Kati Stern likes to channel her vivacious, fiery, rock n’ roll spirit through her collections each season. And though Venexiana is known for elegant, opulent gowns, at closer examination, the spirit of rock n’ roll peeks through. Each season Stern channels her unique perspective on eveningwear through the lens of edgy, but opulent evening gowns, bejeweled with an assortment of eye-catching embellishments that add to Stern’s special brand of glitz and glam.
Venexiana debuted its spring/summer 2014 collection with an assortment of stunning dresses featuring bold sequin accents, delicate lace embroidery, luxurious pastel shades of peach, blue, pink, orange and lavender matched against form-fitting metallic and luxurious gowns in the diaphanous fabrics of silk chiffon, organza and tulle. From one-shoulder daring prints to halter, body-conscious designs that showcased the feminine silhouette, season after season Kati Stern keeps elevating her customer beyond just pretty eveningwear to garments that push the proverbial fashion-forward envelope.
Hungarian-born designer and rock-n-roll lovechild, Kati Stern channels her eclectic style and her love for rock music into a whimsical collection of elegant evening dresses for the adventurous fashion lover who isn’t not afraid to indulge in a more edgier style. The collection featured over 70 looks; each gown with its own unique perspective that attracts the fashion-conscious woman who dreams of luxury.
Images courtesy of Ken Jones
Standouts in this collection were Stern’s interesting take on illusions which resulted in Grecian draped gowns with illusions on the sides and in the bodice are. Other standouts were Stern’s gunmetal metallic gown and lavender halter gown with sequin and lace overlay.
—Dana E. Givens
For her spring 2014 collection Sally LaPointe looked to flowers found at your local delicatessen. As expressed in this collection, deli flowers can evoke an alluring melancholy, as well as a faded beauty. Think about it, the flowers are put out and displayed in the early morning hours and by the end of the day the lushness and vibrancy of their simple beauty has faded or expired. With this though it mind, some of the later garments in LaPointe’s spring collection reflected a rich mosaic of colors that blended into each other just as wilting flowers’ vibrancy diminishes without losing some of the beauty.
Typically LaPointe likes to combine hard as soft elements in her collections. In this outing the elements of hard and soft her expressed in LaPointe’s unique layering techniques in which the bottom garment may be an organza or crepe fabrication topped with leather or vinyl layer. Take LaPointe’s plush matte sequin tulip dress layered over with a plush pearlized patent leather pleated vest, or an eggshell organza crop tee with pearlized patent leather pleated vest accessorized with a white leather folded waist belt as hardware. That said; in this collection LaPointe demonstrated that she has become a master at manipulating organza, a very difficult garment to masterfully bend to any designer’s will due the fabric’s fraying possibilities.
LaPointe does incorporate some continuing trends from previous seasons it this collection, but as always LaPointe finds innovative ways of evolving her approach of fresh, linear architecturally centered garments without being overwhelmed by the latest trends. Point in fact is the continued trend of exposed midriffs, which LaPointe has in this collection. LaPointe expands this trend in her spring 2014 collection with her unique approach to layering and hardware, giving her consumer a variety of options of how to incorporate this trend into their spring wardrobe. With the layering the exposed midriff is very subtle and understated, with the outer hardware the exposed midriff is more dynamic but still has a point of view that is unique and attention grabbing.
Project Runway has produced a slew of credible fashion designers. Still, only a handful have gone on to show consistently during New York Fashion Week. With the exception of Christian Siriano, Irina Shabayeva, Korto Momolu, Gretchen Jones, Malan Breton, and a few others, most contestants on Project Runway are faces we only see on reruns on Lifetime and the Style Network. And while some very talented Project Runway alumnae start off strong with good press and notices, only Siriano and Malan Breton have managed to keep their feet in the proverbial New York Fashion Week pool season after season.
Breton’s color palette ranged from the soft pastels of carnation pink to eggshell white, beige, nude and electric blue. “As far as color was concerned I wanted to keep it softer for the women and bolder for the men,” detailed Breton. “When it comes to color, men are becoming the prize peacock. Interestingly, roles are being switched in the market right now.”
Elie Tahari celebrated the label’s 40th anniversary by looking to the future while making a few clever nods to the label’s illustrious past.
Modernism, inspired by 1950s Brasilia architecture by Oscar Niemeyer, was a key theme for this dazzling birthday party. That meant lots of white on white, with dollops of solid black and a few splashes of brilliant color such as peony pink.
One thing that makes New York Fashion Week so interesting is that one sees collections from a range of designers representing different approaches to what a collection should be.
After all, Minkoff has earned notice as a designer for the hip and happening set, especially the rocker set and the regular folks who love and follow them. It’s no accident that the packed crowd attending the Minkoff show was treated to live music by one of the hippest singers around—Janelle Monae. Minkoff may not have counted on the fact that the performance of Monae and her band nearly eclipsed the fashions coming down the runway.
