Womenswear — Page 41

Jasmine Chong Spring 2017

September 16, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Jasmine Chong’s spring 2017 presentation consisted of luxurious fabrics and exquisite draping, which appear to be her brand’s signature DNA. Though Chong’s choice of draping, luxury fabrics which were used mostly in separates that could be easily mixed and matched did producing some interesting options, the collection was mostly hit or miss with some of styling choices that were mystifying.

The Malaysian-born designer chose to work with silks and satins almost exclusively, producing several stunning outfits such as a white column dress that would make an elegant and simple wedding dress. The color palette consisted primarily of whites, greys, and browns, with the grey silk is used to amazing effect on two gowns. A pale grey draped Grecian silk dress with an asymmetrical hemline and fabric gathered at the chest created a unique and eye catching silhouette. And Chong’s dark grey satin backless mini dress with a faux cape is sophisticated and chic and a great red-carpet option.

Still, it was the separates that really miss the mark in this spring 2017 collection. Most of the collection is oversized, and that works well for the gowns; however, when you pair oversized pants with oversized tops the effect is unflattering. Chong’s enormous satin palazzo pants made the pencil-thin models look bottom heavy. An almost comically oversized tuxedo vest paired with cigarette pants created an oddly out of proportion and unflattering silhouette.

Chong also missed the mark when it came to some of her styling choices. While most of the models sported sleek ponytails, one of the models had an intricately knotted coif that was sophisticated and stylish. It would have been great if all the models had this particular coif. And, why the smear of gold paint on the temple of several of the models; strange indeed!!

Images courtesy of fashionreverie.com/Cameron Rose Grey

Images courtesy of fashionreverie.com/Cameron Grey Rose

Additionally, many of the satin items were extremely wrinkled. Did their steamer break; did the clothes arrive just before the presentation? It seemed very sloppy compared to many of the exquisitely chic items in Chong’s spring 2017 collection.

Hmm, a sloppy presentation and oddly fitting garments can make a collection seem almost accidental.

—Cameron Grey Rose

Delpozo Spring 2017

September 16, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Delpozo under the tutelage of Spanish designer Josep Font is fabled for its fairy tale fantasy presentations. The clothes are otherworldly, the set is oftec awash with natural light, the models amble—rather than strut—down the runway as though gliding through some syrupy reverie which is equal measures Roald Dahl, Zaha Hadid and fellow Spaniard Christobal Balenciaga. The Spanish label’s spring 2017 delectation did not veer off this storied path of constructing whimsical, yet architectural complexity.

There is a certain sublime paradox to Font’s aesthetic and oeuvre. These are clothes that are at once sculptural and serious, detailed and restrained: the defile was a parade of extremes executed with a minimalist’s flare.

Originally trained as an architect, Font, engineered a collection that is a masterful confluence of structure and fluidity: laser clean lines in solid and opaque hues both bold and subdued, meet floral concoctions rendered in soft diaphanous silks. Here, a top’s rigid white peplum which resembles an inverted tulip’s chalice— itself festooned with delicate floral appliqué, as is characteristic of much of his work—cups a floor-length skirt that flows from underneath it like a periwinkle river of gossamer; there, nontransparent tangerine and pink bands are stratified with pellucid stripes to form material from which a ballooning trouser, a long pleated skirt and trapezoid maxi dress are wrought; sometimes, the delicacy of white lace pitted against the heaviness of textured fabric: everywhere there is paradox.

For a collection titled “Luminousity” which refracted inspiration from Spain’s master of light painter Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida and the installations of Korean-American artist Soo Sunny Park, it is apt that sunlight danced on the dendritic cascade of floral earrings worn by each model, an adornment that mirrored the variations on the floral fabric theme. The rays danced too on this opalescent fabric of the bell-shaped trousers of the first look and the many other iridescent offerings to follow.

Font weaves light seamlessly into his work through his choice of sheer and gold-flecked materials, and highlights the effect of light through the juxtaposition of these luminous elements with flat, absorbent surfaces. There can, after all, be no light without darkness, as they say.

Yet, even where the opacity is stark, there is a lightness of touch to Font’s prêt-à-couture technique. The standout pink cocoon coat with its incisive lines, sharp eggshell trousers paired monochromatically with an equally-clean linen winged blouse, a cropped round-neck jacket finished with a spiral cocoon at the end of each sleeve: these less fussy pieces were interspersed between the collection’s more ornate offerings.

