Front Row — Page 19

Nadia Manjarrez Bridal Spring 2023

April 7, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Of the many collections presented at New York Bridal Fashion Week (NYBFW), Nadia Manjarrez’s spring 2023 was impressive, with precise attention to detail while keeping the collection versatile and accessible to most women. What was most striking about the collection was the ability for most pieces to be mixed and matched while retaining the ethos of the Nadia Manjarrez brand. For example, a beautiful, C works double-time with a hidden zipper that allows the underskirt to detach, revealing a cocktail dress.

That kind of multi-level forward-thinking is unique in the bridal industry, and it addresses the modern needs of brides by anticipating the fullness of their day from marriage ceremony to reception, moving from one to the other seamlessly. That design philosophy was ever-present throughout the collection and stood out amongst others as a hail toward a new way of understanding the multiple functions a gown can assume.

Nadia Manjarrez’s spring 2023 collection, paid homage to her Mexican heritage. Manjarrez explained that the collection, “…explore[d] the significance and mystique surrounding wedding rituals.” The collection breathed modernity into traditional Mexican ball gowns, adding removable puff sleeves, detachable trains, and beautifully beaded and embroidered flower details. Also present was intricate embroidery on recycled taffeta, 3D floral embroidered tulle, and hand-drawn crocheted lace. These touches gave the collection a strong identity and framed the collection with an authenticity that is distinct and different “[…for the bride who wants the sentiment of heritage, but is a contemporary woman destined for progress].”

Images courtesy of Nadia Manjarrez

For brides who are conscious of sustainability, Nada Manjarrez offers an upcycling program that reimagines gowns and dresses, increasing the life cycle of a garment. Manjarrez’s ability to think ahead is crucial in today’s fashion industry when sustainability is so important to the health and wellbeing of the global ecosystem.

Kristopher Hoyle

THEIA Bridal Spring 2023

April 7, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

There are a few words that could describe THEIA’s spring 2023 bridal collection. However, if one was to choose just two words, those two words would be clean lines. Well, let’s also add classic silhouettes to the vocabulary.

As we are slowly coming out of the COVID-19 health crisis, many brands are not only struggling to gain new customers, keeping tried-and-true customers is also a challenge. To that point bridal brands like ready-to-wear brands are taking a cautious approach in creating their new collections. Where in the past, established bridal brands would take substantial risks, introducing new silhouettes and design aesthetics to consumers, this time around tried-and-true are the bridal catch words.

Although THEIA is following the example of many bridal designers and treading the re-entry waters lightly, that does not mean that the brand’s spring 2023 collection is a cautious exploration of what modern brides are looking for. This collection explores the juxtaposition between the angular and organic elements to create signature looks for today’s modern bride.

Inspired by the photography of Eva Grall whose work epitomizes texture, value and sensuality, Grall’s photography matches the cores values of THEIA’s design DNA. The simplicity of magnified petals and the soft tactile nature of Grall’s works are evident in the tucks, cowls and folds of our crepe and satin gowns. Easy slip dress silhouettes, plunging V-necks, jubilant floral beading, and cheeky asymmetry can be found within the collection.

Images courtesy of THEIA

Though this bridal collection only contained 15 looks, there were some wonderful standout garments. Standout looks include the wrap around tromp l’oeil cut out stretch crepe gown with long sleeves and parallel buttons at the back, stretch crepe gown with double side slit, peekaboo back and watteau train, and the floral fringe beaded mini slip dress.

William S. Gooch

In Earnest by Byron Lars Fall 2022

February 18, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

For his fall 2022 collection Byron Lars only produced sixteen looks which some would qualify as a capsule collection, not an entire fall/winter collection. Still, Lars has created in just 16 looks, a collection that is so varied and inclusive that most of the bases are covered for what women would want in their wardrobe for fall 2022.

This is a season of reflection for Byron Lars. Always enchanted by the feminine silhouettes of the turn of the 20^th century, in this fall collection Lars reinvented some of those early 20^th century silhouettes and brought back some of the looks from his inaugural 1991 collection.

“As I approached the season, it somehow felt completely modern to exercise the principles of my first [fall] collection from the [1990’s],” says Byron Lars. “When I began, I was obsessed with reimagining American classics and was all but entirely disinterested with seasonality in the traditional sense which, even then, was starting to feel outmoded.”

Imagine how the original Gibson Girl would look updated to 2022. Gone is the corseted waist and bustle, now replaced with well-constructed jackets slightly cinched at the waist with padded shoulders. Always an advocate of layering, in this fall 2022 collection, Lars used layering to match the mood of his consumer at every jointure of her day. Whether piled on or added on for effect, Lars’ women understands that the versatility needed throughout her day can be accomplished with layering.

