Womenswear — Page 55

Monique Lhuiller Spring 2015

September 6, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Florals for spring, an original thought, right? Not. And it has been done ad nauseam. Which is why the brilliant way Monique Lhuillier incorporated this overused inspiration in her spring 2015 collection proves that she is a genius in linear thought development as well as design and construction.

It is often said that fashion is now and next, leaning more toward now with a dose of aspirational next on the side. In this outing, Lhuillier started her collection the other way around, a lot of next with a dose of now thrown in for good measure. And it worked beautifully.

For spring 2015 Monique Lhuillier revisits florals but distilled through the lens of innovative textiles paired with embellishments that create texture and fantasy. For inspiration Lhuillier looked to the first few moments of sunrise when the sky is painted with luminous shades of pastels that she experienced while on a trip to Harbour Island in the Bahamas.

The color palette in this spring collection embraced soft hues of pink, coral, mint green, sky blue, pale yellow, lavender, and any hues that evoke an iridescent dream-like quality. Lhuillier combined these soft sunrise hues with modern elements of noir-coated mesh, laminated lace, iridescent metallic piping and liquid satin.

Though the silhouettes in this collection were not necessarily groundbreaking, Lhuilier ingeniously paired unique fabric combinations and innovative textile techniques in new and interesting ways. And, this is where Lhuillier excelled. As the proverb details “There is nothing new under the sun,” but with Lhuillier, this season, familiar silhouettes and structures look new again even though they were decades old!!

Unlike previous outings, there were lots of separates that could be used to update a spring/summer wardrobe. Surprisingly, there were few red-carpet gowns for spring 2015 with Lhuillier staying with the garden-party motif throughout much of the collection. With Lhuillier turning up the volume for her concept of next and now, overall, this collection may be her most successful artistically, as well as having the most market value.

Images courtesy of Bennet Cobliner

Standouts for spring 2015, and there were many, included Lhuillier’s noir multi-floral embroidered tulle shell, silk white 4-ply silk crepe bandeau top with petal silk scuba short with noir contrast waistband, petal-embroidered tulle sleeveless gown with peplum and tulle skirt overlay, and pink multi-violet printed silk twill gazar one-shoulder tufted ball gown.

—William S. Gooch

Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2015

September 6, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

The big news at the celebration of Carmen Marc Valvo’s 25th anniversary was the forward-thinking vibe that permeated the festive occasion.

Valvo, over the years, has earned renown as a go-to designer for real women, particularly women with curves. His gowns and cocktail dresses don’t just frame shapely bodies, they celebrate them.

For his 25th anniversary celebration collection, Valvo sought to mix classics with a refreshing blast of the new. The classics came in the skillfully cut cocktail dresses and evening gowns that have made the designer such a favorite with a range of stars and famous spouses like Katie Couric, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vanessa Williams, Sheri Shepherd, and Denzel Washington’s wife, Pauletta. But these were anything but nostalgic odes to the past, thanks to Valvo’s use of mesh insets that teased the eye.

An ivory double face cocktail dress was given a racy edge with black scuba mesh detail. Several maillots got the mesh inset treatment. Even otherwise sweet looking pieces in a black and white floral got the revved up mesh inset treatment. The results here were somewhat mixed. While some of the mesh inset work was indeed intriguing and alluring, some of it seemed a tad overdone—too much of a good thing.

But the biggest surprise wasn’t to be found in the gowns or cocktail dresses. Instead, Valvo turned heads by introducing menswear to his collection. These were ensembles for an evening out on the town—mostly combinations of elegant dress shirts with jeans and pants such as a white cotton shirt with—wait for it—mesh inset and indigo printed faille jeans. Some of the most winning looks here were series of organza shirts such as Valvo’s black organza tuxedo shirt and a mandarin orange silk organza shirt shown with white jeans. Here, the organza allowed just enough of a teasing glimpse of muscle and sinew, the perfect complement to the feminine curves on display for Valvo’s women.

