Sept. 18, 2009

Friday night, a fashionable crowd packed into the Hiding Gallery in Brooklyn to view “Selenite”, a presentation of emerging designers, Ann Yee and Pipertree Leather. With video art displayed in the lofty art space, the crowd enjoyed an evening capped with a runway show, while later, models mingling amongst the crowd, decked out in spring ‘10 designer wares by Ann Yee and jewelry by Pipertree Leather.

The twelve look presentation offered an adorable collection of ultra feminine, too-cool-for school fashion looks complemented with earth-like, leather & stone crafted jewelry. The organically feminine feeling was conveyed through such looks as the soft layered drapings of silk georgette and charmeuse in varying pastel shades, the petal like folds of silk shorts, and the ruffled edges of a billowing cape like sleeve on a silk romper. The soft pastel palette, contrasted with a neutral pale grey and a shot of magenta invited the viewer further into this feminine romp.

Favorites included the orange creamsicle silk dress with detachable back draping for the wearer to decide on dramatic effect, the pocket details on nearly every piece, and the cotton shirt dress with lapels that extended to the hem, with pleat stitches hidden in the racerback detail.

The jewelry, not to be outdone by the clothing, was modern with an old soul. The designer of Pipertree Leather, Alexandra Lauro, handcrafts each piece with earth-laden objects, such as stones, shells, lanyard, & leather to create objects reminiscent of talismans of old and that special piece of jewelry made as a child.

Favorites included a mollusk shell ring with various crystal-like stones jutting out from the surface of the shell and a necklace of flattened rocks, hinged by what seemed to be rope like leather surrounding each piece and the wearer’s neck.

Photos courtesy of Ann Yee

Tags: Ann Yee, Pipertree Leather, runway show, spring 2010.

Karen Walker tote bags given to the front rows at the show

This past Saturday was a rainy one but that didn’t stop the fashionistas from attending the Karen Walker show for New York fashion week. But underneath all those umbrellas, lucky show-goers managed to snag Karen Walker totes filled with fashion swag!!

Walker is a designer hailing from New Zealand with a definite knack for casual luxury. Her spring 2010 collection was inspired by the British television series ‘The Prisoner’ which aired in the 1960’s, and took place on a mysterious Edwardian seaside village, a prison for retired spies cached as a holiday resort. The dichotomy of an island vacation versus an island in captivity lends itself perfectly into Walker’s work. Her designs appear effortless yet put-together, masculine yet feminine, adorable yet fierce. In this way, it is clear that one of Walker’s many gifts is her ability to balance design. If there is a proper way to layer three different patterns and prints in one outfit, it is walking down her runway.

Her runway was filled with chic and playful designs. I loved the bold use of stripes and their emphasis on a loosely-fitted top or bottom. Paired with a frill or ruffle, the overbearing stripe suddenly becomes chic. The belted dress with cascading layers at the hip is forgiving to any silhouette and brings with it an air of casual elegance.

Tiered dresses, ruffled shoulders, and bubble-shaped jumpers added young coyness and youthful vibrancy to the palette. I love how the light, short, and airy dresses were anchored down with a pop of color from practical boat shoes or a dark, unbashful sock.

Walker’s command of jacket design is astounding. She showcased more than a dozen different varieties of outerwear on the runway - all made of various materials, cuts, and designs. Some tailored, some ruffled ponchos, some trenches, some capes - each jacket had a fundamental statement.

Karen Walker greets the crowd.

The show was a wonderful medley of shapes, lengths, and colors that seamlessly flowed together. To make such incongruity effortlessly harmonize on the runway is a feat that should not be taken lightly. With her stunning spring 2010 collection, Walker has managed to appeal a yacht-full of different personalities and tastes under one label.

Visit Karen Walker

Tags: Karen Walker, Runway, seaside, Spring/Summer 2010 Fashion Week.

Vena Cava’s Spring 2010 presentation at Milk Studios was equal parts traditional runway show, presentation and happening as models came down the catwalk, then arranged themselves on steel workladders accompanied live by Brooklyn experimental indie duo The Fiery Furnaces.

The looks centered around clean silhouettes in acid wash prints in shades of grey, black and dark brown punched up with details like nylon mesh, laser cutouts and safety-pin trim.

Some of our favorite designs included an orange cupra jersey asymmetrical minidress with a black mesh strap inset, and a sleeveless, halter duster with a rolled collar worn over washed navy leather jeans. The duster’s print was inspired by Ndebele house paintings in South Africa.

Designers Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai cited the character of Maude Lebowski as an inspiration, reflected in the styling of their models (and in Mayock’s hair!) who sported matte purple lips, Robert Clergerie shoes, black sunglasses and mystery-woman visor hats.

Clockwise from top left: Patrick Robinson, The Fiery Furnaces, Julianne Moore as Maude Lebowski (photo: Merrick Morton), Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava

Visit: Vena Cava

All photos by The Totam except where credited.

Tags: 2010 Spring Fashion Week, Milk Studios, Vena Cava.

