Betsey Johnson is back!! With what some fashion pundits considered last season a fashion experiment gone wrong, industry professionals anxiously anticipated Johnson’s spring 2014 collection. And they were not disappointed.
Back was the Betsey Johnson we all love, cartwheels and all!! Back was the girly, frolicky, fun frocks. Back was the mix of the tried-and-true paired with current trends. And lastly, back was the party!! What is a Betsey Johnson show without great dance music and a party crowd!! In other words Betsey knows how to put on a show.
Still, there was some good fashion in the mix of frolicky fun and sass. Though Johnson’s spring 2014 collection looked like glance back to the 1980s, particularly when she used music from 80s cult classic “Pretty in Pink,” there were a few contemporary twists evidenced in the exposed midriffs, cropped moto jackets, and front-and-center, half-tiered ruffle dresses. However, the metallic belts and low-hanging bling necklaces gave a nod to the hip-hop of the late 80s with a slight nod to early 80s retro Punk.
Johnson brought back her all-time favorite voluminous tulle skirts, tight bodysuits, and penchant for leopard print in a lot of variations. Betsey’s floral prints were also a nice addition to the collection, particularly in the opening girly frock. And as always with Betsey what makes her collection and show still viable is that effervescent, infectious joy that translates from the clothes to the runway.
Images courtesy of Ken Jones
This spring 2014 collection proves that Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and again starting all over on Sunday Betsey Johnson stays true to herself. And we love her for it!!
—William S. Gooch
Mathieu Mirano’s technical acumen is obvious. Over the past couple of seasons, Mirano has demonstrated that he is adept at manipulating fabric to suit his point of view and finding that delicate synthesis between hard and soft. Like many young designers, Mirano likes to mix fabrics—tulle, and chiffon with feathers, leather with lace, velvet with organza. And in previous collections Mirano has had a fascination with mixing traditional fabrics with macabre embellishments—reptile vertebrae and the sundry.
Mirano incorporates some trends from past seasons, but in new and interesting combinations. Lace paired with metallic hardware accessories, the exotic skins of python and alligator and metallic bustiers paired with high-waisted slacks highlight Mirano’s innovative way of mixing fabrications and trends. Also, Mirano combines peek-a-boo diaphanous fabrics with lace and feathers in ways that are both sensuous and fashion forward without being vulgar.
Picture yourself lost amongst a sea of fresh blossoms. A fashion affair set in a beautiful garden filled with the industry’s best dressed in eclectic punk designs worthy of a rock n’ roll concert. Don’t have anything to wear? Emerson by Jackie Frasier-Swan has you covered with stunning looks to will make a bold statement from her spring 2014 collection.
“My inspiration was the idea of a punk rock garden party,” says designer Jackie Fraser-Swan. And the worlds of rock-n-roll juxtaposed against fragrant flowers helped to create a stunning collection with pieces that captures the synthesis of a floral garden and the seeming disorder of rock n’ roll. But Fraser-Swan was able to find the order in the disorder of these unlikely bedfellows.
Nanette Lepore gave herself a challenge for her spring 2014 collection. She wanted to redefine romanticism. Her spring 2014 showed how successful Lepore has been in meeting that challenge.
One of the themes for this season overall was a return to the slip dress, a ‘90s phenomenon, this time shown frequently with ruffles along or across the body. To be certain, this collection was about more than a slip dress. But some of the best looks featured Lepore’s reworking of the slip dress.
For spring 2014, creative director Sophia Sizzi was inspired by a nocturnal walk through a sea of white dandelions that was also paired with Sizzi love of geometric architecture, particularly the shadow of Florence’s 15th century architectural wonder, the Duomo. “This collection was about a nocturnal wandering around a sleeping city. And this woman as she walks through the fields picks up this blowing dandelion flower which falls and lingers on her classic black Giulietta dress. There is also the graphic package that was inspired by Italian architecture, churches in Florence, particularly the Duomo. By leaning against this architecture, this woman gets the projections of the graphic geometric shapes and that is how all these graphic pieces were inspired,” explains Sophia Sizzi.
By mixing the harlequinesque-like graphics with Sizzi’s ingenious way of using pleats, Sizzi elevated some of the classic 60s silhouettes in this collection to a modern interpretation that a variety of women would like to have in their wardrobe. The optical graphics paired with Sizzi’s pleating placed Giulietta in a class by itself, expanding a trend that lots of designer’s are employing this season, but keeping Sizzi’s perspective entirely and uniquely her own.
Color palettes ranged from passion red to a grey-blue stone to neutrals of black, white and nude. “We also have this beautiful passion red because it is a romantic color that is very dear to me, but also this season we had the idea of a beautiful nude skin color because it accentuated the black against the skin. And lastly, we have this beautiful blue color that come from some of the stones found in Florence.”