Images courtesy of Banica/WWD/REX/Shutterstock

While Font might be accused of more of the same with this collection, it is the ethos of his Delpozo that remains unchanged. With this prismatic collection, he bends light in some new and unexplored directions.

—Natasha Nyanin

Bibhu Mohapatra Spring 2017

September 16, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

One of the most important things a fashion designer should have is an imagination. And imagination produces ideas. Remember, denim was an everyday wardrobe staple for laborers before Levi Strauss got the idea to start selling denim jeans in his stores, the miniskirt was an idea that popped up in the collections of Andres Courreges and Mary Quant and made popular in the “Swinging London” of the 1960s; and Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic tuxedo jacket for women was an idea way before it became associated with Yves Saint Laurent and later a staple of chic, sophisticated women’s wardrobes.

That said: Bibhu Mohapatra has a lot of ideas. And for his spring 2017 collection Mohapatra formulated his ideas through his modernized interpretation of the Belle Epoque era. “For spring 2017 my efforts are to look into the unsung muses from the Belle Epoque. These French muses inspired painters, musicians, sculptors and writers and had very special relationships with these women. They were the main source of inspiration for many of these artists; however, we don’t know who a lot of these women were. In a sense, they are unsung. I wanted to investigate these women, and I thought it would be an interesting idea to study these women, many of them who worked in brothels, and were outcast, yet they were a part of the demimonde, and salon society,” explained Mohapatra.

Since 2009, Mohapatra has established himself as a designer that melds lots of ideas into luxury garments that can speak to the modern international woman that is comfortable in a lot of different cultures. This brand DNA holds true to Mohapatra’s spring 2017 collection. And though in this collection Mohapatra does not dress his woman at every jointure of her day—most of looks in the collection are more suitable for upscale night time outings—there were a few pieces in the early part of the collection that would work well as daytime garments.

Still, what stands out most in this spring 2017 collection is Mohapatra’s acuity at assembling different fabrications, embellishments, design techniques and silhouettes, and for the most part, distilling all these seemingly disparate elements into a singular modern expression of beauty. Though, at times, there were too many ideas in the collection which didn’t always meld—some looks were over-embellished, giving the eye too much to absorb—its better to have too many ideas that can easily be controlled, than no ideas at all or to keep regurgitating the same idea.

The graphic elements in this spring 2017 collection evidenced in an ingenious use of linear stripes that helped give a modern patina to many of the structured bodices and wide skirts demonstrated that Mohapatra is deft at taken and aesthetic from a past era and infusing that aesthetic with a modern sensibility that can appeal to a wide range of international women. “There are a lot of fitted bodices and details from that era that I reimagine for today’s women. For instance, I might take inner garments and reverse them, making them the outer garments. I do incorporate some of the fitted elements from the Belle Epoque into this collection; however, for the modern woman I have given those elements more ease. There is a lot draping and combinations of sheer fabrics with heavier fabrics. I like to re-interpret these elements my way without having the garments look very period. That is a challenge I enjoy. I immerse myself in this world and I imagine how that woman lives her daily life and then I extract and make it all my own,” explained Mohapatra.

Images courtesy of Luca Tombolini/vogue.com/indigitalTV

Standout looks in the spring 2017 collection include the brand’s embroidered silk top with silk linen striped trousers, silk linen shirt worn with striped blocked blazer and crepe pleated satin tail skirt, Supima cotton and organza blouse worn with cotton-Lurex jacquard skirt and pearl, cotton and silk jacquard dress worn with silk underskirt, and pearl dew embroidered tulle gown.

—William S. Gooch

Georgine Spring 2017

September 15, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Since its debut collection, Georgine has established itself as a brand for that downtime girl who not only is not afraid to take risks when it comes to fashion, but embraces the outré, in-your face garment. For spring 2017, Georgine did not fail to disappoint in that respect. Still, the collection was so much more than that particular point of view.

Georgine’s spring 2017 collection was all about curating favorite looks from any stylish woman’s wardrobe, pieces that evoked a special memory, and funneling those special pieces through the lenses of the Georgine design aesthetic. A particularly loved trench coat now becomes an edgy party trench with a silver metallic sheen. A favorite skirt becomes an attention-grabbing, flashy skirt with a spider web motif. And a beloved pair of chic red slacks acquires another level of youthful sophisticated when married with a red fur wraparound crop top.

