Front Row — Page 68

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

Jenny Packham Bridal Spring 2015

April 15, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Jenny Packham’s spring 2015 collection proved once again that the designer creates bridal fashion with “every woman” in mind.

Model Marquita Pring, approximately a size 14, was the first to hit the runway proving Malone’s point. Pring, a popular curvy girl model, was perfect pick to embody Packham’s theme of “The Goddesses” inspired by the photographic portraits of society women made by the Madame Yevonde of Britain in the 1930s.

Goddesses, in the classical sense, are curvaceous, voluptuous women, and Packham’s gowns of silk chiffon and featherweight tulle were truly ethereal creations worthy of any modern-day Venus, Athena, or Helen of Troy. There were lots of off-the-shoulder designs and deep V necklines, emphasizing the neoclassical influence.

Packham’s color palette, based on Madame Yevonde’s work with soft romantic lighting, with names like buttermilks, champagnes and warm blush caramel tones, described the movement as well as the color effects of her gowns. The beading and crystals combined with color palettes of antique metallic silver, molten gold and rich alabaster rendered a modern perspective to the collection. And some of the delicate beadwork sparkled like jeweled cobwebs, or vertical placement of patterns giving the impression of a trellis of climbing flowers.

For “The Formal Bride” the gown worn by Pring was perfect: a A–line gown with sheer long sleeves to conceal any arm issues and an empire waist elongating the body, with sprinkles of sparkling beadwork on the front and back but stopping mid-thigh to allow the eye to rest upon the fluid hemline.

Images courtesy of Ken Jones

For “The Country Club Bride” seeking clean lines, two standout gowns were pure whites, including a sweetheart gown with a sheer cape covering the shoulders, while a sparkling brooch centered at the breastbone took center stage. The other was a flowing gown with a pleated sweetheart bodice with a dazzling broach strategically placed under the left breast.

For “The Sexy Glamour Bride” a standout selection was Packham’s white gown with cap sleeves fluttering like small wings with rows of flower petal-like material and a high slit up the center. And for the “Bohemian/Vintage Bride” there were several round neck short-sleeved mini-dresses.

—Francesca Simon

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

Austin Scarlett Bridal Spring 2015

April 15, 2014 by admin 2 Comments

In addition to his Project Runway fame, Austin Scarlett has turned his stints on reality television into a successful career as a bridal and evening wear designer. First, at Amsale and now with his eponymous line, Scarlett is setting himself apart in bridal as a designer who understands how to reference the past while keeping his collection fresh and relevant to the bridal consumer.

For spring 2015, Scarlett looked to the classic Hollywood glamour of the 1930s mixed in with a waterfall motif. Scarlett has always had a penchant for Hollywood glamour funneled through a lens of sophisticated elegance. While in past collections, Scarlett would sometimes get mired down in recreating the glamour of Old Hollywood. However, this season his aesthetic has evolved into a point of view that is fresh and current while still evoking Hollywood glamour.

Image courtesy of Ernest Green

This collection conjured images of the more sophisticated Hollywood sirens of the 1930s. Imagine Katherine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, and a young Bette Davis is these 30s–inspired gowns; or even the New York City socialites of that time. Still, the collection was not weighted down by the past. By using light fabrics of tulle, chiffon and Chantilly lace, and illusion necklines, Scarlett elevated this collection from just an homage to 1930s glamour to a collection that speaks to the modern bride and has retail viability.

Standouts in this outing were Scarlett’s column gowns with dramatic, structured trains in horsehair, silk challis and silk duchess satin.

—William S. Gooch

Anne Barge Bridal Spring 2015

April 14, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Anne Barge had developed a consistent following based on her penchant for creating gowns that speak to vintage, classic styles seen through the lens of what modern brides want to wear. Barge’s bridal spring 2015 continued that trajectory with a modern sensibility.

Barge’s vintage-inspired gowns could serve as bridal heirloom pieces while still satisfying the tastes of the modern consumer. This collection, while classic managed to include a color palette that was modern and centered on watercolor pastels with fabrications of silk taffeta, silk organza, duchess satin, lace, mikados, and tulle.

What works best in this collection is that Barge ingeniously has found within her concentration on classic silhouettes and styles to create wedding gowns for a variety of age demographics and tastes. If a bride wants a gown that reflects Old Hollywood glamour, this spring 2015 collection had gowns that will fit that bill. If a bride desires a garment that is romantically timeless, but not dated, Barge provides that as well. In other words, there is something in this collection for a lot of different bridal consumers.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green

Though this spring 2015 collection evoked a soft, romantic approach to bridal wear, Barge continued to expand her oeuvre to include pieces that while still class still possessed an appeal that was youthful and fashion forward. And that is and accomplishment in and of itself.

—William S. Gooch

Justina McCaffrey Bridal Spring 2015

April 14, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Canadian haute couture designer Justina McCaffrey, believes that a bride is like a ballerina, and her wedding gown should reflect her sense of grace, poise, strength and femininity. Her spring 2015 collection embodied that belief with sleek, stunning creations, invoking emotions associated with classical ballet and opera.

