Marie Claudinette Jean is back!! Well, her fashion brand Fushá Designs is. After an absence of over ten years, Marie Claudinette Jean has reinvented Fushá from a brand that centered mostly on urban street wear to a brand that is all about glamorous luxury. In other word, bling without the bling; well, almost.
Originally launched in 2000, Fushá had a sizable celebrity following. Marie Claudinette Jean could count Mary J. Blige, Patti Labelle, and the late great Whitney Houston among her celebrity fan base. And after showing for four consecutive seasons at Bryant Park during New York Fashion Week, Marie Claudinette Jean took a long, extended break to raise her daughter. Now, she is back in the fashion fold, and if not with a vengeance, then with a particular fashion point of view.
For spring 2017, Marie Claudinette Jean sought inspiration from a magical forest, which was made evident in the lush, glittering foliage that decorated the background to the brand’s spring 2019 presentation. That said; there were a few carryovers from the Fushá Designs that fans of the brand from the early 2000s grew to love. They bling is still in place, but more understated in this iteration; the collection contains several statement-making garments—something that was always front and center in prior collection, and there is still lots of bold color.
One thing that was worth taking note of in this collection is that Marie Claudinette Jean recognizes that her woman has changed. Gone are the days of blatant in your face glam. Perhaps, the Fushá consumer has matured.
Photos courtesy of Paul Bruinooge
This time around Marie Claudinette Jean has opted for looks, though still glamorous, that are more subdued with the emphasis being placed on the fabrication and silhouette. And this is exactly the right direction that the brand needs to project to. Though most of the silhouettes and fabrications have been seen before, Marie Claudinette Jean aptly understands that she must update her brand with changing fashion trends. And the change in Fushá is refreshing.Bling without the garishness, who could ask for anything better!!
—William S. Gooch
The Blonds runway show is one of the most sought-after and highly anticipated shows of New York Fashion Week: The Shows (NYFWS). Always entertaining, with just the right amount of theatrical dynamism and fashion next, The Blonds, for the most part delivers the goods. Unfortunately, their spring 2019 collection was another matter.
The Blonds spring 2019 collection, particularly as it was presented during NYFWS, seemed like a desperate attempt to maintain consumer and media interest in the brand. Inspired by Disney villains, Cruella de Vil, Ursula the Sea Witch, the Queen of Hearts, Maleficent, and others, The Blonds’ spring 2019 collection appeared to be more in the tradition of a Halloween fashion show—with a few celebs thrown in for good measure—than a legitimate fashion collection.
The late great Diana Vreeland once proclaimed that, “fashion is both now and next.” Almost fifty years later, Vreeland’s fashion prediction still applies.
Roland conjured up images of Bali’s exquisite bold colors and textures in a collection that was rich in vibrant colors and embroideries. These bold color tones and textures aptly represented the modern architecture and lush flora and fauna of Bali as could be seen the collection’s fabric manipulation, sleek angles and silhouettes.
If there was a bit of next in this spring 2010 outing, that future projection was made evident in Roland’s use of 3D floral jacquard. And though Roland’s use of 3D floral jacquard was admirable, the combination of 3D techniques paired with floral jacquard did not come across as next, this pairing landed more in the area of matronly charm.
That said; unlike Vreeland’s eternal fashion prediction, Roland’s spring 2019 fashion collection, though now, definitely was not infused with a lot of next. And here lies the rub!! Perhaps, due to a rather staid retail market that doesn’t take much risk, for spring 2019 Rolland has stayed true to her established design aesthetic without pushing that aesthetic in a youthful or innovative direction. Her diehard fans will be pleased, but with this collection Roland will probably not expand her base, especially that youthful consumer who is always looking for something a little more avant-garde or unexpected.
“There is no greater romance in life than an adventure with art,”, says Angelys Balek. There are many pathways to tranquility, and fashion designer Angelys Balek finds balance in glamour and confidence. Balek’s hybridization of nature, art and fashion helps women embrace individualism as they join the #ABWorld. And as Miami Swimweek 2018 has come to an end, Fashion Reverie felt an inclusion of Balek’s 2018 resort collection would be a delectable appetizer for our viewers.