Images courtesy of Bennet Cobliner

Valvo saved his best for last with eveningwear embroidered in silver. Some of the best here included a stunning silver floral venise embroidered organza chemise, an ivory silver beaded mini matinee cocktail dress and an ivory silver embroidered mini matinee strapless cocktail dress.

—Karyn D. Collins

Nicholas K Spring 2015

September 6, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Abandon the nomadic chic vibe? Nah. Nicholas K will never do that. Season after season the nomad chic/urban warrior projection and all of its variations are the core reference points for the brand.

The design duo of Christopher and Nicholas Kunz looked to North African female explores for inspiration for their spring 2015 collection. They focused mostly on Swiss explore Isabelle Eberhardt who at the turn-of-the-nineteenth century dressed as a man while exploring North Africa.

That said; the masculine/feminine paradigm is woven throughout the collection. But, then again, those mixes of hard and soft, masculine and feminine is always a core element for Nicholas K. However, unlike previous collections there were no male models. The brand had the female models fully embody the masculine and feminine principals, eliminating the need for the male presence.

Christopher and Nicholas K always employ lots of layering and draping in their collections. Still, unlike previous incarnations, this season those elements were done with more sophistication and panache. Where in previous outing the layering and draping sometimes hid the feminine silhouette, this season the layering and draping enhanced the curves and added to the mystery of the female form. And the design duo helped forward the trend of khaki chinos for spring 2015.

Though this collection employed colors that would normally be thought of for a fall/winter collection, the easy fit and relaxed mode of the garments—consistent design element for Nicholas K—kept the collection solidly in temperate climates.

Images courtesy of Bennet Cobliner

Standouts in the collection were the hooded, draped olive silk jumper, sheer white cargo pants with draped blouse and gold neckpiece, and black bomber jacket, grey draped top with grey rolled-up extended crouch pants.

—William S. Gooch

Missoni Resort 2015

June 28, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Since 1958 Missoni has been recognized globally for its colorful knitwear and prints. And for its 2015 Resort collection, the global brand keeps knitwear as its focus but seen through the kaleidoscopic lens of modular interpretations of abstract compositions the evoke the artwork of Lichenstein’s Pop Art, Bridget Riley’s Op Art, and the work of Frank Stella.

This collection centers on finding that delicate balance of combining, contrasting and overlaying textures, patterns, prints and solid colors. And that delicate balance is beautifully evident in a collection the infuses geometric micro- and macro-elements and abstract prints in bright hues juxtaposed with black or white resulting in a variety of spectacular optical effects such as polychrome pointillé bands, and vibrant graphic motifs of stripes, fret patterns and exaggerated zigzags.

What also stands out in this resort collection is the many ways separates can be combined that expresses the consumer’s personal style and mood. Like great works of art the lively prints can be paired with the bold, monochromatic colors. In true Missoni fashion exaggerated zigzag patterns are matched with digital prints. And where is some other brands this seemingly random pairing would seem out of control or too busy, with Missoni it is par for the course and always a fresh way at looking at color and graphic patterns.

Images courtesy of CM Media PR

The color palette is this outing ranges from combinations of amber, aquamarine, purple and aubergine; emerald, periwinkle, orange and fuchsia; geranium red, powder pink and lemon yellow. And these bold colors interact and contrast with stark black borders or by black or white backgrounds.

—William S. Gooch

Ellery Resort 2015

June 24, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

For its 2015 collection, Ellery looked to suburban swimming pools for inspiration. In seasons past, this Australian-based brand has established itself as a fashion brand that has an affinity for manipulating volume and silhouette; this collection was more directed toward streamlined construction.

Though there are some pieces that demonstrates creative director Kym Ellery’s masterful approach to scale and shape, artfully evidenced in exaggerated Dolman-like sleeves, empire-waisted tops that flare out, and voluminous skirts, Ellery wisely keeps this collection focused on pieces that are more consumer friendly while still maintaining the brand’s signature look. This resort collection also bears witness to Kym Ellery’s ability to rework the brand’s signature silhouettes into a sophisticated mélange that mixes opulence with modernism.

