Harlem Shakes Chelsea…
Back to Thursday evening at Pier 59 Studios in Chelsea, Harlem’s Fashion Row showcased three powerful fashion houses that- while they are completely underrated- manage to give the more well-known ateliers a run for their money as far as design innovation and their ability to fly off of retailers’ racks.
Meagan Wellman showed her M-Sew line first. The Bermudian designer showed sharply-tailored, high-waisted pants with refined crop tops that had a sailor-like quality to them. The standout was a sleeveless Nehru-collared dress with an asymmetrically sheer detail across the front. Airy and accessible, yet completely forward.
Fe Noel showed us her eye for sophistication while simultaneously turning classic formal pieces on their heads with her color choices and updated treatments. A pale pink fur stone marten stole was layered over a physique-skimming dress that traveled past the knee, giving us an updated silhouette for the now-passe body-con dress that Mrs. Kardashian-West can employ immediately. Noel’s take on Resort wear (which the style-savvy woman could also wear for day) played with shapes as well as sophistication.
The Fashion Deli show was all about flowing, elongated silhouettes, as feather-light shifts were placed over Spring-weight leather a-line skirts and paired with laser-cut ankle booties. Dresses with multi-tiered and cutaway pleated skirts layered with color exploded on the women, as culottes and gauchos (yes, culottes and gauchos!) adorned the men. It opened up a new vocabulary with regard to how the brawnier sex could and should dress.
ONES TO WATCH…
Friday brought the highly-anticipated Givenchy show (which did not disappoint), as Riccardo Tisci upped the drama ante by staging his show on September 11th under the aegis of the new World Trade Center. If the gorgeous-yet-delicate lace women’s pieces and stark men’s looks weren’t dramatic enough, models Candice Swanepoel and Pooja Mor served as this season’s fashion roadkill, as both had a hard time navigating Givenchy’s runway. While Swanepoel suffered a misstep and quickly recovered, Mor had the most dramatic of pitfalls down a makeshift flight of stairs made of wooden pallets.
Saturday afternoon was all about ESOSA, the sleeper brand that has been making inroads with the fashion set since designer (and Project Runway alum) Emilio Sosa enlisted fashion stylist David de la Cruz as the line’s Creative Director two seasons ago. The result has been nothing short of fantastic; Sosa’s skills as a Broadway costume designer is evident in the impeccable tailoring and intra-decade style references, while de la Cruz’ eye ensures that the line’s calling card (namely, its ability to mix patterns and continue to be steadfastly wearable while also staying completely ahead of the curve) remains intact. The Dominican duo definitely have a hit on their hands. While geared toward perhaps a younger demographic, the brand’s luxe factor and obsession with beautiful renderings brings to mind a most beloved Dominican designer- Oscar de la Renta. Yes, those are huge shoes to fill, but when you can mix patterns like this while retaining an air of otherworldly sophistication, the world is YOURS…
The Tried and True Trinity
Tuesday evening at The High Line Hotel, couturier Furne One gave us a huge dose of his Amato Couture line. With a clientele list that includes everyone from his well-monied clients in the United Arab Emirates to celebrities such as Heidi Klum and Jennifer Lopez, the expectations were high. Suffice to say, Furne One- with his overly-proficient penchant for embellishments, bespoke tailoring techniques and in-house texturing/fabric creation rose to the challenge. Pictures do not do any of the collection the justice that the naked eye absorbs while viewing the pure spectacle of the show (in the same way that the magnificence that John Galliano created while at Dior could barely be captured digitally), but alas…
Marc Jacobs’ show closing New York Fashion Week on Thursday was- as always- clearly the show everyone was banking on, and rightfully so; his take on Americana-infused pieces shown at The Ziegfield Theatre did not disappoint. Collegiate varsity jackets and sweaters emblazoned with symbols of academic and extra-curricular activity hovered over sequined and fringed patterned boucle skirts and gowns! The man never fails to give us a newer idea than he had the season before.
Jacobs gave us a different take on the Ivy League prep/trust fund/mean-girls contingent. However, this season’s clarion call actually came from those Public School boys two days earlier. Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne have managed not only to make the Public School label synonymous with cool, they have also rejuvenated the DKNY line (for which they now serve as Creative Directors), returning it to the covetable status it once enjoyed in the late 90’s. While the line has struggled in recent years to find and cement its customer base, Chow and Osborne boldly infused the label’s “New York Cool” quotient with a “2.0” shock. The simple palette of black and white with a splash of navy here and some grey there (which every true fashion editor is enamored with, this one included!) were utilized in silhouettes, layering, and ease-of-wear that wreaked of New York City modernity; the kind that Belgian designers like Kris Van Assche and Parisian stalwarts like Rick Owens had absconded with and made their own in recent years. Its great to see that spirit firmly back in the 5 boroughs. The collection proved that neither bells and whistles nor witty styling nor overwrought hair and makeup nor ubiquitous guerrilla marketing schemes are necessary to breath new life into an established brand- rather, simply a deft hand to create great pieces that can be worn 5 different ways. Interestingly enough, that was DKNY’s claim to fame at its inception.
Bravo, guys!
And there you have it. Until next Season…