Front Row — Page 13

Mark Ingram Bridal Fall 2024

October 10, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

If one wanted to proclaim this season Mark Ingram’s “golden season,” you wouldn’t be far off. With over two decades in the bridal industry, Ingram has opened his second atelier after launching his first atelier 22 years ago.

“This October marks what I call my ‘golden year,’ with a nod to the opening of my first Atelier twenty-two years ago, a milestone birthday, and the building and move to a brand new Atelier—as well, celebrating all of the brides and bridal fashion we have encountered throughout,” explained Mark Ingram.

Ingram’s new atelier is stunning, but even more stunning is his fall 2024 bridal collection. True to form Ingram’s fall 2024 bridal collection is comprised of classic bridal silhouettes with elements of modern accents, making this collection oh so appropriate for the modern bride.

What also stands out about this bridal outing is Ingram’s use of classic lines and embroideries that suggest movement, all inspired by flamenco dance styles and fashion of Seville. Ingram also employs interesting angles with a hint of asymmetrical influences which keeps this otherwise classic collection in the realm of current trends with a modern sensibility.

Images courtesy of Mark Ingram

Standout looks in this fall 2034 collection include, but are not limited to, the one shoulder diagonally seamed bodice A-line gown with a split skirt, soft squared ballet neckline tulle gown with cascading floral trellis embroidery, crescent-shaped strapless gown in celestial shower sparkle tulle with contour paneled bodice and pleated full A-line skirt, and crepe halter neck halter gown with cut-out back and contoured mermaid skirt.

—William S. Gooch

VERDAVAINNE Spring 2024

September 15, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

You know that you are solidly out of the COVID-19 pandemic when you start to see a plethora of red-carpet looks in fashion collections. New York Fashion Week’s (NYFW) spring 2024 season demonstrated that the pandemic is behind us and its time to show off glam looks on red carpets or your favorite events and celebrations.

Making his NYFW debut, VERDAVAINNE is a luxury red-carpet and eveningwear brand that is sure to make fashion heads stand up and take notice. The brand features stunningly imagined silhouettes with voluminous skirts that captivate with their architectural structure and graceful movement. The collection also showcases oversized high-contrast patterns that demand attention, and elegant kimono-inspired, trapunto stitched belt detailing that added an exquisite touch of refinement to each ensemble.

The collection also focused on neckline treatments, from alluring halter styles that exuded elegance to romantic off-shoulder designs that offered a touch of provocative sophistication. Bold and strong shoulders were also a commanding statement. A highlight of the presentation was the collection’s finale, a breathtaking wedding gown in chalk white that featured a halter neckline and a self-appliqué sash made of delicate white poppy flower petals, creating an ethereal and romantic masterpiece akin to a moving marble sculpture.

“I wanted to show something glamorous and generous in proportion but with clean, crisp lines. The use of colors was a must for me with the Neon Yellow, the Chartreuse, the Shameless Fuchsia Pink … it’s all about bringing fun to our clients’ wardrobes,” explained creative director Cyril Verdavainne. “With this collection we are going start to the clients. It is no longer about what I want to present as a fashion designer, it is more about my clients and what they want to wear to events and red carpets. I’ve been doing trunk shows for three years, and my customers are complaining that they are having difficulty finding garments that they want. So, with this collection we are creating garments that meet our customers’ needs.”

And this collection does just that. There is something in this spring 2024 collection that is appealing to a wide demographic and fits the needs of women who want that special occasion garment. Cyril Verdavainne also included several plus-size models in this presentation, something that we are seeing less and less of in the spring 2024 collections.

Images courtesy of VERY New York

For this NYFW debut, Cyril Verdavainne is off to an excellent start. And we anticipate what the brand will bring next season!!

—William S. Gooch

Love, Kelly by Kelly Butts-Spirito Fall 2023

September 14, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Every fashion week, the industry tries to give a portrayal of what it believes is “what’s next” in high-end, futuristic fashion and luxury streetwear. But too often, they don’t provide the story behind the clothing itself. In just two years, Kelly Butts-Spirito, in his debut at New York Fashion Week (NYFW), gave everyone who was fortunate to spectate firsthand a great representation of forward-thinking and futuristic fashion,as well as his story and what brought him there.