Lars is also expert at combining fabrications and patterns. Where some designers’ pairing of disparate patterns and fabrications can be expressed as too many disjointed ideas, for Lars these combinations only accentuate and express his consumer’s peripatetic style choices.

Images courtesy of In Earnest by Byron Lars

Fabrications include guipure lace, cotton shirting, embroidered net, sequins, vegan leather, ponte flannel, embroidered herringbone, and heavily textured stretch jacquards. Standouts looks in this small collection, and there were several, include the oversized gingham man shirt paired with wide-leg denim jumpsuit, denim collegiate jacket with padded shoulders paired with legged denim pants, black lace midi dress with patterned embellishments, and oversized gingham man shirt paired with wide-leg denim jumpsuit, denim collegiate jacket with padded shoulders paired with legged denim pants, black lace midi dress with patterned embellishments,

—William S. Gooch

Kevan Hall Fall 2022

February 17, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Inspiration is the fertile ground that forms the creative palette for the fashion designer. Whether that inspiration comes from film, art, dance, travel, food or a sundry of perspectives and insights, if the inspiration is good and serves the signature DNA of the brand well, consumers can expect a well-designed collection.

For fall 2022 Kevan Hall was inspired by the traveling routes between Mali, Morocco and the legendary Tarshish. Travelers and merchants on that historic route would exchange wares, folklore, and handcrafted textiles.

Hall employs the handcrafted textiles that would have been traded along this African trade route to produce a fall 2022 collection that plays heavily on North African fabrics married with gold and bronze metallics. And while this collection is a historical dispensation on fabrications from the Motherland, Hall does not leave this collection there. Hall ingeniously positions this collection in a modern conversation based on silhouettes that any consumer can relate to. In fact, several of the garments in this collection could enter a wardrobe as timeless pieces that could be resurrected for several seasons.

Speaking of silhouettes and design elements, Kevan Hall uses the continuing trend of cutouts almost better than any other fashion designer currently presenting collections. For Hall, cutouts are not just about showing flashes of skin. Cutouts for Hall are about accentuating a women’s curves, her sensuality, and her daring spirit. Never exploiting or sensationalizing a women’s sexiness, just presenting feminine sensuality as a given, bringing it to the fore, and making it more than a titillating moment.

Though we have seen all the silhouettes in this collection before, Hall expertly injected a new spirit and a modernity into the familiar feminine silhouettes of cutouts, fishtail cocktail dresses, one-shoulder dresses, and the classic suit. By incorporating rich jacquards, matelassé, and brocades combined with modern touches, Hall hinted at the orientalism of historic trade routes of Africa and the Middle East without bogging the collection down with cultural references.

Images courtesy of Evan Hall/VERY New York PR

There is something in this collection that would appeal to women at every jointure of their day, and it’s about time that consumers have access to garments that give them a reason to go out and show off their style. And this collection is all about showing off individual style.

Standout looks in this collection include the onyx and pewter double face jersey spine back dress with hanky hemline, the amethyst/copper matelassé side ruffle dance dress, the zebra metallic jacquard asymmetric tuxedo jacket with bootleg pant, and the Tarshish metallic jacquard jacket with passementerie palazzo pant. Look out, fall 2022 is going to be a season of style and panache!!

—William S. Gooch

Sergio Hudson Spring 2022

February 15, 2022 by admin 2 Comments

Sergio Hudson is riding high on a wave of success and popularity. With season after season of rave reviews, Hudson has done it again. For his latest New York Fashion Week (NYFW) collection, the South Carolina-native, turned Los Angeles resident, turns his models into time and space travelers, but not in the traditional sense. This season’s inspiration was a high-fashion African safari, with a vibrant color palette reminiscent of the Ndebele people of South Africa. However, the silhouettes evoke the image of 90’s fashion girls Dionne Davenport and Cher Horowitz from the movie “Clueless,” Whitley Gilbert from the sitcom “A Different World” and Lisa Turtle from “Saved by the Bell.” By his own admission, Hudson found it fun, outlandish, and cheeky to imagine women on safari in mini-skirts and heels, but he made is dream practical by creating pieces that a woman can really wear in her normal life.