All these reinventions demonstrate how Georgine is continually evolving its design aesthetic and growing its consumer base beyond that downtown hip girl. That said; the downtown chic girl is still at the Georgine party this season, evidenced by the naming each look after an iconic New York City street. But like the range of named streets in the collection—Orchard Street, Mott Street, Times Square, Fifth Avenue, and Sutton Place—so does this collection have a more expanded range.

And like several collections this season, the brilliance of this spring 2017 outing is in the styling. From head to toe, you know who the Georgine girl is and where she going to wear these collections. There is also something for the Georgine customer at every junction of her day.

Georgine this season also subtly interweaves some of the new and continuing fashion trends into their garments without overwhelming the collection. The metallic fiber trend is ingeniously into topcoats, skirts, blouses and evening looks. Cutouts and sheers are appropriate enhance dresses, while crop tops add the extra punch to evening slacks and long skirts.

Images courtesy of Mao PR

All these great ideas punctuate a collection that is current, on-trend, fashion forward and consumer friendly. And you don’t have to have deep pockets to afford the looks.

—William S. Gooch

Erin Fetherston Spring 2017

September 14, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

One thing that can be said for Erin Fetherston’s spring 2017 collection is that the collection is very retail friendly. Then again, Fetherston’s has never strayed too far away from what her consumer wants in their wardrobe.

In this 10^th anniversary season of Fetherston showing during New York Fashion Week, the brand looks back and reflects on the brand’s signature aesthetic of easy, relaxed clothes that appeals to the female consumer that wants to be chic and sophisticated without looking as though she has put a lot of effort into looking beautiful.

With that reflection in mind, Fetherston achieved her goal of creating easy, breezy garments. And she took that design aesthetic further in this spring 2017 outing. For spring 2017 her woman is fashion forward, ethereal with an ease of movement that evokes bohemian charm. Yet, she is still sophisticated and pulled together.

Inspired by the moonlight seen through the lens of a modern, bohemian chic aesthetic, this collection contained light and airy, diaphanous fabrics and a color palette that ranged from shimmering silver and whites and blues to sunrise yellow and dusty rose. There were also a lot of continuing trends in this spring 2017 collection, from tiered ruffle skirts and dresses to off-the-shoulder blouses. There were also really cool softly tailored suits in the collection.

Additionally, there were also some very interesting denim looks in the collection made evident invintage washed sailor jeans, jumpsuits and tops, rounding out the collection. These denim pieces reflect Fetherston’s collaboration with denim label Parker Smith.

Images courtesy of Seventh House PR

Standout looks in the collection were Fetherston’s moonrise sequin jumpsuit, floral ombre floral chiffon tiered maxi, moonlight shimmer poet blouse, and clair de lune shimmer chiffon goddess gown.

—William S. Gooch

Libertine Spring 2017

September 14, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Punk fashion is back!! After a three-year absence from fashion, Libertine has brought punk style back, but it returns the Libertine way!! Fashion designers/brands from Vivienne Westwood to Custo Barcelona to Hedi Slimane when he helmed Saint Laurent have found innovative ways to translate the anarchistic elements of the punk rock movement into a chic, stylish fashion expression that has relevance 30-plus years after the punk movement became a political and cultural force.

For spring 2017, Libertine has revisited that particular style and era. But, unlike fashion brands the conjured up punk style three years ago, Libertine went all the way back to this cultural phenomenon’s roots, Great Britain in the mid-70s. Remember, the punk movement in Great Britain was a direct response to the austerity of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. (Thatcher disabled many of the worker unions and reduced education programs in Great Britain during her tenure as Prime Minister.)

Libertine is perfectly poised to embrace the anarchistic, rebellious nature of punk style. As a fashion brand, Libertine’s creative director Johnson Hartig has always turned the brand’s nose up at polite fashion.

This spring 2017 season, several brands—Telfar, Georgine, Rinat Brodach, and of course Jeremy Scott—have pushed the proverbial fashion envelope by doing things their way and not genuflecting to certain fashion authorities that silently proclaim that retail value trumps creativity and personal vision. With this collection, Libertine continues its membership in the club of fashion freedom by giggling at the fashion elite with this collection. But, the brand kind of always does that!!