Butts-Spirito’s collections are from core moments and awakenings in his life. The Love, Kelly by Kelly Butts-Spirito runway show took attendees on a journey via a documentary film that helped share the true story behind each collection while also helping everyone connect and understand his creative vision and direction.

Butts-Spirito NYFW show came on the heels of an impressive festival he put on in Burlington, VT, last month. Despite the time crunch, Butts-Spirito and his designer and partner, Milo Rubin, were able to make 43 pieces in 40 days. “The garments were a mix of everything, from French cotton terry and an 80/20 cotton/poly blend for hoodies to a bunch of different types of denim; the only piece with stretch denim was the denim hoodie. We had a duck canvas jacket and leather patches on suede pants. We also incorporated reworked jeans into the looks, often adding flares on the inside or outside of the leg,” explained Butts-Spirito.

Butts-Spirito understands that creating a brand image through social media and any other innovative ideas, like when you meshed a documentary to fit into this recent runway show is a current innovative way to bring attention to your brand. “I think the most important thing in fashion design is perspective and feeling. I think the best designers have an interesting perspective on the world and they share that through dope clothing. The clothing that I think has the best design are the ones that make you feel something impactful when you wear it and look at it,” details Butts-Spirito.

This debut collection takes consumers through a cinematic journey of Butts-Spirito’s life, its complications, and everything in between. “The colors were intentional to match the themes of the emotions I was going through at the time. For the first collection, the feeling was very tan and nude color-based because the heartbreak emotion to me felt very naked. The film barely had any color correction on it as well because of how I wanted it to feel, which was raw. The second collection was all black and white because it represented going from darkness to light. The third collection is very colorful because it represents childhood, my home and the rebirth of me coming back to my hometown and redefining myself.”

Images courtesy of Owen Hammel

What can we expect next from Butts-Spirito’s brand, Love Kelly? “The fashion world can expect the unexpected from my brand. I want my brand to always continue to push boundaries while bringing new and unexpected shows and clothing collections to the world. A place where fans of the brand can always feel surprised by what I create next. I plan on bringing a winter collection to life and will be releasing it during the winter months.”

With bated breath, we can hardly wait. Fashion world, watch out!!

—Ryan Salfino

SIXDO Spring 2024

September 12, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Does a spring collection need to include garments made of lightweight fabrics—cottons, light tweeds, lightweight denims, and diaphanous silks, chiffons, and organza? Not if you are SIXDO. You get all that, and a lot more!!

If you are SIXDO you don’t adhere to strict policy around which fabrics are appropriate for spring collections. And for their spring 2024 collection this Korean-based fashion brand employed a wide swarth of fabric choices that extended to light wools, tweed, brocade, feathers, taffeta, cottons, silks, and heavily embedded fabrics.

Interestingly for its debut collection, the audience was chalked full of folks wearing black and red with variations of rosettes on their garments. At first glance, one would have thought that this was a tribute to Christian Lacroix. Not so, SIXDO’s creative director Do Manh Cuong infuses rosettes and floral embellishments in a lot of his creations, so the audience mirrored his design aesthetic.

When it comes to the brand’s debut, Do Manh Cuong pulled out all the stops, with some of the best models in the industry presenting his spring 2024 collection to a New York audience that was packed to the rafters with fans and fashion industry professionals. Do Manh Cuong understood that if you are coming to debut your collection at one of the largest fashion markets in the world, your presentation needs to be on point and spectacular. And that is what Do Manh Cuong did. He delivered, and then some!!

SIXDO’s spring 2024 show turned out to be one of the best shows of the New York Fashion Week season with variation after variation on floral rosettes, polka dots, and ruffles. All accomplished with a mostly neutral palette with splashes of variations on carnation, red, and pink.

There is so much to wonder and choose from in this spring 2024 outing with a huge range of silhouettes and design aesthetics to pick from. And though this collection contained 50 garments, this collection was incredibly cohesive.

