Images via WWD.com

New York Fashion Week brings with it every year unique collections that range from the bizarre to the clean-cut, but few have the distinction of including fabrics that were blessed by the Dalai Lama like at Ecco Domani Award winner Bodkin’s presentation. The show was hosted at the Horticultural Society, located on the thirteenth floor of an inconspicuous building on West 37th Street. The small space teemed with fashion editors, presumably friends of former Vogue writer and creator of Bodkin Eviana Hartman, who were all eagerly awaiting the newest collection from the eco-friendly line.

The Horticultural Society on West 37th Street

The low-key event had models standing on a runway displaying a total of twelve sustainably sourced looks. Great care was given to each piece, from the silks dyed with natural materials like blueberries which created the ethereal dresses to the handmade, sustainably-dyed leather and wood shoes worn by all the models. Catsuits in soft, organic fabrics were layered underneath tie-dyed dresses and oversized tunics. High-waisted skinny pants paired with loose-fitting tops and oversized jackets completed the collection. The casual aesthetic of the collection fills a niche that is often overlooked amidst the forced avant-garde sometimes expected at Fashion Week and many are looking forward to what is in the future for this innovative designer.

Previously: Bodkin in Escape from Bryant Park: Fashion Week’s Other Venues

Images by My Nguyen unless noted.

Tags: blessed, blueberries, Bodkin, Dalai Lama, eco-friendly, event, Eviana Hartman, Fashion Week, Horticultural Society, natural, new collection, New York, presentation, silk, sustainable fashion, Vogue, wood.

Far from the bustling crowds at Bryant Park, people quietly filled the seats of the Altman Building in Chelsea for the Karen Walker fall/winter show on Valentine’s Day. In this collection, the designer stayed faithful to some of her favorite silhouettes but incorporated a somewhat unusual inspiration. According to a source close to the designer, Walker examined “basically trash and things that are considered ugly, like weird prints or track pants, wanting to reinvent them into something pretty.” This was evident in the cracked china and shattered crystal prints that adorned dresses and tops which were made of thick sweatshirt material. Working in a palette of subdued browns and grays, the designer included structured dresses and separates topped with voluminous double-breasted coats that evoked the feeling of crisp fall mornings. The collection, appropriately titled “She’s Cracked,” embraces the beauty of destruction and unconventionality in a way that is feminine and wearable.

Lower images by My Nguyen.

Tags: cracked china, double-breasted coats, Fall 2009, fashion show, Fashion Week, Karen Walker, New York, reinventing, Runway, sweatshirt, track pants, wierd prints.