Going back to his punk British roots, Hartig employs some classic British iconography in this collection. Coats are heavily adorned with Queen Elizabeth buttons and broaches. Union Jack motifs and even a Union Jack trench are incorporated throughout the collection, as well. There is tropical print with imposed images of the British band Wham and Bob Marley, a nod to the humor in this fashion outing. And in a tribute to the British punk movement there is a painted moto leather jacket with the emblazoned words “We Hate Everything.”

Images courtesy of Rodin Banca/wwd.com

Hartig ingeniously takes all these punk references and 70s motifs and produces a collection that does something that so few collections nowadays do; evoke mood and have fashion-forward sensibility that stimulates conversations and excites the soul. Standout looks in the collection includes the pink moto jacket with matching skirt embellished with Georgian jewelry and Queen Elisabeth iconography, the portrait-painted jumpsuit, and Union Jack trenchcoat.

—William S. Gooch

Vivienne Tam Spring 2017

September 14, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Fashion designers/brands are often inspired by great cities. From Paris, Rome, London, and New York to Bangkok, Bali, and Morocco choosing an exotic location or a city with great cultural influence is par for the course for many designers/brands. Yet, within that pantheon of great international cities that have served as a point of reference for fashion brands, Houston, Texas does not rank near the top of the list. That is, unless the fashion designer is Vivienne Tam.

Known as a fashion designer that often opts for unorthodox points of reference for her collections—political iconography, chinoiserie, Victorian style—, using Houston, Texas a point of reference for her spring 2017 collection is not our of line with the kinds of unconventional motifs that Tam has explored in past collections. And for spring 2017 Tams opts for Houston as a modern expression of the ever-evolving hodgepodge of America’s cultural mixed salad.

From NASA, Rice University, the Houston Ballet to Tex Mex cuisine, Southwest culture, and the Houston Rodeo, Houston, Texas is a reflection of America’s continued experiment with diversity. And Tam taps into this multicultural cornucopia by creating a collection that mixes all these influences seen through a fashion-forward lens of modern sensibility that is extremely retail friendly.

For the past couple of seasons, Tam has developed collections that have relied heavily on separates. And this is a good thing, especially for this spring 2017 collection. Tam employs the current trends of off-the-shoulder blouses, fringed edges and metallic and sequined embellishment. All of these trends appear in Tam’s separates, making this collection very retail friendly.

Images courtesy of vogue.com

Tam also gives a nod to denim in this collection, conjuring images of the early 70s with this inclusion, particularly when Tam employs baby doll silhouettes, flared pants, NASA decals, and print patterns of armadillos, butterflies and wild flowers. Standout looks in the collection include Tam’s NASA bayou-appliqued white tulle dress with H-Town logo badges, burnt orange Mexican flower-appliqued denim dress, red cotton western shirt with spoonbill lace and red lace ruffle skirt, and white butterfly garden lace long dress with NASA and butterfly appliques.

—Rosemary Ponzo

Miguel Vieira Spring 2017

September 14, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Portuguese designer Miguel Vieira’s inspiration for his spring 2017 collection—his debut collection presented in the city—was “Out of Africa.” Vieira’s spring clothes are fresh, even if the influence of the African continent on the collection seems rather reductionist in that Africa is, yet again, synonymous with “tribal” prints and safaris.

The tiresomeness of this colonial perspective aside—probably more the fault of the 1985 film, Out of Africa, than that of the designer—Vieira’s take on Safari chic is far from hackneyed. Painted in a neutral palette of exclusively black and white, laced with a soupçon of tan and a solitary splash of navy, the collection treated its stimulus with an air of sophistication.

The safari suit impetus, for instance, is extrapolated into chic matching separates such as a long-sleeved cropped jacket, fastened at the waist with a slim black belt, over peg leg trousers. This suit was sewn out of fabric directly evocative of Malian Bologanfini (mud-cloth) and the same print gives life to a pair of delightfully playful flounced dresses.

Vieira took the idea of tribal lines to a psychedelic level in black-on-shimmering-tan kaleidoscope print dresses and separates that are hypnotic in their simplicity. In a deft move that saved the collection from flatness, the designer deepened the linear motif with sequined stripes and abstract patterns. The result was an interesting texturizing of dresses that might otherwise have been a milquetoast effort.