Images courtesy of fashionweekonline.com

Keep up the good work Do Manh Cuong!!

—William S. Gooch

DUR DOUX Spring 2024

September 12, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

For spring 2024 the mother/daughter design duo not only brings sexy back; the design duo has brought sexy back in pink and variations on pink, coral, carnation, and oragne. This collection entitled “Sous-Marine,” draws inspiration from the beauty and fragility found in underwater life. And this fragility is ever more evident as we deal with the perils of global warming. The native Floridians are very connected the water and sea life and the need to preserve and protect it.

The 34-looks in collection are made the eco-friendly and sustainable of fabrics of Italian knits, such as Salamander Ibiza knit and the exclusive ‘Brain Coral’ knit, Neptune Coral and Sea Grass mesh, Flamingo crepe and satin, Conch Shell printed cottons, Nudibranch swim knit, and dazzling micro sequins. And the collection comes in the color palettes of ombre pinks-reds, ombre greens-whites, salamander, cool beiges-browns, and sea blues.

This spring 2024 collection is for consumers that wants to lay back, chill and relax in a tropical locale, and also show off those toned sexy bodies. And a sexy body you need to pull off some these looks.

The concentration on a color palette that included variations on the color pink work well with the pink color trend seen in many spring 2024 collections. And this collection has retail value and will appeal to a large demographic.

The collection includes flowing kaftans, floor-length shirts, skirts, pants, mini and maxi dresses, ruffled bandeaus, bralettes, camis, and the debut of one and two-piece sustainable swimwear and beachwear. That said, the design duos commitment to sustainability is made evident in the eco-friendly and OEKO-TEX certified fabrics, ensuring that their creations have minimal environmental impact. This commitment fits in nicely with the Green Show’s initiatives, which DUR DOUX was a part of, on sustainable fashion and lifestyle choices.

Images courtesy of Seventh House PR

Next season it would great if the brand chooses a better venue than the one used in this outing, and choose models that are better at showing off the garments. Hopes springs eternal!!

—William S. Gooch

Dell Scott Spring 2024

September 11, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

After presenting the last few seasons in Los Angeles, Paris, and Dubai, luxury label Dell Scott returned to New York to present their spring 2024 collection. The ‘anthos’ collection by the womenswear designer is a 20-piece collection of jaw-dropping formal wear. Named for the word flower in Greek, the designs were colorful, aromatic, and ravishing.

Using a mix of satins, sequins, and tulle each item moved with the model. These flowing and thoughtful designs brought a playful sensuality to New York Fashion Week where many of the collections seemed to target Gen Z’s taste for gender-neutral dressing.

Drawing on the floral name of the collection, the color palette was bold and bright. Rich blues transitioned themselves to jewel-tone purples, vibrant pinks, and the ever-crucial black. With white and gold as immortal details added throughout the Grecian-influence was clear. Small accessories and sleek ponytails wrapped in delicate ribbons also gave away the influence of the Mediterranean Sea.

With each color transition, there was a mini, knee-length, or gown option in the hue. Each of these items flowed easily together, some slightly different than the previous and the others completely new silhouettes.

Images courtesy of Dell Scott

Dell Scott, beautiful collections are not new. Established in 2015 by the American-born designer of the same name, the brand is based around empowering women to embrace their femininity. Using high slits, striking necklines, and form-fitting silhouettes every garment penciled out by Scott embraces the essence of the female form and this collection was no different. See our favorite looks below!

—Sydney Yeager

Albright College Fall 2023

September 11, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

The Albright College fashion now, now a regular feature during New York Fashion Week (NYFW) featured six graduates or students from the Pennsylvania college. The show presented what the future of fashion will look like. After being educated at the acclaimed college, the design students were ready to show their talent during NYFW.