Kirsten Dunst for Boy by Band of Outsiders

Looking like Goldie Hawn in the movie Overboard, Kirsten Dunst in Boy by Band of Outsiders is ready to jump ship. Wearing one superbly cut yacht-worthy white suit and numerous other nautical-inspired pieces like a navy admirals-style blazer and a bright yellow off-the-shoulder top, Dunst stars in Boy’s spring ‘09 lookbook and video and works the cool girl preppy angle.

Karen Walker & Y-3

Other designers seen incorporating sea-faring styles into their spring repertoire are Karen Walker and Y-3, using bright royal blues to create sporty looks in sheer stripes and solids. Even Hussein Chalayan has taken to the trend with a delicately striped mini-dress, sail included.

Hussein Chalayan & Y-3

Tags: Boy by Band of Outsiders, Goldie Hawn, Karen Walker, Kirsten Dunst, nautical, preppy, sea, Spring, Y-3, yacht.

Conservative times call for conservative.. headdresses. Fashion week has turned out a new trend we can only describe as chaste-chic as numerous designers sent their models down the runway resembling nuns and monks and obscuring hair and ears by wrapping heads in costume-like hats and wraps. Ninja-like head coverings first appeared at threeASFOUR’s Saturday evening presentation and then mysteriously emerged again barrelling down the runway at Zero + Maria Cornejo’s Monday show. Matthew Ames‘ entire collection seemed to be a commentary on modesty and restraint by using enormous amounts of fabric to cover the models up as much as possible. Skin was hard to find as even wrists and ankles disappeared underneath billowing folds. Even Marc Jacobs whose show was about exuberance and color sent a model out in a large folded wool hat whose expanse resembled that of The Flying Nun’s.

Tags: chaste, Fashion Week, hats, head wraps, headdress, Marc Jacobs, Matthew Ames, monk, monochromatic, New York, ninja, nun, Runway, The Flying Nun, threeASFOUR, Zero + Maria Cornejo.

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.

For Fall ‘09, Ecco Domani Award recipient Matthew Ames has produced a timeless collection. While the pieces could easily be reminiscent of vintage Halston in their draping, they could also just as easily resonate with the future; with the ultra-suede hooded jumpsuit, the billowing pants, and the love of volume and boundless fabrics. Ames skillfully straddles that precarious middle ground of being influenced by the past and creating for the future.

This season Ames stripped things bare, leaving his usual pop of geometric patterns and textures for past seasons. Using a classic color palette, Ames’ draping and love of volume held its own ground. Floor-length cashmere coats draped over wide-leg jumpsuits were crisp with clean finishes and nearly hidden seams. Silhouettes appeared never-ending as fabric folded into itself, sometimes draping across or wrapping around into a denim kimono or cashmere poncho. Ames’ signature waist gathering emerged this season in a standout red silk crepe dress amongst the collection of modern looks for the woman of today, or tomorrow.

All images c. The Totam

Tags: cashmere, draping, Fashion Week, geometric, Halston, jumpsuit, kimono, Matthew Ames, New York.

Madcap prints have always been Rachel Comey’s signature and fall’s collection has no shortage. The vivid variety included florals (delicate liberty prints and generous cabbage roses), a graphic leopard print, and a “doorman” print of a dancing man with an umbrella which appeared in inventive layers with cozy woolen knits, menswear-style trousers and ankle-grazing skirts. Comey who also has a very popular accessories collection sent girls down the runway in numerous oversized hats, earmuffs, and headwraps to keep heads warm. Even a large side bun on one model vaguely resembled the knotted headwrap on another.

Above images via style.com

The collection was shown last night at the Taxter & Spengemann Gallery near the East Village whose raw white-bricked walls were the perfect backdrop to Comey’s richly layered outfits. Pre-show, journalists cajoled members of the well-dressed crowd to pose for pictures as the small space filled up.

All images c. The Totam unless otherwise noted.

Tags: Fall 2009, fashion show, Fashion Week, knits, liberty print, New York, prints, Rachel Comey, Runway, Taxter & Spengemann.

Carolina Herrera and Marni sunglasses on the spring 2009 runways / Images via style.com

Half-frame sunglasses are making a huge comeback for spring. We’ve seen them in two varieties with either a thin bottom rim (on the spring 2009 Carolina Herrera runway) or a completely exposed glass bottom (at Marni’s spring show). Personally we love the graphic silhouette either way. With their classic retro feel, the glasses have the same glamorous effect as a thick swipe of eyeliner on the top lid.

Rayban Clubmaster Sunglasses available at Net-a-Porter / Vintage Revue Sunglasses available at Eyeglasses

Linda Farrow Luxe Gold-Plated Sunglasses available at Net-a-Porter / Linda Farrow Gold Rimmed Sunglasses also available at Net-a-Porter

Tags: Carolina Herrera, eyewear, half frame sunglasses, Marni, retro, Runway, Spring, sunglasses, vintage.