But Minkoff’s creations were, for the most part, charming enough.
OK, it is Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2014 collections so it is expected that you will have floral inspirations in several collections. And true to form designers from Sally LaPointe to Monique Lhuillier to Tadashi Shoji to Zang Toi infused their collections with floral embellishments. Add Christian Siriano to the lists.
Interestingly, Siriano placed his floral-inspired garments at the end of his runway presentation. But this placement makes sense when considering that Siriano was inspired by a recent trip to the Isla Mujures, the “Island of Women,” off of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Siriano in this collection conjured up images of the tropical flora, fragrances, colors, architectural influences, textiles, and in particular the abundance of dahlias on the island. Grass and palm-lined hut influences are expressed in Siriano’s use of raffia textiles. Intricate stonework and color-blocked streets are projected in Siriano’s shapes and construction. Isla Mujures’ tropical color palettes pop up in Siriano’s use of sand and verdant tones, fuchsia, and floral brocades.
Christian Siriano stays on trend with cropped bandeau tops, exposed midriffs, and illusions, and the construction illusions of flowing trains by making the back of the garment significantly longer than the front. Siriano demonstrates in this collection that he has mastered that delicate balance between fashion-forward sensibility and elegant sophistication. A skill that often takes years to acquire.
Be ready to be swept off your feet and onto an enchanting ride with a romantic collection inspired by the beauty of the Sahara Desert. Son Jung Wan took her customer on a trip to a North African exotic desert oasis during her spring 2014 runway show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. This luxuriously detailed collection from the South Korean designer included a vibrant color palette of chalky white and blush tones blended with brilliant desert hues like burnt orange against asymmetrical cuts for the elegant Arabian-inspired collection. Feminine silhouettes and metallic detailing can be seen throughout the assortment of chic designs all looks that are both sexy and luxurious.
“…I was inspired by Morocco and the romantic, picturesque, sun-drenched Sahara Desert. It is such a mysterious place where you can wander, get lost and find peace and beauty,” says Wan. Son Jung Wan’s breathtaking inspiration is the perfect fashion translation for a beautiful starry night in the desert.
For spring/summer 2014 Monique Lhuillier looked to a floral motif and the delicate balance between layering and textures seen through the rich color prism of coral, fuchsia, poppy red, persimmon, soft rose gold, nude and cream. Using a floral theme is not new to Lhuillier. For spring 2011 Lhuillier was inspired by florals found in the Garden of Eden expressed in a stunning collection that juxtaposed an inchoate sensuality against a resplendent glamour.
Unlike spring 2011, this collection was a bit more commercial and expanded Lhuillier’s consumer base beyond red-carpet gowns and that woman who wants to make a dramatic statement. Though the silhouettes were more simple and demure in this outing, Lhuillier did incorporate flowing trains, some innovative lace illusion embellishments and very modern bandeau tops married with voluminous ball skirts.
Lhuillier has proven for several seasons now that she is more than just a red-carpet eveningwear designer. Every season she highlights restrained but elegant daywear in her collections. Still, audiences may yearn for Lhuillier’s head-turning gowns for spring 2014.
And though this collection was an interesting departure for Lhuillier, at times the collection didn’t go beyond pretty. If there was one next in this collection it was Lhuillier ingenious combination of sexy bandeau tops paired with high waisted voluminous ball skirts that did not reveal the belly button. This look is Lhuillier’s new interpretation of traditional evening that will attract a more youthful consumer.
Sunny, joyous, playful frivolity with unbelievable splashes of bold color describes Desigual. Since 1984 Desigual has been the town crier for clothes that reflect a youthful, fun, positive attitude that is expressed each season in affordable bold, innovative garments for the consumer who is not afraid to express their individuality and love of life. Infuse Desigual’s signature point of view with a kaleidoscope of color, pop art, graffiti-inspired digital prints and you have their spring 2014 collection.
In this outing, Desigual looked to the Mediterranean and La Dolce Vita found in the idylls of Saint Tropez, Ibiza, the French Riviera, and all other Adriatic Sea hot spots. Life is to be experienced with caution thrown to the wind, which came across strongly in Desigual’s spring 2014 collection. Only Betsey Johnson produces that kind of party on the runway, and though most industry professionals attend MBFW for the clothes, Desigual’s carnivale-like presentation is a pleasant departure from the sometimes formal, but necessary promenades of well-known brands.
Like many collections this season, Desigual started out with black and white neutrals. But after the twelfth look, Desigual pulled out of all the stops in this 40-plus collection with a mélange of color, vibration and energy that rivals only Betsey Johnson. Though there were some great coats and colorful jumpsuits in this collection, Desigual’s separates were the true standouts in that a variety of women of different physiques and ages can implement their spring/summer wardrobes with a Desigual top, skirt, short or slack.