Wrapped up in the suburban swimming pool inspiration is a nod to David Hockney’s swimming pool series. These references are evidenced in an eclectic collage of aquatic prints with An abstract painted ripple print anchors the collection in soft peach-pink whilst the simpler yet bold print in black and vanilla echo Hockney’s infamous brushstrokes.

Images courtesy of CM Media PR

This 2015 resort collection is not necessarily destination prone. However, the lack of locale specificity facilitates this collection transcending seasons and having appeal to a wider demographic.

The color palette is this collection has a monochromatic base highlighted with rich aubergine, muted blues, soft peach and splashes of vibrant yellow.

—William S. Gooch

Christian Siriano Resort 2015

June 11, 2014 by admin 4 Comments

Bold color, digital prints, asymmetrical cuts, color blocking, and 60s-influences are trends that are front and center in Christian Siriano’s Resort 2015 collection. Some of these trends have managed to hang around for several seasons, while others have faded from the minds of the conscientious shopper. In this collection, Siriano breathes new life into several of these continuing trends.

Color has never been as bold as in Siriano’s Resort 2015 collection. “Christian’s inspiration for this collection was based on Charleston, South Carolina artist Teil Duncan. He loves her work and was really bowled over by the bold colors and pastels. Since his fall 2014 collection was rather dark, for resort Christian decided to bring bold, bright color to his work. Christian was also recently in Tokyo, so that inspired the collection which you can see in the origami effect and silhouette of some of the pieces,” details Patrick Jones, Vice President of Communications for AgentryPR.

The combination of bold color and origami-based silhouettes, as well as some 60s influences has produced a resort collection that is fresh, dynamic, fashion-forward and very consumer friendly. Since Project Runway, Siriano has learned how to cull his fashion-forward, edgy approach to design into collections that are consumer friendly without losing his signature design aesthetic. And this collection, Sirirano dresses his woman for every jointure of her resort day. From daytime wear to clothing for cool evenings to a night out on the town, even to a resort season red carpet event or premiere, Siriano has his customer dressed for almost every occasion.

Siriano also employs lots of modern art techniques in this collection. From pointillism to the wide brush strokes and splattered paint seen in abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock, Siriano has created a mélange of silhouettes, fabrications and influences that renders this collection fashion as wearable art.

Images courtesy of AgentryPR

And the craftsmanship in this outing is absolutely sublime. From eveningwear pieces of Siriano’s oversized palm print delicately woven together with organza to cascasding light taffeta skirts with stripped bandeau tops, Siriano is providing modern-day luxury with almost couture craftsmanship to his resort customer.

Pow and wow moments aside, in this second resort outing Siriano has zeroed in on what his customer wants for resort and he is giving her a wide range of design and dress options. Resort as wearable art has never been this encompassing and breathtaking.

—William S. Gooch

Nicole Miller Resort 2015

June 10, 2014 by admin 1 Comment

For her 2015 Resort collection, Nicole Miller looked to Hawaiian vintage mod for inspiration. “This whole concept evolved from Nicole Miller purchasing a vintage shirt dress with a pineapple pattern that informed the color palette. There are updates from classic Hawaiian shirts, and in this collection Nicole employs very light neoprene and digital prints,” detailed Lauren Beene, Nicole Miller’s Director of Public Relations.

Though this collection heavily references Hawaiian vintage mod, this collection goes way beyond Don Ho and 60s-influenced tropical sarong silhouettes and beachwear. Though the simple silhouettes do harken back to 60s Waikiki Beach parties and exotic Pacific Ocean destinations, Miller ingeniously infuses her own special touches expressed through her penchant for mixing non-traditional fabrics like neoprene and with traditional fabrications of brushed cotton and linens, and silk.

“Nicole has been using neoprene as a fabric of choice for several seasons now, but for this resort collection the fabric is much lighter and works well for temperate weather during resort season,” explains Beene. “ Since everything feels very beach in this resort collection which takes off Nicole’s inspiration of the vintage Hawaiian shirt dress, we had to develop a neoprene that was more lightweight.”

