Sensuality, energy and optimism; those were the three themes Tracy Reese used to frame her spring 2014 collection. But there was an extra accent on the sensuality this time around, a hot note that Reese fans will find totally appealing even as the designer found a way to stay true to her brand of the classy, urban sophisticate.
Reese’s pretty city girls were sent on a jaunt to Cuba this time around. Plantain chips, Cuban candy, a trio of live drummers accompanying a mambo soundtrack, and a cadre of fedora-wearing ushers added to the ambiance.
But Reese never forgets that the real story is in the clothes. Her spring 2014 collection was equally bold and romantic, a celebration of the duality of Cuban culture without ever delving into clichés. Of course, there were some standard, expected pieces here, chiefly, a multitude of white outfits that opened and closed the show. But, these were anything but ordinary. White lace was given a sexy edge in winning looks like a white lace mambo-inspired dress and another white lace frock that had the sporty lines of a tennis dress.
In between the white, the temptress side of Reese’s creative muse came out to play. Black lace teased the eye in eye-catchers like a black lace bomber jacket over a white embroidered shirt and white and black windowpane narrow pants. And this was one of several looks that revealed an edgy masculinity and was presented with its feminine counterpart.
Images courtesy of Ken Jones
Color, always part of the Reese story, appeared in bold patterns that combined scarlet with black and lapis, sea green with an antique gold, and a hot pink floral that punctuated this Caribbean sojourn on a festive note.
All that was missing was the mojito.
—Karyn D. Collins
Mexican-born designer, Rolando Santana returned to the runway during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week with a spring 2014 collection that was inspired by artist icon Frida Kahlo. Kahlo was known for her vivid self-portraits. Santana channeled the powerful elements of the famed artist into his own artistic vision for his latest ready-to-wear collection that was infused with body-conscious feminine silhouettes adorned with graceful floral patterns that can be found in Frida Kahlo’s famous paintings.
Have you ever dreamed of what it will be like to be the girlfriend of a famous rock star? Can you picture yourself vacationing with him in the South of France in between his international sold-out world tour? Every woman fantasizes about the bad boy rocker that will sweep her off of he feet. And while you may not be able to have the rock star of your dreams, this season Jill Stuart has the perfect fashion solution that can have you look like rock star eye candy or even the girlfriend of a rocker.
Jill Stuart presented her rock-influenced 60s-inspired spring 2014 runway show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and the fashion elite got to experience the edgy styles of high-end fashionistas vacationing in the French Rivera. Stuart described her inspiration for the collection as a “rock star girlfriends on holiday” using the classic Rolling Stones album ‘Exile on Main Street’ as the theme.
The metropolis of Shanghai is a bustling urban city that is a hub for culture, arts, and high-end fashion for the Asian market. With an array of colorful trends clashed against traditional Chinese art is blended a visionary masterpiece for the international fashion jetsetter, giving Asian designers a global platform for chic, fashion-forward designs. It’s no wonder Shanghai is sometimes called the ‘Paris of the East’ by fashion industry professionals and culture critics.
Vivienne Tam channeled the enticing beauty of China’s biggest city into a trendy collection filled with a color assortment of jade and blue tones meshed against classic neutral tones of black and white, a vibrant pieces assemblage that captivates you immediately. Inspired by a nostalgic look back at the 1930s Shanghai calendar girl, Tam described her muse as the “the new Shanghai girl—a woman who travels a lot, is comfortable and free, and whose wardrobe must take her from day to evening.”
The Mary Flagler Hall in the Dimenna Center is a vast, modern architectural space often used for classical music rehearsals and performances. Its sleek, red oak walls, and vaulted ceiling wasthe perfect backdrop to the Sukeina spring 2014 runway show. The collection was full of contrasts: angles with softness, black and white color palettes, fitted, yet billowing silhouettes. Sukeina’s creative director Omar Salaam, is originally from Senegal, infused a sophisticated, but modern point of view into his designs. His clothes have a je ne sais quoi quality that allows you to envision his clothing on any international fashionista, regardless of the fashion capital.
As the show begins, the specific walk of the models fascinates me. In contrast to the walk that I have seen most of the time, it is slow and deliberate, with an almost stalking quality. The walk is evocative of the regal sophistication of the collection and I imagine reflects the Sukeina customer. The models walked in a triangle formation, again, lending an individualism and uniqueness to the show.
