New York Fashion Week: Spring 2011

New York Fashion Week has made its highly anticipated debut at the much roomier Lincoln Center. The drama was high as lucky audience members made their way to the tents to be a part of fashion history. After 18 years at the legendary Bryant Park Tents, it's time for a change. Not only has the infamous week changed its location, the entire fashion landscape is changing with it. One word has been heard throughout the collections: Minimalism. Originally a way for designers struggling with the economy to save money, minimalism has caught on. Less glitz, more glam. Instead of showing the biggest names in the business, Inside Beat takes a look at some lesser-known designers who are still right on trend. These were the collections that got our hearts aching for spring when the leaves still have yet to fall.

Nicholas K.

Nicholas K by brother-sister team Christopher and Nicholas Kunz has been creating a bit of a stir on the spring 2011 runways. With a spring line that is reminiscent of the casual and funky ambience of a Marc by Marc Jacobs runway, the designers are sure to please. While the color palette of grays, browns and blacks may seem a bit dreary for spring, the lightweight separates speak for themselves. Style.com describes the collection as "A MacGyver-esque ex-Green Beret and a lithe New York City Bohemian go rogue in the American West," referring to the plot of the Edward Abbey novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, which is exactly the image the collection portrays. Standouts include sumptuous leather in a gorgeous chestnut brown — with boots to die for — and blue aviators that pull everything together. Of course the look of the season — the army-green military jacket — is given new life with a high collar, definitely a different direction than the looks we've been seeing thus far. The slouchy, nomadic feel of the collection makes us want to skip straight to springtime in the city.

Ports 1961

The Ports 1961 collection by Fiona Cibani transports us instantly on a trip to the Middle-East. Deep purples, lace sheaths, ocean blues and jade greens, along with neutrals, crisp whites and sexy sheers, immediately bring to mind a Sahara-style getaway ala Sex and the City 2. While we're thinking Dubai, Cibani is thinking of a recent trip to Southern Tunisia. "The sky was so blue and the sand was so gold," Cibani said to Style. com. "I wanted to create an urban interpretation of someone who's dreaming of the desert." Cibani does just that. The show starts off a bit slow with the inevitable slew of neutrals that has been permeating every runway so far, but when the color starts to appear, everything comes together. The floor -ength gowns draped in luscious silk in the loveliest jewel-tones erase the upcoming winter months from our memory completely. Cibani ends the show with an elegant cascade of embellished dresses in various shades of beige. The collection in its entirety has the power to transport its wearers to a lush oasis in the desert, even when just pounding the pavement in the summer heat.

Vena Cava

Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock, the duo behind label Vena Cava, ditched their usual superfluous extras and headed toward — you guessed it — minimalism for their spring 2011 collection. The two expressed a newfound interest in "practical, matter-of-fact, not too over-styled clothes," they describe as "Classic American Sportswear," according to Style.com. The designers chose a palette of reds, blacks, nudes and brights such as neon greens. Structured suits evoked the '90s businesswoman on the way to work, while beautiful head wraps brought her even further back to the elegant '40s. A sure-to-be spring trend from the collection, the orange-red lipstick used on every model — old-Hollywood yet super modern. A new American woman is born. Vena Cava couldn't have been more on point with a beautiful collection that can make anyone feel like a starlet.

Haute Happy Hour

What's the perfect cocktail to sip on when you're front row tweeting the juicy deets? The Gilded Lily of course. Created by Gordon Ramsay for The London Bar at the London NYC Hotel, the delicious cocktail is the official drink of Fashion Week 2011. For $17, you too can stop by The London Bar and drink like a fashionista, or just make your own. Thefrisky.com gives us the recipe:

1oz St. Germain

3 oz prosecco

2 fresh ripe strawberries

1 small pinch of fresh ground grains of paradise

Directions:

1. Muddle fresh strawberries in mixing glass

2. Add St. Germain and pepper grinds

3. Shake with ice

4. After shaking, pour prosecco into mixing tin, stir to combine and strain into champagne glass.

Created especially for Fashion Week is "The Fashion Line," (really the Downtown 1 train at 66 St Lincoln Center Station). Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Diane Von Furstenberg unveiled the temporarily named line that will help show-goers get to Lincoln Center quickly — not that many of them would dare take the subway anyway — a valiant effort by the city of New York, regardless.

One of the most exciting parts of Fashion Week is the invitations. Designers go out of their way to create the most interesting invites. This season's favorites are Mulberry's movable paper-doll with the new signature bulldog. Betsey Johnson's take on Le Tour De France, complete with pink rubber bracelet and a cycling map of NYC, has Johnson's girly signature all over it. Take a look at our favorites in case you weren't one of the lucky few to actually receive an invite to Le Tour De Betsey.