Fashion and music’s most famous prodigal son has come home — home in this metaphor being a traditional fashion show venue, a show conducted in a reasonable time frame with a remarkably organized front-of-house staff and little to no pretension to the scene. Yes, it seems Kanye West’s perceived karmic comeuppance after a disastrous Yeezy Season 4 last September yielded to a Yeezy Season 5 that was, comparatively, a picture of refinement.
People who might have expected him to stumble again were pleasantly surprised. West checked all the professional boxes this time, without abandoning that Yeezy swagger. He ceased his collaboration with Vanessa Beecroft, at least for this season, which immediately toned down the gimmicks by half. The 300-person show was in one of the standard studios, pitch black (for those who couldn’t see their seat, there were plenty of Karla Otto escorts) with four wall-like screens that stretched upward at least 20 feet and broadcast each look live, one at a time with a 360-degree camera. The audience didn’t actually see the models, including Luka Sabbat and Lauryn Hill’s daughter Selah Marley, until the video finished and the cast walked around the screens for the finale. But in terms of getting a good, long look at

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There’s much to be said for fashion’s ability to tell stories. On Wednesday, Ralph Lauren spun a beauty, a tale of nomadic meanderings through the proverbial, non-specific realm of far away. That lack of geographic definition imbued the collection with a dreamlike feel, especially by night. You didn’t want to wake up.
Lauren showed at his women’s flagship on Madison Avenue, where the first two floors were transformed into a floral wonderland, their walls completely covered in orchids, 100,000 or so, intertwined with air plants, desert agave, vines and moss. “It’s a little bit exotic,” Lauren said during a preview.
Just the right bit. Themes can be cheesy. The strength here was that Lauren telegraphed that sense of romantic distance with discretion, never crossing over to cliché.
Continuing the course he embarked on last season, this was an instant fashion, buy-now show. Beginning Thursday, the spring clothes will be available online as well at select stores around the world. Early shoppers at the flagship will experience the installation, which will remain intact through Monday.
The lineup’s opening palette drew from sand and dunes — off-whites, beiges, almost-golds — and set the mood of subtle sensuality borne as much from the models’ ownership of the clothes as

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What do women really need from fashion? That was the question that Derek Lam wanted to answer with his intimate runway show. “They love fashion, but they are busy-busy,” said the designer during a speech to introduce his fall collection, which offered a realistic wardrobe for dynamic, modern women. Lam explored quite reassuring territory, offering a range of women’s staples with a twist, for a lineup that didn’t look basic or banal. Trenchcoats worked both in a textured floral tapestry fabric and in leather were cinched at the waist with belts with sleek, metallic buckles. Leather was also crafted into a flared skirt worn with a fitted knit top, while fluid silk blouses and dresses were trimmed with micro ruffles for a romantic touch. A more sporty feel was introduced via wide-leg pants with high-cuffs, while a striped fox vest and a mink fur coat with a dégradé effect exuded comfortable luxury. Matte jersey was used for chic yet practical asymmetric skirts and fluid dresses punctuated by metallic studs. Even if Lam didn’t push any boundaries or explore any hypercreative options, this collection looked elegant and sophisticated within its laid-back attitude.

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In an intimate presentation at China Blue, a restaurant in TriBeCa, Danica Zheng presented her fall lineup for Pamplemousse. Inspired by the 16th-century Chinese novel, “Journey to the West,” she gave a modern twist to a number of Asian motifs. She showed rich tapestry coats with a fur-trimmed shawl collar, relaxed velvet cropped trousers and a silk and lace blouse.
Zheng also made some delicate lingerie references: a bralike top with embellished straps, lace peeking through a plaid dress and lace details on the hem of a skirt. It was all sweet and charming, but the garter belts over pants where just plain silly.

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The first lady of France, Victoria’s Secret Angels, Hollywood leading ladies and beauty entrepreneurs — what several of them have in common was a start as a Guess girl. Over the past 35 years, through cofounder Paul Marciano’s discerning eye, the Los Angeles-based fashion brand has been able to pluck the ingénues who went on to captivate the public’s attention. Here’s a look at what the most memorable models are doing now.