Keep in mind that this is a spring 2022 collection, not a fall collection. Sergio Hudson is one of the few NYFW designers to ditch the traditional six-month, runway-to-retail timeframe in favor of a see now/buy now business model. The colors are bold, and the cuts are strong, all leading to a prediction of another fan-favorite collection. Hudson presented his traditional impeccable tailoring and fitted dresses, but also explored new silhouettes and fabrications, including safari jackets, mini skirt suits, knitwear, and biased-cut evening wear made with chiffon and silk charmeuse in pastel shades of mint green, sky blue, and lavender.

In addition to his own creations, Hudson added a few collaborations to the mix. The runway show featured a capsule shoe collection in collaboration with Malone Souliers. The limited-edition capsule features statement heels in rich textures and brings together Malone Souliers’ unconventional approach to the traditional cordwainer’s craft with Sergio Hudson’s glamorous take on fashion. The result was footwear to match each in two styles: the Jojo and the Lilli offered in Raffia, Nappa leather, and Elaphe. Hudson also collaborated with Swarovski for the finale dress which featured an abstract leopard print.

If all of that was not enough, Hudson added a few legendary models to the line-up. Beverly Johnson, Veronica Webb, and Gisele Zelauy all graced the runway in Hudson’s latest show. They were in addition to Maria Borgas who opened the show in a body-hugging black spaghetti-strap dress underneath a leopard-print robe coat.

Images courtesy of Dan Lecca

This, the eighth collection from Sergio Hudson, offers more options in metallic shades, solid blacks, and color-band prints. There is something for any woman who wants to live, or relive, her days as an it-girl. To see more of this spring collection, or to pre-order a look for yourself, head over to www.sergiohudson.com.

—Carl Ayers

Asia Fashion Collection Fall 2022

February 15, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

The Asia Fashion Collection is a project produced and sponsored by VANTAN and PARCO CO., LTD to provide a platform for fresh and emerging talent in the fashion industry throughout Asia. Designers compete for a chance to debut their collections during New Yor Fashion Week (NYFW), judged by prominent industry experts like Kaname Murakami, the editor in chief of WWD Japan, and Takanobu Kono, Official Evangelist of Shopify Japan. This season, six designers debuted their collections from across Asia to be presented on screens in New York’s Spring Studios. The project, with its focus on discovering and nurturing new talent, comes with major cultural implications in terms of Asian fashion and youth subculture, making it a significant fashion show since all perspectives are fresh with each designer having their finger on the pulse of fashion.

The first collection, Yuuna Ichikawa by Yuuna Ichikawa from Japan, is inspired by dance, youth, music, and movement. ‘Youth in Heart’ is embedded in the sheer fabric across model’s chests while the collection’s muses are Loie Fuller, pioneer of modern dance, and Patti Smith, punk rock icon. The collection, in neutral shades of gray, white, and black, features billowing construction, untamed and carefree design in sharp, wide shoulders and overextended leather sleeves and strings that take up space like an arm that extends across a stage in a swirling dance. Movement and youth are also concepts that danced across several other collections.

WooLeeX by Yu Nung (Jerry) Hsieh and Ming Jo (Cynthia) Hsieh from Taiwan, for example, features custom fabrics in patterns of mountains, forests, and plum blossoms printed on 3D jacquard. The jacquard pattern is meant to symbolize the emotional reactions of music listeners from deep melody to joyful dancing. The fabrics are works of art with intricate detailing and vivid imagery with oversized tailoring allowing for unrestrained movement.

COCOTONO by Kotono Fukazawa from Japan, also uses movement as a backdrop for the collection to conceptualize how distorted movement evokes a feeling. The first menswear piece is a plaid jacket with distorted fabric that drips like the ice cream in the model’s grip styled with youthful short pants and long socks. The collection, like Yuuna Ichikawa, plays on depictions of youth, but in a more literal manner with a blue oversized coat patterned with a felt fence and fluffy sheep while the model holds a pillow. The collection, like many of the other collections, is meant to be carefree and even comedic to bring upon an emotional response.

Like COCOTONO, SUNG JU by Sung Ju Lee of South Korea, also carries the comfort of a bed to the runway in an emotion-driven presentation inspired by the designer’s personal experience being teased for his name’s association with a Korean yellow melon. The collection swells in vibrant shades of pink and yellow across puffer coats, pillowing constructions, and fluffy slippers sliding over the runway. The pieces can be categorized as “dopamine dressing” meant to boost mood, which is expected to increase over 2022.

“Dopamine dressing” is even more evident in DOKKA Vivid by Nodoka Sugauchi and Akiho Ka of Japan with their mixing of a variety of floral prints and bright colors as models hold brilliant hued Japanese hanging lanterns. The pieces resplendent with vitality, are also sustainable using upcycled fabrics, like on their kimono mask. DOKKA Vivid also reinterprets classic Asian designs like the kimono as two models walk together wearing floral print coats with billowing reflective fabric in the back.