Balek gives reference to the late 60s era with her design aesthetic and silhouettes in this resort 2018 collection. Though the bikini was first introduced in the 1946, Brigitte Bardot made the two-piece swimwear popular in the late 50s and early 60s. This two-piece innovation quickly became popular in 1960s youth culture, The Mod Movement. The bikini than became the number one trend by all popular Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editions. And for Balek, the bikini is a main focus of her 2018 resort collection.
Once again, closing out New York Fashion Week: Men’s (NYFWM) with a bang was Grungy Gentleman, helmed by designer Jace Lipstein. This season, the show was held at the trendy Dream Downtown Hotel. As guests entered, they were treated to Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey cocktails and the latest tunes spun by DJ Juanyto oh Hot 97. The room buzzed electric as celebs, editors, and tastemakers all intermingled prior to the show.
Grungy Gentleman is not your typical NYFW: Men’s brand. They don’t try to recreate themselves every season with cacophony of prints and patterns. They don’t have complex cuts and configurations. They don’t select waifish models to wear their clothes. They understand who their clientele is—urban, athletic, real men with real bodies. The brand boasts that they “fuse contemporary culture and style, capturing the core of men’s interests in sports, music, entertainment, art and technology. Each piece from the collection looks to suit and inspire the man who is bold, intelligent, and passionate with fierce taste.”
Romeo Hunte continues to make a name for himself on the New York fashion landscape. For spring 2019, Romeo Hunte threw a lot of current trends and references to`80s street wear into the proverbial fashion melting pot. Some of the mix of trends worked, some, not so well.
Hunte ingeniously re-imagined neoprene from diving suits and camo prints on bombers as fashionable, urban spring outerwear. Hunte even included a few women’s looks in the collection. And though the women’s looks were an interesting addition, having so few women’s look—about three looks—rendered this injection of feminine silhouettes a distraction rather than a welcomed inclusive expansion.
Suiting up was once the classic standard for gentleman, but now it’s all about sporting up. The five women of Amsterdam-based Reconstruct Collective found the fusion between avant-grade and sportswear for their spring/summer 2019 collection, creating a sporty collection very much for the new age.
The designers reconstructed sporty pieces, like tank tops that were decorated with the Re-4 logo, and nylon pants were bedazzled with extra drawstrings. Nylon panels were fused on wide leg pants for a futuristic effect and cropped hoodies were deconstructed to be reconstructed giving a type of “Mad Max” and “Star Wars” effect. Waistbands also featured the Reconstruct logo, tapping into the trend of logo embellishment.
On trend and in the spirit of futurism, many of the designs looked genderless. While the idea of genderless fashion is just in its infancy, reconstructed nylon jackets, wide leg trousers, and space age outerwear spoke to gender fluidity. On Planet Re-4 it is all just clothes.
Head of State designer Taofeek Abijako’s latest collection for his brand was inspired by Afro-futurism that is influenced by 70s funk band Parliament, the American funk music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, and Sun Ra, the American jazz composer. Abijako also added elements of West African youth culture thrown in for good measure.
Atten-hut! Wood House Army is on the scene, and they demand your attention!
A year later, Julian and his husband/muse/creative partner Kirill Kabachenko showed their fall 2016 collection at Pier 59 Studios in NYC. This season, showing their eighth collection, the duo demonstrates strong design growth. But they also show a noticeably strong sense of self by not veering too far from their established brand aesthetic, but instead offer customers another layer of Asian-inspired design.
Feng Chen Wang’s men’s spring 2019 is an editors and stylist’s dream. For the most part, the men’s spring 2019 collections were lackluster, with so many brands attempting to stay relevant by presenting collections that were extremely consumer friendly with very little panache and charm.
This other half reference was made evident in garments that exposed half of a shoulder or half of the body. This was particularly effective in shirts and outerwear.
These designs are accompanied by some new additions to Wang’s oeuvre, such as suits and shirts, in addition to new outerwear styles, such as trench coats and tee shirts with panel details. Bags and jewelry take the form of hands, some holding hands—a universal signifier of connection—while a sculpture constructed from multiple hands stands erect in the center of the show space. Spring 2019 also sees the introduction of the Feng Chen Wang women.