Each of the young creatives held their own with unique designs and striking details. With each runway look, it was easy to see the hours of hard work that were put into the designs. The distinct looks of each designer made it easy to place the pieces into separate collections with an understanding of the story the designer was trying to share. By the end of the show, there was little doubt that the different styles and tastes of the up-and-coming young women and men dazzled the minds of their audience. Read a bit more about each designer below:

Alfredo Diaz

After graduating in 2016, Alfredo Diaz has now worked with industry insiders such as Anna Sui and Dzines Tex. You can see the impact that these companies had on his collection, as well as influences from his Dominican Republic heritage. These influences led to the colorful prints and details that gave the collection a tropical feeling. With a spotlight on floral patterns and loose fits that focus on comfort as well as fashion, the collection was a traveler’s dream. When Diaz creates his label, it will be sure to dominate the luxury resort-wear market.

Susan Benitez

Like something out of Sofia Coppola’s rock n’ roll biopic “Marie Antoinette,” the models flaunted garments made from jacquard and feathers. Using classic lines and delicate detailing, it was easy to see Benitez’s costuming background. After graduating in 2015, she went on to produce costumes for puppets that appeared on both Netflix and Apple TV, along with garments for special events.

Jasmin Burton

Using inspiration from iconic African American fashion designer Stephen Burrows of the ‘70s and an image of her grandmother in a yellow negligee, Burton created a collection filled with nostalgia. The opening two pieces were swimsuits in timeless cuts, with modern details. Think layered ruffles and color-blocked garments with trailing ties. As the collection continued, you could see the influence of past trends with modern takes continuing. Considering the resurgence of the love for the ‘70s after the release of Daisy Jones and the Six, we’re ecstatic to see Burton’s growth in the fashion industry and how she might influence this continuing trend.

Nicholas Kedge

Graduating in 2023, Nicholas Kedge made his fashion week debut last season and returned this year for what could only be called a grand finale. The garments hit every note with cutout details, asymmetrical elements, and cascading ruffles. Playing with this femininity, even for the menswear piece of the collection, Kedge proved himself to be a visionary who will easily capture the Gen Z market’s interest.

Victoria Aquino

With inspiration coming from Harajuku street fashion, couture runway shows, and experimental designs, Aquino brings a fantasy world to life. With draping details and asymmetrical designs as the centerfold of the collection and neutral colors in order to strike a balance, Aquino proves that everyday outfits should be fun.

All images courtesy of VERY New York

Zyaire Valentine

A senior at Albright College, Valentine’s creations look like they walked out of the new “Addams Family” show. This makes sense, given that his professors at Albright mentored him on costume construction and surface embellishments. This education was continuously brought to life on the runway through black hologram fabrics, striking textures, and extraordinary detailing. Netflix? We’d recommend adding a few pieces to Jenna Ortega’s next fitting!

—Sydney Yeager

Falguni Shane Peacock Spring 2024

September 11, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

The British brand Falguni Shane Peacock has been absent for the New York Fashion Week (NYFW) landscape since Lincoln Center for the central venue for NYFW. And they have been sorely missed!!

Each season fashion industry professional anticipated the beautifully embellished, well-crated collections from the British/South Asian husband and wife design duo. And when the much sought-after brand stopped presenting during NYFW, there was an empty wasteland once occupied by Falguni Shane Peacock’s creative genius.

Well, the husband wife creative duo is back, and back in a big way. Where in past collections, the brand’s creative milieu set solidly with that downtown fashion diva who was not afraid to take risks, this season the brand has expanded beyond its consumer of five years ago. Now, the brand has market appeal to that international hip chick who parties and showed off her personal style all over the world, from Paris to Dubai to Miami to Barcelona to Sao Paulo to Cote D’Azur to those very special VIP parties in New York City.

The newly invigorated brand used celebrity stylist Law Roach to assist in projecting a new identity, moving the brand away from that glammed up, edgy downtown girl to the international glamazon who has the deep pockets to afford luxury streetwear. In most cases this new direction was a success; however, some garments failed to register the projected new branding.

The most failed aspect of Falguni Shane Peacock new direction, titled 2.0, was in the shoes of this collection which had many of the models tediously tiptoeing down the runway, some without success. And while many of the looks in this spring 2024 collection adequately reflected the new direction of the brand, some of the garments had too many elements, resulting in a hodgepodge of disjointed ideas.