For several seasons Nicole Miller has made her collections more youthful and sexy by using different fabrications from back to front and revealing the sensuous curves on a woman’s back. “Nicole loves to mix and play with different fabrics, employing different digital printing techniques, as well as revealing more of a woman’s sexy back in her tops and dresses,” confesses Beene.

Images courtesy of Nicole Miller

There are also great separates in this collection that can be mixed and matched and pieces that transition easily from day resort wear to easy, frolicky, night on the town wear. And Nicole Millier’s more concentrated focus on fresh, ebullient, youthful styles with mixes of bold color and fabrications has elevated her brand from a line mostly associated with classic cocktail looks and sophisticated evening wear to a brand that spans a wide demographic, maintains a consistent voice, but has something for every woman.

—William S. Gooch

The Future of Fashion: FIT’s 2014 BFA Fashion Show

May 5, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

OK, fashion pundits consistently complain season after season that the American fashion market is saturated with uninspired collections that fail to excite fashion editors and journalists or quicken the pulses of consumers. In an age where cheap disposable fashion appears to be the order of the day—jeans for $9.99 and spring/summer shoes on sale for $5.99—many fashion insiders worry that the fashion industry stateside is in its own way and doomed for an endless continuum of who-cares fashion moments.

The Fashion Institute of Technology’s (FIT) “Future of Fashion” runway show gives rise to a different, more hopeful prediction of where fashion is heading in the US. This annual fashion show of FIT’s best and brightest recent graduates demonstrates that while more seasoned designers seem to be churning out the same, mundane looks every season with some slight variation or embellishment, FIT’s recent graduates are going for the brass ring and bravely pulling out all the stops. The graduating class of 2014 was no exception.

From innovative perspectives on knitwear to the use of new textile technologies and creative oeuvre evidenced in the Class of 2014’s interesting take on outerwear, if any young group of designers can rescue the American market from its current malaise, I am betting on these recent FIT graduates. And this year a lot of the designs were wearable and retail friendly while still being fashion forward.

Since there were over 100 looks in this year’s fashion show, Fashion Reverie is going to highlight the boldest and most innovative looks.

FIT’s Class of 2014 did themselves proud with their outerwear looks. Standouts were Kyu Sang Kim’s white pastel gazar dress with fox shrug, Peter Po’s white spacer long coat, and Asli Parmaksizoglu’s tonal grey wool oversized coat.

Every season FIT’s graduating class causes the fashion world to re-examine its relationship to lingerie. This season was no different with more of aconcentration on bondage-inspired lingerie with hint of slap and tickle. Lingerie items of note were Christin Duffy’s black sheer long gown with French lace over black bra and panties, Kiran Khaliq’s peach lace bra and nude tulle waist-cincher with panty and nude tulle gown, and Jaclyn Magliulio’s navy/black cotton and lace bra with navy/black cotton and lace underbust bustier.

Knitwear has always a specialty of FIT’s course load and this season the graduates did not disappoint. Su Jung Lee’s ivory bulky wool knit coat with neck warmer and geometric skirt, Macshella Oduro’s emerald green sea-beaded dress with slits and Vanessa Coote reversible handkni colorwork brioche poncho are all standouts.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green

And FIT’s fashion would be nothing with out kid’s clothes. Standouts were Stephanie Decanay pink alpaca vest with ostrich feathers, grey fleece pompom dress, Tara Zeman’s brown wool coat with applique pleasted inserts over beige flared skirts, and Natali Collado’s white metallic textured coat, charcoal leggings with mint knit turtleneck vest.

—William S. Gooch

Amsale Bridal Spring 2015

April 15, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

As always the Amsale Bridal Collection presents modern glamour seen through a prism of classic elegance. This season was no exception. For spring 2015, Amsale Aberra has created a dream world of understated glamour and sophistication.

