For inspiration for his fall 2014 collection, Sergio Davila looked to the lifestyle of South American gypsies. Davila looked to the Romani gypsies who settled in the Rio de Plata region of Argentina and their nomadic lifestyle as its relates to the migratory habits of South American horses.
Color palettes in this collection ranged from earth tone shades of brown, navy blue, garnet red and Dartmouth green. Fabrications were represented by the natural fibers cultivated in Peru evidenced in baby alpaca mixed with organic cotton. Davila also incorporates brightly colored traditional gypsy costume shapes in this collection infused into knitted and leather sweat pants, loose-fitting shirts and jackets, comfortable trousers, and knitted jacquard sweaters.
In previous collections, Davila has referenced from various Peruvian influences and used an earth tone color palette. This season, however, Davila’s Peruvian point of reference was stronger, injecting Peruvian tribal prints and patterns with a much more vibrant color palette as opposed to fall 2013’s collection where his color palette was much more muted and subdued.
Images courtesy of Presley Anne Slack
This fall 2014 collection was also a lot more relaxed, aiming for more ease of comfort as compared to Davila’s fall 2013 outing. There was much larger range of knitted sweater and shirt silhouettes combined with fitted pants. And Davila’s use of knitwear this season is right in step with many designer’s nod toward combining knitwear variations with leather, fur, and cashmere.
—William S. Gooch
Though Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week spring 2014 is over, as well as fashion weeks in London, Milan, and Paris, memories still linger. We all love the way the collections look on the runway, and the way each model brings that extra something that makes us look at silhouettes, construction, fabrications and the designer’s point of view in new ways. Still, it is not all sparkle and shine.
My fellow fashionistas will appreciate how my heart skipped a beat when I first walked through the doors, past security, and entered into the Tents at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (MBFW). I had my cute dress, fierce heels, and sunglasses on, hoping that I looked the part. Though I have penned articles for Fashion Reverie in the past, this was officially my first Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week as a fashion commentator, so I was a bundle of jittery nerves.
For a few shows, I was acting as a fashion commentator and had backstage access to designers. However, for one show, I was actually acting as an assistant to one of Fashion Reverie’s photographer. During MBFW, the photographers wait in a separate area before their show with equipment, and even stepstools in hand. When they are allowed inside, there is a pretty serious rush with each photographer jockeying to find riser space, in order to allow for the best sightlines. It was interesting standing on that side of the rope, with another group of artists in their own right. I got nervous because at one point, my credentials were in my bag and I was told that I needed to wear them around my neck at all times. IDs were checked multiple times, because it is very serious business. After my photographer’s assistant stint was complete, I was actually able to sit with Editor-in-Chief William Gooch and enjoy the show from the floor.
This is what the cool kids will be wearing next spring and summer. The Marc by Marc Jacobs is always a barometer for a certain brand of cool—you know, the kids who used to be the ones at the popular kids table in school but have grown up enough to be able to drink legally. These clothes are for them, and the rest of the class who kind of always wanted to be them. And being one of the cool kids is a good thing when you have clothes like this.
You want me to dress my age and wear a suit? Well how about if I wear a cotton candy pink satin one to go clubbing in? And yes, there are his and hers versions of said cotton candy pink satin suit. Don’t like that one? Well how about a satin jumpsuit with a big tie that’s part of the bodice design. Is that formal enough for you?
The satin also found its way into other designs on tops, jackets and trousers sometimes in designs reminiscent of iconic looks like a jockey’s silks, a cheerleader dress and a classic Varsity jacket festooned with MJ emblems of course.
The dapper gentlemen behind the ultra-hip, well-tailored men’s line, BeSpoken returned for another season at New York Fashion Week with a spring collection that spoke to the symbiosis between prepster charm and the dapper British gentleman. Designers Liam and Sam Fayed took inspiration from photographer Ray Petri’s Buffalo Boy 1980s influenced looks for a collection of dashing garments with hint of stylish, London-schoolboy charm. Some of these ensembles are perfect for a night out on the town.