Linearity was even present in the romantic ribbed lace dresses and blouses sprinkled refreshingly in-between the solid ensembles. The most remarkable of these Chloë-esque looks was the diaphanous plunging V-neck dress that closed out the show. Its opaque scalloped double peplum provides an intriguing contrast to the sheer striation of the body of the frock.

Images courtesy of Dan Corina Lecca/Mao PR

Speaking of contrast, diametrically opposed to the grace of much of the collection was the addition of thick safari-jacket belts to peak-lapelled men’s blazers, an element that felt forced and too literal all at once. Contrivances though those jackets may have seemed, the entirety of Vieira’s spring 2017 collection boasts a calculated ease that is not easy to manufacture or to master: the effortless polish of these clothes is undeniable.

—Natasha Nyanin

Dennis Basso Spring 2017

September 14, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

You know that there is a certain kind of brilliance associated with a brand when that brand’s design aesthetic can be re-invented and loyal customers keep coming back. So is the case with Dennis Basso.

Dennis Basso initially made a name for himself in the industry as a furrier. And his fashion shows centered mostly on Basso’s innovative use of fur, which has worked well for Basso over the years. Still, one might ask, how can a fashion brand known for interesting and unique perspectives when it comes fur, which at its core is a fall/winter phenomenon, translate into spring/summer clothes? Spring/summer garments and fun are not necessarily compatible bedfellows, right? Correct; however, Dennis Basso has ingeniously discovered some synchronicity between these two disparate elements. And it works!!

For spring 2017, the spirit of the modern international voyager inspired Dennis Basso. The international playground that serves as a backdrop for Basso’s inspiration serves his spring 2017 woman well as she darts from one fashion capital to the next, needing a wardrobe that reflects her many dalliances and her carefree spirit as she explores many world cultures. And because she is briskly traveling from one international locale to the next, Basso’s woman must pack lightly and carry garments that don’t need a lot of maintenance.

This emphasis of global travel is highlighted in garments this season that are a lot more youthful and fit for travel. Gone are some of the over-embellished, sometimes matronly looks of the past seasons. This collection, though still slightly excessive at 61 looks, had a lot more variation and youthful charm and whimsy than seen in previous outings. In this collection, Basso moved effortlessly between dresses and skirts of varying lengths, with a few pants thrown in for good measure.

Though this collection placed more emphasis on youthful charm and whimsy didn’t lack elegance or sophistication. Basso will continue to appeal to his loyal consumer base with lush suedes and a few looks that incorporated fur embellishments. Still, the highlight of this collection was the effortless, youthful sauciness of the looks.

Images courtesy of Indigital.tv/vogue.com

Standout looks in the collection were Basso’s camel line coat with mesh and sable vest, white sable and chiffon jacket with pleated chiffon dress, hand-embroidered blush gown, and hand-beaded blush lace gown.

—William S. Gooch

John Paul Ataker Spring 2017

September 13, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

If there is any doubt that Turkish designer John Paul Ataker has a penchant for the operatic, that the last of his models walked to the sound of Ennio Morricone’s Gabriel’s Oboe and the finale proceeded to the same maestro’s The Mission, should erase all uncertainty.

The collection—the self-described goal of which was to take “us back to ancient Assyrian culture, inspiring classically modern prints and sculpted shapes that create an elegantly tailored silhouette to enhance the feminine form”—while dramatic and diverse, lacked the thread of concinnity that gracefully sews such an ambitious undertaking together.

While the three-dimensionality of some of the pieces, including a white gown with peplum covered in multi-colored butterfly appliqué, is laudable, at best the clothes were a showcase of angelic intention and at worst, an exhibition of dizzying devilish details. Certain pieces, such as blue and yellow shiny taffeta gowns both belabored by multi-fold peplums, were in dire want of restraint. A cacophony rang out where a simple melody was craved.

Images courtesy of firstview.com

What Ataker’s collection lacked in editing, however, he made up for in pageantry: sheer trains swept from armholes beyond the length of the dress in one look; in the final look, a model manipulated the many-tiered train as though it were the wing of a seraphim. His passion is palpable and the time that was lavished on these confections is unmistakable. The purest notes were the dulcet tones of a peach high-low hemmed gown with its fitted bodice and hoop skirt. In this one piece, Ataker achieved Wagnerian echelons of romance without the coloratura that marred several of the other looks. With a little more isolation of ideas, Ataker’s voice would carry more clearly, and he would have us singing his praises.

—Natasha Nyanin