Aberra captures the essence of her modern bride’s penchant for classic elegance with a projection toward fashion-forward sensibility by infusing soft shades of blush, soft pinks and vanilla tones. The combination of these soft color palettes mixed with Amsale’s column and fit-to-flare silhouettes presents the Amsale modern bride as an otherworldly creature of fantasy and chic elegance.

Spring 2015 is also an important season for lace. Amsale appropriately infuses her collection with lace draped over slinky silhouettes, paired with sequins, tulle, and organza. One lace standout gown in this collection was Amsale’s princess gown with a corded lace drop-waist gown with a voluminous tulle skirt.

As with many bridal designers this season, Amsale used lots of sheer illusion fabrics in the bodice and neckline. Still, Amsale’s distillation of sheer illusions was better than most, particularly in some of her column gowns with the sheer illusions being employed in scooped out back creations and paired with form fitted lace column gowns. And Amsale’s use of simple trains with floral cutouts accompanying her column and fit-to-flare gowns was breathtaking.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green

Noteworthy standouts in the collection were the simple pink column with a draped organza train, bias cut silk chiffon strapless gown with crystal hand-beading on bodice and beaded border beatuex train, and bias cut silk chiffon gown with illusion neckline and silk flowers on sheer back.

—William S. Gooch

Anna Maier Bridal Spring 2015

April 15, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

How much does Charles W. Bunstine II, the designer of Anna Maier Bridal Collection, love lace? Fashion Reverie counted the ways at the line’s spring 2015 collection. There was Chantilly lace, French Wild Flower lace, Twisted Leaf lace, Magnolia lace, Wild Pansy Lace, plus French Poppy lace—each with a distinctive look.

“We have a history of use of rare lace, in very individual ways,” Bunstine noted in the Run of Show, “here we hope to continue and improve.” Thus the theme of his 41^st collection: “Better”— if that is possible, given Bunstine’s high-scoring design record.

He layered the various laces over double white, rose or champagne charmeuse under dresses in some cases, highlighting the unique lace patterns. His structural designs included column gowns, ball gowns, slim gowns and duchess gowns. “We give this dimensionally flat product additional dimensions, and introduce air and movement,” Bunstine says of this collection. “We mix it amongst the colors we layer it upon and under. We highlight it. We drape it to give it life.”

“With this work in mind,” Bunstine explained, “my mind couldn’t escape the luxurious lines of 40s Hollywood.” Whether soft or hard, they were forever fluid and elegant.” Bunstine brought the timeless bias-cut gown, great for the curvy girl, with designs featuring sleek satin, soft silk charmeuse and superfine wool crepe.

Bunstine created an ivory-colored duchess satin column gown, molded to fit the body, dramatically falling so that the shimmering satin became a voluminous waterfall of fabric. Bunstine duplicated the same effect with a soft white duchess satin column gown with draped and wrapped skirt of a soft natural gazar silk.

But Bunstine did not get lost entirely in lace. He offered a classy, yet sexy soft white super fine wool crepe V-Neck grown with a dramatic slit and a bit of bling provided by a sparkling brooch embellishment at the side. For the demure bride he designed a white matte silk gown with empire seamed high neck, but brought the bling with a crystal embellished criss-cross back.

Images courtesy of Ken Jones

Bunstine also presented several stellar evening gowns. “Everything we do in white, we do in color.’ I thought we should put some physicality to those words.” However Bunstine chose to showcase a number of black evening gowns, including a beaded black Chantilly lace gown over graphite double charmeuse, featuring an illusion neckline. In a design tribute to Madame Vionnet, Bunstine closed his show with a black architecturally seamed duchess gown.

One of the most dramatic standouts of the entire collection was a champagne double charmeuse gown with an overlay of graphite French wild flower lace. “Working with lace these past years,” Bunstine noted, “I’ve learned more and better appreciated the art and craftsmanship I discover in our mills … We know our effort to today is the best we can execute today seeking better, until tomorrow that is … then again … better.”

—Francesca Simon