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NEW YORK — Coterie organizer UBM Advanstar knows times are tough in retail.
That’s why interactive and educational experiences are being added to the three-day event, set for Feb. 27 to March 1 at the Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center here. The aim is to inspire buyers to bet on storytelling that fuses content, media, merchandising and technology to increase sales in their stores.
To that end, a new augmented reality initiative dubbed “The Coterie Experience” is slated to make its debut at the show. The 4,000-square-foot interactive installation, located near the main entrance, will feature a few environments, each with a different fashion mood — whether boho-chic or grunge — with a selection from the show’s top 100 brands.
Guests will be able use iPads to unlock “secrets” and other elements of discovery throughout the space. For example: hovering an iPad over a product might activate a video of a designer talking about the inspiration behind their collection.
More than 80 brands will be featured, including Jill Stuart, Intropia, Zadig & Voltaire, Frame, Mes Demoiselles, 3×1, The Kooples, Intuition Paris, No Ka ‘Oi, Naadam and Current Elliott.
“Merchandising product and content together is the future of global retail,” said Danielle Licata, Coterie’s vice president and general manager.

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J.MENDEL AFTER SCHOOL: Gilles Mendel’s decision to stage his fall presentation at Ladurée’s SoHo location was more than a matter of a French-born designer supporting a Paris institution.
Before walking editors through his newest designs Wednesday afternoon, the designer explained why the setting really takes him back to his childhood. Each day after school in Paris, his mother would take him to the legendary patisserie in Paris not far from where his father, Jacques, ran the family’s fur boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré. The mother and son got to know the owners during their frequent visits. Disappointed that the shop’s croissants were long gone by the time he arrived for an afternoon snack at 3 p.m., Mendel said that he once asked the owner why that was the case.
“He told me that the ovens could only hold so many croissants. In those days, the ovens only had so much space.” Mendel said. “I feel that that is a lot like how I approach my clothes. As long as you keep true to yourself and do what you are really good at, you will make the most amazing things. I feel like this is like my oven,” he said, motioning towards the tea

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Michael Kors’ fall show on Wednesday morning drew the celebrity A-list (Blake Lively), the New York Fashion Week ubiquitous (Emily Ratajkowski), and a slew of up-and-comers and daughters-of, from Sistine Stallone to Alexandra Richards to Rainey Qualley.
Patti Hansen identified herself as a fashion week rarity. “He’s the only one I come to,” she said of Kors. “If I come,” she said. “It’s been a few years. He’s just very wearable, sophisticated, sexy, feminine.”
While some of the younger girls had been to fittings for their Wednesday morning looks, Hansen took a more low-key approach. “I just went into his shop and I was like, ‘This is exactly what I wear every day’ — all black, and a little bit of gold,” she said. As for what she’s liked on the runway this season? “I’m the wrong person to ask.”
Qualley was fresh off of the front row at Philipp Plein’s extravaganza at the Public Library. “I thought it was so sick. Everything matters how you style it, and his was styled so well,” she said. “And I think it’s so fun to dress up wacky. I was wearing a matching leather biker jacket and skirt with flames on it.”
Qualley, the eldest daughter

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Ralph Lauren stood on a sisal-covered floor this afternoon, the surrounded walls covered with densely packed orchids. He extended his arms to reference the setting, before settling in on one of the generously pillowed white damask sofas that surround the perimeter of the room. “An experience,” he said.
Lauren was in the second-floor collection selling space of his Madison Avenue women’s flagship, closed for three days in preparation for his New York Fashion Week spring showing tonight. The idea of the decor is to capture a spirit evocative of a show designed under the working title “Nomad.” “I don’t want to do predictable,” Lauren said. “It’s a little bit exotic.” A preview offered glimpses of fluid shapes in liquid golden fabrics and mesmerizing prints. [For a review of Lauren’s show, see WWD.com and Friday’s Digital Daily.]
The two first floors of the Lauren store have been transformed into a chic floral wonderland, every inch of wall space covered with orchids — 100,000 or so — intertwined with vines and moss throughout which paper butterflies perch. In the background, a soundtrack of tweeting birds heralds the coming of spring. (Full disclosure: a quick feel in a small corridor leading to a private, non-show

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Phoebe Neuman