Addition Elle Fall Collection 2017 NYFW Runway review

The thoughtfulness and excitement we felt after previewing the Torrid NYFW show didn't carry into the line Addition Elle served us up on the runway.

Addition Elle (mostly) plays it safe and when they don't, it doesn't make much sense. We think they suffer from an identity crisis. Who is the woman they want to dress? Is it Grandma, Mom, trendsetter or tween? We think they need to decide this before they move forward. There were some bright lights in this collection and they are highlighted below but their designers are still struggling with understanding what "cool" and "chic" really is. You just can't slap a trend on a jacket and hurdle it down a catwalk. We wish there was more thoughtfulness.

They need to sit down and take it back to the beginning. This is a story about a girl. Where does this girl work? Where does this girl have fun? What does this girl want her image to be? Addition Elle, if the target girl is age 25-40 ...we can tell you...this girl doesn't want to look frumpy, but she needs clothes that work in everyday situations. For example; the show-stopping ensemble from this collection is a tight velvet dress with exposed lace, that peaks out around the breasts, paired with a long military jacket. The girl asks herself.. where would I wear this? Not to a work party, it's far too sexy, not to a Christmas party with my relatives...I'm sure Mom wouldn't approve. Maybe I could wear this on a hot date.....if I was Angelina Jolie or if I was a secret agent , named Natasha.

THE GRAFFITI TREND..WHO DOES IT BETTER?

Addition Elle had their own version of a graffiti jacket, but I think Torrid did it better. Addition Elle decided to incorporate the trend into a puffy sleeve demin/ bomber jacket. The sleeves are just a bit much for us, though we adore the back of the jacket. Sometimes less is more. We can only imagine our friends pointing out those puffy pirate sleeves. We want to look cool...not like a clown. If this jacket had shiny leather-looking sleeves, it would be in our closet...like..right ..now!

Example: Graffiti jacket:

Torrid (left vs Addition Elle)

LOOKS WE LOVED:

There were a few pieces in the show that we focused our attention on.

We liked this serious looking super wide corset belt. We haven't seen one quite like this and we think it could be a staple once worked into existing wardrobes.

Some of us need an armour-like waist-cincher. This would make us feel a little like Wonder Woman. It doesn't appear that the version sold in-store has that same "shiny" finish as the one on the runway, its probably just the lighting playing tricks on us. Little tip, if you want your belt to look like the runway version, dab a little vaseline on it, a tiny bit. It won't ruin the belt and it will give you that same glossy effect.

DENIM MILITARY JACKET

We love this L&L jacket! Skwee! It's cool and looks easy to wear. We like this entire outfit. The relaxed fit slim jean really works.

THE SEX KITTEN OUTFIT

This look was a surprise: a total vixen velvet body-con pink dress paired with the long military jacket. The jacket in black is a bit costumey, but in a good way. We think it's more Mick Jagger than Sgt Pepper, so it works. But again, we wonder if Addition Elle understands the importance of stand alone pieces? Would the coat work with anything else in our closet? We have short, cropped military jackets from Torrid that we can wear with Jeans and other dresses..but this long jacket doesn't really work with anything else we own. ( We think you have to be pretty tall to pull this off without turning into Mary Poppins) We again also ask ourselves, where would we wear this?

As an outfit, this one is sexy as hell, though. If you want to make an entrance....buy it. Velvet is one of our favourite materials, We know it's soo 90's, but that's what we love about it. Fuzzy material diffuses light. Shiny fabrics like satin cling and reflect light, which sometimes enhances areas we don't want to stick out. Velvet has the reverse affect.

COMPARE THE MILITARY JACKET TREND. WHICH WOULD YOU WEAR THE MOST? WHICH IS MORE WEARABLE? YOU WANT THE MOST VALUE FOR YOUR BUCK. Addition Elle scored with the Demin jacket, but the long version is a bit of a miss for us. Addition Elle vs Torrid (top right) vs City Chic ( bottom right)

The OTHER sexy outfit. Good lord this is sexy and young and cool. It looks like there is an Ashley Graham bra under the blouse and we love a good wrap skirt...but we're not sure about all the details because there's no mention of this outfit yet on Addition Elle's website. It looks hot AF but we'd love to see it on an actual plus model to see if it would suit our bodies.

LOOKS WE DIDN'T LIKE

This shlumpy hoodie...... Let's take the velvet trend and pair it with the streetwear trend..but let's not give it any shape.... this sweater is dreary, the velvet doesn't work...it looks like a terry towel housecoat we would pull on after a shower. Watch the runway show and you'll see what we mean. Yes, it looks comfortable... but can't it look comfortable and stylish? We also hate the idea of a velvet hood, talk about a magnet for stray hairs.

The pyjamas as day wear look. Can anyone picture themselves wearing this any where? Be honest..... The concept of the pyjama look is all about the draping effect, silky pants with big flowy legs gliding effortlessly over heels. That's not happening here...the pants have zero flow... the L&L satin version in green appeals more.

PEEK-A BOO

The see through trend..... Torrid again, did it better. This Michel Studio dress is channeling two trends, peek-aboo and embroidery. The embroidery is busy, and We just want to rip those sleeves off

Thank you Jamie Lee Curtis....we feel better now.

Peek a boo is suppose to feel a little naughty... what's so naughty about arms? We think this was probably a dress created for an older audience, a mother of the bride..perhaps.

We invite you to check out the runway show for yourself. The video is below.

Though we realize we were a bit critical of this show, we loved how empowered the models were and the Ashley Graham lingerie show is super fun. We just have one more question...what's with that weird panty-triangle neck thing, Ashley Graham? What is that? This model is being attacked by a skinny girl's panties!