt like a dose of graphic clarity. Kors’ ethos has always been to deliver practical chic with sex appeal and joy. This time, the trip hit some bumps that tempered the joy. [WWD]

Reed Krakoff
• “Reed Krakoff hasn’t been able to get much to stick. My guess is, he didn’t have a burning idea to start with. As a consequence, the designs have felt reductive and static, with a slight but persistent look-at-me factor.” [NYT]
• “Persistence is beginning to pay off for Reed Krakoff. In his fourth season on the runway, he's pushing into new territory while refining his point of view.” [Style.com]
• “The subtle cuts, combined with transparent panels artfully built into the streamlined silhouette, made his collection less stern and more seductive.” [IHT]
• “There were many wearable clothes — more so than in his three previous outings — but there was still a sense that Krakoff has yet to fully articulate his message.” [WWD]

See the Complete J.Crew Spring 2012 Collection
See the Complete Michael Kors Spring 2012 Collection
See the Complete Reed Krakoff Spring 2012 Collection