After waiting for months with bated breath, fashion lovers were finally treated to the design spectacle that is Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City. Take a look at our Fall 2012 Runway Report.

Although London Fashion Week is already in full swing, let’s just take a moment to reflect on the massive headlines another fashion capital has made over the last few weeks. New York City has literally been on fire for the past fourteen days. First, the New York Giants bested the New England Patriots to claim the Super Bowl XLVI championship, much to the dismay of Giselle Bundchen. Following the Giants’ triumph, momentum for the sports teams in New York showed no signs of slowing down as the New York Knicks began a “LINsane” seven-game winning streak, led by the currently unstoppable rising NBA star, Jeremy Lin. As if that wasn’t enough, designers, supermodels, buyers, press and fashion lovers all flocked to the largest fashion capital in North America to take part in Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

A short and sweet way of summing up New York Fashion Week would be to say that there was a healthy serving of interesting textures, unexpected prints, and both lightweight and heavy fabrics and layering. Bright pastels and vibrant hues usually dominate the color palette for Spring fashion each year, but the opposite is usually true for Fall. Monochromatic and darker colors tend to take center stage in fashion as we start bundling up during the fall season in preparation for winter, and this year’s collections were no different. A significant amount of sparkle was also featured across the board, but designers were careful enough to capture the zeitgeist appropriately by keeping their looks striking yet restrained. There weren’t too many ostentatious collections, which is something that resonates well with fashion followers everywhere considering the fact that grandiosity is not really the “in-thing” at the moment.

Over 300 fashion shows took place, and each collection provided its own memorable elements and peeks at the biggest trends for Fall 2012. As I watched and diligently took notes all week, I came up with a short list of the collections that would be the most appealing to fashionistas in Washington D.C. My editor’s picks for Fall/Winter 2012 are (drumroll please):

• Carlos Miele
• J. Mendel
• Reem Acra
• Zac Posen
• Badgley Mischka
• Rachel Zoe
• Josie Natori
• Christian Siriano
• Carolina Herrera

Honorable Mention: Pamella Roland, DKNY, Prabal Gurung, Naeem Khan

Trendspotting:

• Cozy blanket coats
• Fur-lined outerwear
• Military inspired jackets
• A transition from last year’s tribal prints to more structured prints and styles with an Art Deco influence
• Intricate yet subtle beading
• Leather
• Jumpsuits
• Suits and separates
• A dark, smoky color palette
• Occasional pops of color – mostly gold, midnight blue, and burgundy
• Soft whites for contrast

To see my top picks from the Fall 2012 Ready-To-Wear collections, check out the Fashion Week slideshow!