Working mainly in shades of white, with movement as a major motivation of design, McCaffrey worked with fluid materials—satins, charmeuse, tissue taffeta, French lace and tulle. Fitted bodices, with deep cut backs, flowed into dramatically draped hemlines. “I like the front flat—the back has enormous appeal,” McCaffrey said. “You’ve got to play to the second balcony.”

The ten gowns presented were masterfully crafted with the modern woman in mind. “An angular dress shows who’s boss—it says I’m an intelligent woman. Many women with professional careers don’t want to have ruffles galore.”

Standout pieces included a Duchess satin gown with tissue taffeta accented with a wide gray ribbon waist embellishment. A French lace gown with a liquid sequin underlay was sexy but classy and perfect for a summer wedding. McCaffrey, who in the past designed a Justina branded lingerie collection line for Marshall Fields, loves the lingerie feel for modern brides, but not too fitted or revealing” explains McCaffrey “You don’t want the bride to feel too undressed with nipples fully showing.”

Images courtesy of Presley Ann Slack

McCaffrey highlights the deep cut backs of her gowns with the bling of Swarovski crystals. “The crystals create more of a ‘rocker vibe’— there’s just something modern about it. The dress is simple so you may only need one element of interest,” she explained. “It’s like a surprise at the very end.”

The showstopper was the Duchess draped satin bodice gown that swirled out into a voluminous cloud of tulle — perfect for the inner ballerina of any bride.

—Francesca Simon

Monique Lhuillier Bridal Spring 2015

April 14, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

Monique Lhuillier welcomed us into what she called her “ethereal daydream” for her spring 2015 bridal collection.

More than most collection showings, Lhuillier’s setting for her collection showing was a telling window into the designer’s inspiration. According to show notes distributed before the show, the grey set upon which the models settled themselves in various poses after processing around the room was inspired by John Singer Sargent portraiture. (Sargent was especially known for his depictions of the luxe life during the Edwardian era and even now, the idea of formal portraiture speaks to a certain level of sophistication and luxury even now.)

Lhuillier’s collection cleverly reflected not only that luxe sensibility, but aspects of Edwardian era fashion, particularly in the softer shapes, lighter weight constructions and profusion of lace—all three of which have been increasingly popular trends in bridal fashion, especially since the 2011 wedding of the Duchess of Cambridge (a.k.a. Kate Middleton).

Make no mistake; despite the gentle nods to the past, particularly in Lhuillier’s use of tastefully embroidered Chantilly lace, one of the designer’s chief materials along with tulle and silk satin organza, there were plenty of contemporary touches.

In one ivory long sleeved gown, illusion (another growing trend in bridal) was draped softly over a floral lattice embellished sheath with a daring slit up the front. In another very “now” look, Lhuillier created a lingerie-inspired gown with an alencon lace corset and a full tulle tiered skirt. Other details utilized throughout the collection included cascading hemlines, sleeves, beaded shrugs and overskirts—a nod perhaps to brides seeking different looks for their ceremony and reception.

Images courtesy of popsugar.com

Nowhere was the contemporary edge more evident than in Lhuillier’s use of color. Shades of white and off-white have become standard in bridal and Lhuillier’s 2015 collection showed everything from white and ivory to blush and grey. But Lhuillier included a smattering of bold (for bridal) tones as well—a cornflower blue she called hydrangea and a gentle pistachio green shown in a stunning strapless embroidered A-line gown with a matching embroidered illusion coverlet.

Clearly in the Lhuillier bridal universe there is a gentle harmony to be found between the past and the present.

—Karyn D. Collins

Oleg Cassini Bridal Spring 2015

April 14, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

The Oleg Cassini Bridal Spring 2015 collection demonstrated that the traditional American bride is still a force to be reckoned with. And Oleg Cassini helped establish the traditional look of the American bride.

As the executive couturier for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and known as her “secretary of style,” Oleg Cassini put himself on the American fashion map, so to speak, as a designer of timeless, simplistic taste epitomized through his penchant for strapless evening gowns, and sheath dresses made from luxurious fabrics that employed couture design techniques.

Though Cassini died in 2006, we still see his design philosophy in his spring 2015 bridal collection. In this collection there were lots of lace and strapless gowns in simple silhouettes with a color palette from the blush, champagne and ecru color palette.

This collection, though reminiscent of the late 1950s and 60s, a time when Cassini reigned supreme, evoked timeless Old Hollywood glamour is still in step with what the modern bride who is looking for classic elegance might wear on her very special day. This collection featured voluminous ball gown, A-line, sheath, and fit-to-flare silhouettes with sweetheart necklines.

Images courtesy of Ken Jones

Though modern brides rarely pass on their wedding gowns to their daughters any more, Cassini’s timeless creations are heirloom gowns that could easily be passed on to future generations. And for that bride looking for timeless elegance, this collection is a testimony to the fact that sophisticated elegance never goes out of style.

—William S. Gooch