Falguni Shane Peacock was most successful when they paired streetwear hoodies and sweatshirts with their glammed, embellished pants and skirts. Still, one wonders how much market value this new direction will bring to the brand. Though there is that international younger consumer that wants to be blinged out on almost every occasion, would that consumer look to Falguni Shane Peacock for their glammed-out fashion needs.

Images courtesy of theimpression.com

That is yet to be discovered. That said, the spring 2023 collection looks great and leaves consumers and industry professionals wanting more.

—William S. Gooch

A. Potts Spring 2024

September 11, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Fashion industry professionals have come to love Aaron Potts gender neutral fashion collections. Potts is perhaps the most formidable fashion designer in the gender-neutral niche.

That’s said, A. Potts’ spring 2024 collection is again gender neutral; however, this collection is more wearable with some garments solidly created for one gender or the other. With this spring 2024 collection Aaron proves that he is very adept at creating garments for either the masculine or feminine physique.

This spring 2024 collection was inspired by the intersectionality of fashion and urban nature. Dubbed URBANEARTH, this collection embraces nature as it would be found in an urban landscape and the concept of organic growth.

With a color palette this is mostly monochromatic and centers on strong neutral colors with some bold oranges, dark mustards, with a dash of metallic gold thrown in, this collection reflects a chilled-out spring walk through an urban terrain. This collection also has a splash of floral prints which conjure up an image of florals pushing up through the urban concrete.

Images courtesy of vogue.com

Standout looks in this collection, and there are several, includes the brand’s denim ensemble with wide legs and tuxedo-inspired jacket, the gold lame ensemble with kimono-like jacket and wide-legged shorts, navy leaf print shirt tied at the waist with wide-legged white pants, and the mesh and fringe black off-the-shoulder dress.

With this spring 2024 collection, Aaron Potts is priming his collections for a wider appeal. We hope that the fashion community and consumers will stand up and take notice. We have!!

William S. Gooch

Kevan Hall Spring 2024

September 10, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

You will never hear from industry professionals that Kevan Hall doesn’t know how to produce a fashion show. Whether it is a runway show or a presentation, Kevan Hall’s fashion collections are always presented with sophistication, creative verve, and with consumers and fashion industry professionals in mind.

And there was no exception, in that respect, for his spring 2024 presentation. For this presentation Kevan Hall produced a runway presentation with models presenting his spring 2024 collection on a small runway several times, giving industry professionals and guests ample time to view his latest collection.

This production harkened back to fashion presentations and runways of the 1970s and 80s where models were lot more animated, interacting with the audience, and showing off the garments to best effect. There was no Pat Cleveland twirling down the runway; however, the models seemed very pleased to present this latest collection.

This spring 2024, “Cote d’Azur,” collection draws inspiration from the refined and sophisticated era of Deauville, France, during the 1930s, where the epitome of fashion was showcased along the promenade by models donning the creations of leading designers. (Remember, the legendary Coco Chanel started her millinery business in Deauville.)

At Deauville, we also experience high jewelry first worn with a laidback casualness by wealthy socialites. And Cannes is quite close to Deauville. With Cannes being noted for his red-carpet glamour during the Cannes Film Festival, Deaville and Cannes are combined to shape Hall’s trademark aesthetic that can be seen in every detail of his spring 2024 collection.

As with all Kevan Hall collections this spring 2024 collection is very retail friendly. Hall uniquely understands what modern consumers are in the market for each season. And this particular season Hall knows that women want comfortable clothes that evoke great style with a fashion-forward sensibility. And this sensibility is reflected in Hall’s employ of the versatility of the jumpsuit which pops a few times in this collection.

This spring 2024 collection borrows heavily from 1970s silhouettes. This reference point fits in nicely with the colorful, refined era of 1930s Deauville inspiration.

Images courtesy of VERY New York

Standout looks in the collection include, but are not limited to, Cote d’Azur grand plaid trench coat, embroidered Deauville striped shirt and high-waist pant, multicolor Deauville embroidered stripe jumpsuit, Cote d’Azur plaid shirt with textured yellow split pant, and the multi-floral bouquet sequin dress with illusion back.

—William S. Gooch