Images courtesy of New York Tokyo LLC

Glenda Garcia by Glenda Garcia, who is Indonesian and based in New York, also reinterprets classic designs through deconstruction to provide a fresh perspective. Her pieces are designed for the modern working woman and deconstruct traditional workwear pieces to form a collection featuring oversized garments, asymmetrical construction, and leather fabrications styled with rainboots.

For the fall 2022 season, the showcase reflects themes of youth, movement, and rebellion showing a lack of restraint through billowing designs and oversized silhouettes. The presentation depicts a focus on sentimental fashion that evokes strong feelings and memories. All collections are current and modern, so it is appropriate that the AFC also created a fall 2022 Metaverse Project to debut artwork inspired by each brand in Japan’s NFT marketplace “nanakusa.” To view the NFT artwork, visit nanakusa.io!

—Tessa Swantek

Custo Barcelona Fall 2022

February 14, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

It is always a good thing when a brand returns to New York Fashion Week (NYFW). Especially if that brand happens to be Custo Barcelona. A mainstay of NYFW Custo Barcelona has not shown at NYFW for two years.

Always pushing the boundaries of what is appropriate in fashion. Creative Director Custo Dalmau always expands the creative palettes of his customer when it comes to color combinations, design silhouettes, fabrications, and even feminine and masculine aesthetics. And though he is sometimes ahead of the curve, his customer always catches up.

For the brand’s fall 2022 collection Custo Dalmau looked to shining again from within to radiate light and illuminate humanity. Custo’s collection played with shapes and patterns in a variety of fabrics and patterns with playful patches and word art on streetwear-inspired pieces.

The dresses were the core elements of the collection and other pieces were designed to complement these key pieces. Creative cut-outs and micro-mini shorts and skirts dominated the collection.

Shiny jacquards, multicolored sequins, vibrant-colored satins and velvet jacquards were expertly juxtapositioned to create a collection that was playful, yet sophisticated. More relaxed pieces included micro jumpsuits with tiny trousers and long sweatshirts styled as mini dresses. And the athleisure garments that bordered on references to 1960s space clothes added that special touch of fantasy and fun!!

Though this collection was heavy on streetwear with a strong athleisure wear influence, what stood out most in this collection was the strong outerwear garments, as well as Custo’s embrace of gender fluidity.

Images courtesy of The Riviere Agency

Gender fluidity is something that Custo Dalmau has never shied away from. However, in this collection, gender fluidity was front and center with many garments working equally well on both men and women.

And as always Custo Dalmau’s penchant for architectural shapes and graphic design elevated this collection from a collection that could have been overburdened with too many ideas and trends to a cohesive collection, though whimsical, that was a kaleidoscopic feast for the eyes. Custo Barcelona we are so glad you are back!!

—William S. Gooch

Victor Glemaud Fall 2022

February 14, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Surging off of his recent collaboration with Target, Haitian-born designer Victor Glemaud presented his fall/winter 2022 collection entitled “Black Beauty”. Dedicated to “the countless women who left their homelands for the American Dream,” this collection is inspired by the movie “Black Girl,” a 1966 film directed by Ousame Sembène, based on a true story that explores the themes of identity, colonialism, exploitation, and racism. Glemaud decided to showcase the idea of Black beauty viewed through the lens of immigration. He presented his collection against a mural stating “Hey New York, I’ve Arrived” in Daniel Patrick Moynihan Train Hall. Poignantly, Moynihan was the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Populating his runway with only African models in a color palette of cafè au lait, chocolate brown, black, white, and clementine, Glemaud explains that fall is the season when he expresses new ideas. For the first time in six years, the brand has incorporated a new yarn into the collection, which allowed him to introduce cut and sew jersey into his garments for the first time. The fabrication creates a slinky and seductive silhouette while still holding it shape.

Keeping some of the creations light and airy, tonal mesh inserts keep the structure and form of the dress while giving the illusion of bare skin. There are also options with plunging cutouts that display your shoulders and back, highlighting the beauty of your skin without an illusion.

The ponte jersey dresses boldly introduce a modern interpretation of eveningwear that seamlessly ties in with comfort and ease of knitwear. There are also garments that look sleek and athletic enough to wear during the day, making this collection a true day-to-night offering.