Diane von Furstenberg aptly named her spring 2014 collection Oasis, as a cue to women to, as Furstenberg wrote in her show notes, “be your own oasis … an unexpected source of renewal, serenity and beauty.”
But the Furstenberg collection was also an oasis in other ways, most especially an oasis from watching a lot of collections that looked the same or tried too hard to look different. Furstenberg’s collection is the happy result of a designer confident in her own skin and style. And the appearances by some of the top walkers in the industry including the legendary Naomi Campbell amped up the wow factor.
Yes, there were literal stylistic references to an oasis that one might find in the African desert, but things never bordered into kitsch. The closest the collection got to overworking the theme was a royal-topped shift dress that featured a lion landscape against an orange background on the skirt. But a sandscape print in alternating waves of white, royal, orange, black and sand found just the right balance between vibrancy and peacefulness. And a black and white zebra print looked chic and fun.
Kati Stern likes to channel her vivacious, fiery, rock n’ roll spirit through her collections each season. And though Venexiana is known for elegant, opulent gowns, at closer examination, the spirit of rock n’ roll peeks through. Each season Stern channels her unique perspective on eveningwear through the lens of edgy, but opulent evening gowns, bejeweled with an assortment of eye-catching embellishments that add to Stern’s special brand of glitz and glam.
Venexiana debuted its spring/summer 2014 collection with an assortment of stunning dresses featuring bold sequin accents, delicate lace embroidery, luxurious pastel shades of peach, blue, pink, orange and lavender matched against form-fitting metallic and luxurious gowns in the diaphanous fabrics of silk chiffon, organza and tulle. From one-shoulder daring prints to halter, body-conscious designs that showcased the feminine silhouette, season after season Kati Stern keeps elevating her customer beyond just pretty eveningwear to garments that push the proverbial fashion-forward envelope.
For her spring 2014 collection Sally LaPointe looked to flowers found at your local delicatessen. As expressed in this collection, deli flowers can evoke an alluring melancholy, as well as a faded beauty. Think about it, the flowers are put out and displayed in the early morning hours and by the end of the day the lushness and vibrancy of their simple beauty has faded or expired. With this though it mind, some of the later garments in LaPointe’s spring collection reflected a rich mosaic of colors that blended into each other just as wilting flowers’ vibrancy diminishes without losing some of the beauty.
Typically LaPointe likes to combine hard as soft elements in her collections. In this outing the elements of hard and soft her expressed in LaPointe’s unique layering techniques in which the bottom garment may be an organza or crepe fabrication topped with leather or vinyl layer. Take LaPointe’s plush matte sequin tulip dress layered over with a plush pearlized patent leather pleated vest, or an eggshell organza crop tee with pearlized patent leather pleated vest accessorized with a white leather folded waist belt as hardware. That said; in this collection LaPointe demonstrated that she has become a master at manipulating organza, a very difficult garment to masterfully bend to any designer’s will due the fabric’s fraying possibilities.
LaPointe does incorporate some continuing trends from previous seasons it this collection, but as always LaPointe finds innovative ways of evolving her approach of fresh, linear architecturally centered garments without being overwhelmed by the latest trends. Point in fact is the continued trend of exposed midriffs, which LaPointe has in this collection. LaPointe expands this trend in her spring 2014 collection with her unique approach to layering and hardware, giving her consumer a variety of options of how to incorporate this trend into their spring wardrobe. With the layering the exposed midriff is very subtle and understated, with the outer hardware the exposed midriff is more dynamic but still has a point of view that is unique and attention grabbing.
Project Runway has produced a slew of credible fashion designers. Still, only a handful have gone on to show consistently during New York Fashion Week. With the exception of Christian Siriano, Irina Shabayeva, Korto Momolu, Gretchen Jones, Malan Breton, and a few others, most contestants on Project Runway are faces we only see on reruns on Lifetime and the Style Network. And while some very talented Project Runway alumnae start off strong with good press and notices, only Siriano and Malan Breton have managed to keep their feet in the proverbial New York Fashion Week pool season after season.
Breton’s color palette ranged from the soft pastels of carnation pink to eggshell white, beige, nude and electric blue. “As far as color was concerned I wanted to keep it softer for the women and bolder for the men,” detailed Breton. “When it comes to color, men are becoming the prize peacock. Interestingly, roles are being switched in the market right now.”