They say the beaches of Malibu boast some of the most beautiful scenic views of the Pacific Coast. Just picture it now, a beautiful sandy paradise to relax and unwind under the sun. It sounds like a dream come true.
Forget about techno this or minimalist that. Michael Kors has always gone his own way and why would his latest collection be any different? His spring 2014 collection was full of surprises, all of them pleasant.
For his spring 2014 collection, Kors focused on clothes that can really take you through the work week, from a meeting in the conference room to an evening out at the theater. Notes distributed with the run of show described the collection as, “A softer attitude … the juxtaposition of sportif and romantic…sharply tailored meets soft and fluid.” That translated to clothes that were a happy melding of two eras—the ‘40s and the late ‘70s. The feel was polished preppy with an emphasis on elegant wardrobe staples, particularly the office sophisticate go-to—khaki. But this never devolved into a full-on retro parade.
Yes, there was almost every imaginable iteration of khaki-trench coats, suits, separates, trousers. But these were combined with other pieces for a fresh take—a snakeskin tee shirt, for example, gave a simple navy skirt with a slit an extra va-va-voom.
One thing that can be said of Cesar Galindo, regardless of the season his collections are always colorful and never without show stopping moments. This fact hold true for Czar by Cesar Galindo’s spring 2014 collection. Though there was no runway show to hot club music and Cesar Galindo presented at Lincoln Center in the Box, there was still lots of punch to this collection.
As always with Galindo there are references to 70s nightlife with garments that shimmer and have lots of moment; however, in this collection Galindo really vamped his aesthetic with bold splashes of color and a nod to sci-fi, virtual travel and technology. This collection is for that woman who wants to make a bold statement and daring enough to wear garments that speak to what is next in fashion.
With a color palette that ranged from A to Z, what stood out most in this collection was Galindo’s focus on clothes that worked for the athletic woman who wanted some pop and sizzle to her active lifestyle. Jogging suits, rompers and active gear that gave a clear nod to the 1970s were not just for the consumer looking for clothes to work out in, these garments had enough glitz and glam that certain pieces could easily transition to a futuristic night out on the town. And Galindo still demonstrated that he can dress a woman at every jointure of her day, from some looks that might be functional in the workplace, particularly if you have a glamorous day job, to active wear to garment that could easily transition to a glitzy night life.
Clearly, Rowley was in a mood to send her fans off to party Hawaiian style.
Rucci is still among the few American designers that create collections that employ couture and demi-couture techniques and detailing on ready-to wear collections with each garment designed as though it was made for a very specific client, but in truth a lot of women can and want to have in their wardrobes. Where some of the collections shown at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week have unfortunately become a combination of expected trends and safe points of view for the American consumer who doesn’t want to think too much, Rucci’s runway shows are an actual event for the savvy, discerning, fashion aficionado, and not just a social media opportunity for celebrity stalkers looking for a quick glimpse of their favorite pop star.
This season Rucci outdid himself. In past spring/summer collections a good portion of garments worked mostly for early spring due to Rucci’s detailing and double layering and/or lining of fabrics. In contrast, this season there was lightness and buoyancy that expanded this spring 2014 collection past March, April and early May. Still, Rucci didn’t skimp on the detailing.
“There was a tremendous shift this season, the clothes are light as air. I challenged myself to do things that I would normally be self-conscious about,” explains Ralph Rucci. “There is this concept of shadow and weightlessness in this collection … In my pursuit of making clothes a certain way the integrity and make is still there, and I believe I achieved another level of dressmaking.”
Rucci indeed evolved his aesthetic to not only include more lightweight spring/summer garments but also he presented fabrications that are closely associated with colder temperatures in ways that worked in warmer climates. Python, a favorite of Rucci, combined with organza or black leather worked ingeniously into a crepe jacket. Rucci also broke new ground by incorporating trends in his own special unique way. Only Rucci would take the continuing trend of cutouts and exposed midriffs by taking a crepe jacket and making the exposed midriff a see-through lattice of black leather.
Rucci takes the layered apron trend—a concept he has used before—and infused this collection with aprons in ways that are uniquely Ralph Rucci. “There are aprons throughout the entire collection. There are two black velvet aprons, bugle-beaded aprons, cotton aprons, and chiffon aprons,” details Rucci. Only Ralph Rucci would expand the apron trend for spring/summer to include fabrications of black velvet and bugle beads.
Though Rucci’s color palette this season is more muted, the color combinations work perfectly for spring/summer. “There is black, shades of different petrols, coral, spice, bronze, beige, nude … After last spring where I used lots of neon, I was frankly neoned out. So, I had to get a creamy palette going [this season] that satisfied where I was with the proportions,” explains Rucci.