Images courtesy of Dan Lecca

As this is a fall collection, there is a need for the wearer to be warm. To keep his customers protected from the cold, Glemaud has included natural fur options; a collaboration he’s had with Saga Fur since his fall 2019 collection. In a past interview with Fur Insider, Glemaud stated that he enjoys working with natural materials in his collections—cashmere, cotton, and merino wool—and fur was the next step in his evolution. Even though there is a lot of social commentary regarding the use of fur within the fashion industry, real fur is noted to be a natural, renewable, reusable, sustainable resource. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but Glemaud provides the option for those who want it.

This collection runs the gamut of athletic to formal options for a woman’s closet. With a minimalist range of color and well-tailored construction, the Victor Glemaud fall 2022 line easily appeals to the palette of a sophisticated customer.

—Carl Ayers

Christian Siriano Fall 2022

February 14, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Christian Siriano showed his latest collection at one of Manhattan’s most iconic locations, the Empire State Building. The space itself set the tone for what was to be the designer’s strongest collection to date. The show notes on the seat read, “This season for fall 2022, we are calling the collection Victorian Matrix. The name comes from so many references to the time we are living in—some days feel like we are living in the Victorian era, while others feel like we’re living in the Matrix.”

Siriano’s musings about the state of fashion today translated to a compelling mix of these two disparate points of reference. What came down the runway reflected the mix between what one would wear in a brutal dystopian future juxtaposed with the heavy layering and embroideries of the Victorian period. He opened with a strong grouping of laminated denim looks that were futuristic and streamlined. Supermodel Coco Rocha wore a nipped in jacket with massive ruffles at the shoulder that resembled angel wings. Another standout look was a strapless knee length dress with matching opera gloves. The oversized blue zebra print fur coat would keep you warm in the most desolate burned-out landscapes. Slicked back hair by Jon Reyman for Dyson and edgy eye makeup by Charlotte Tilbury artist Sofia Schwartzkopf contributed to the effect as did blue-toned sunglasses, all the better to guard against a blinding sun that’s burning through a thinning ozone layer.

The show then took a more optimistic turn. It began with an interesting twist, a nod to modest fashion. The muted royal blue honeycomb cocoon seemed like just the right piece to wear while taking shelter in these tumultuous times. Cobalt blue pantsuits and dresses showcased Siriano’s sharp tailoring and signature ruffles and were just what the audience wanted.

Images courtesy of IMAXTREE

Evening gowns rounded out the show and demonstrated Siriano’s skill for designing eveningwear. Although they were mostly restricted to a somber palette of black and grey, they had the wow factor needed for the red carpet. Gowns spanned the gamut: a revealing opaque number with black netting adorned with floral silver sequins, a voluminous Victorian grey ballgown, and a fitted fishtail satin gown with oversized blue chambray collars and cuffs in line with modest fashion. Christian Siriano would be right at home filling the late Oscar de la Renta’s shoes.

—Vivian Kelly

TEDDY VONRANSON Fall 2022

February 12, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Teddy Von Ranson is on a mission to redefine “Modern American Classics.” His designs reflect the classic East Coast preppy style from his years at Ralph Lauren mixed in with his roots on the West Coast. The designer’s combination of East Coast meets West Coast mixed with a strong dose of European aesthetic made for a compelling and exciting presentation at New York Men’s Week (NYMW).

Fashion Reverie caught up with Ken Downing, the recently appointed chief brand officer of Hearst Luxury Collections, to get his take on Von Ranson’s latest collection. Downing enthused, “He’s a true talent; the hand knits are exquisite! The collection is inter-generational—he’s like a young Saint Laurent and there’s even some of Todd Oldham mixed in.”

Drilling down further, the collection was a compilation of micro collections within a collection. One especially notable grouping was comprised of three standout pieces, a jacquard knee-length duster, another, a hip length jacket and lastly, a puffer with matching palazzo pants. The hip length jacket resembled a painting of the sun and the sky with a strong Native American vibe. According to dopely.com, blue was used by shamans to evoke serenity, and yellow and gold symbolized triumph and optimism.

The shearling coats were cut in traditional shapes as were the chunky zip-front sweaters and crewnecks. What set them apart was the color palette of sorbet pink, merlot red, and muted royal blues that worked well as tone-on-tone outfits or mixed together.

Images courtesy of R. Scott French

The fabrics were luxe, a pair of black leather trousers were as supple as a pair of the finest Portolano kid leather gloves. One of the best looks was made from a microfiber silk blend in a Georges Seurat-like pointillism print that looked great cut into a raincoat, gauchos and matching rainhat and Doc Martens-style lace-up boots. What’s for certain from Teddy Von Ranson is that you can look forward to expecting the unexpected every season; we can’t wait to see what he shows next.

—Vivian Kelly