Daniel Vosovic showed his Fall 2013 collection at The W Hotel in Union Square today. The collection began with a view of a modern day female aristocrat. Mr. Vosovic sees the bold women wearing his line craving a colorful, textured look with a hint of rebellion. He says the collection has manifested into a deceptively simple collection, both in execution and detail.
Inspired heavily by James Bond (the Sean Connery era), David Hart’s FW ’13 collection featured several nods to the flashy fictional spy including secret agent glasses, a classic tuxedo (with bowtie and cumburbund!) and music from the film Experiment in Terror (a murder/mystery from the ’60s).
A tribute to the men of yesteryear, the 20 complete looks made retro new again with plenty of well-tailored mohair and wool suits (pocket squares included), comfy separates like oversized turtlenecks and slim fitting wool trousers and patterns that any Mad Man would love (dare we say, plaid on plaid?).
Hart didn’t skimp on the accessories, either. In addition to the eye wear, some looks included Rod Keenan hats, Sermoneta gloves and leather accessories by Kika NY. All the models wore some version of the “Chase” leather oxford shoe by Walk-Over.
Known for his neckties, which have sold at luxury department stores, Hart started his eponymous label just six years ago after working for Ralph Lauren, Anna Sui and Tommy Hilfiger. For his first collection, Hart had to invest more than $30,000 of his own money on the clothing and Fashion Week production. “It’s a big expense, so my hope is that the show will generate interest in our brand and drive sales,” said Hart.
See our full review and gallery after the break.
Gabriela Perezutti’s romantic flair was still in evidence with a beautiful black tiered lace maxiskirt and sequined slipdresses, but this season, the designer added rustic elements to her accessories, showing riding boots and Navajo patterns on hosiery with her more casual looks.
The strength of Tadashi Shoji’s glamorous collection was more sensual, less sizzle. Cocktail dresses and gowns with blouson tops, Watteau backs and dropped waists covered more than they bared and moved gracefully over the body. Looks both long and short were shown in bonded lace, paisley printed gazar and cut or washed velvets — some with beaded insets and leather belts — and were a testament to the designer’s terrific restraint.
Check out all of our images and our full review after the break.
Timo Weiland continued to explore the themes he touched on for pre-fall like streamlined suiting and jacquards and upped the ante adding trim like rich tapestries, leather and fur on coats and separates for a collection that was both special and wearable.
Right from the start, the Timo Weiland girl has been all sugar ‘n’ spice and everything nice. But now, apparently, she’s developed an attitude problem. That’s very good news though, as this collection benefited from its fresh sense of toughness. The first look established the change in tone: Today’s show opened with a shrugged-on, mannish coat with oversize shearling lapels that suggested that the girl wearing it would sooner kick you in the shins than be accused of being “twee.” Same goes for her friend in the quilted biker jacket, and the one in the hooded black leather bomber. Pretty much all the outerwear had that welcome hint of snarl.
Not all the looks were quite as bare-knuckle, but even when designers Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein were working in a more refined vein, they tended to keep the looks sharp and un-girlish. To wit, a lean suit of navy windowpane check and the slouchy gray marl sweater worn with a foulard-print pencil skirt. Even a look as overtly femme as a khaki minidress with exaggerated godet pleats conveyed grown-up, can’t-be-fussed confidence. Not everything here worked as well; the wallpaper jacquards were a bit off, for example. But the weaknesses were made up for by the terrific show-closing look, a one-shoulder cocktail dress in navy satin that had some serious bite.
Speaking after the show, Weiland and Eckstein said that they had been inspired by English Tudor houses, and imagining hip East London girls heading to the country for the weekend. As they went on to acknowledge, though, those references were refracted, as they inevitably had to be, through their ur-New York sensibility. Somehow, all of that added up to a kind of ’90s-era X-Girl vibe—there was the same mix of grunge and polish. If the trousers had been boot-leg cut, the effect would have been complete.
Check out our full gallery after the break.
Timo Weiland showed his men’s and women’s collections separately this season, and the men’s wear was all the better for it. “We didn’t want to have to make them match,” Weiland said in an interview backstage before the show. Jackets with hexagon quilting, wool coats adorned with neckwear patterns and a sweater decorated with an image of design partner Alan Eckstein’s dachshund, Coconut, were ready-made for the trendy Brit-pop scene that inspired the lineup. Add the duo’s catchy windowpane trousers and the hat collaboration with Albertus Swanepoel, and the hits kept coming. While Weiland was nursing a broken arm from a holiday skiing accident, the mishap didn’t seem to slow down the momentum for this youthful label.
View all our photos from the presentation after the break.
Maggie Grace and Christina Ricci adorned the front-row at Richard Chai’s women’s show. The designer explored a decidedly more grown-up, polished look than in past seasons. Yet the pared-down silhouettes, worked in a mostly dark palette, lacked Chai’s familiar energy. Men’s wear plaids were a leitmotif, shown on tailored suits, jackets and slim, understated dresses. The outerwear was a highlight, especially the hooded bomber in an abstract floral print and a long, beige oversize coat with a drawstring waist. The pop of purple here and there was refreshing, most notable on a bright sequined shirt worn under a tailored tweed jacket.
View all of our photos from runway after the break.
We got up bright and early this morning at 6:30 AM to make it to Linclon Center in time to make it for our call time to interview Lubov Azria. That interview will be up on the site soon!
Max and Lubov Azria found inspiration in the beautiful tiles and stone inlays of Istanbul’s iconic mosques. The result was just the sort of exotic romp that the BCBG girl loves: full of lovely, wearable prints and rich textures, all layered with abandon à la the gypsies the Azrias saw in Turkey. “I loved their whole approach to dressing,” said Lubov prior to the show.
The runway also included lots of coats, from puckered and quilted parkas with leather patches to fur-trimmed hoodies, many of them worn casually over pilings of silk separates done in tile or mosaic prints and embroideries. Many of the skirts, dresses and tunics were slit high up the leg in contrast to their proper midi or sweeping lengths. And leather was a key component too, worked on laser-cut trapeze tops and lizard-embossed boots for an extra dose of mysticism that made this collection a real success.
“A free-spirited bohemian girl that knows what looks good on her” was how Laurent Philippon, head stylist for Bumble and bumble, described his hair inspiration for BCBG Max Azria’s collection. To achieve this look, Philippon used a combination of Bumble and bumble’s Thickening Spray and Surf Spray. The pairing of these two products created a “light and voluminous sideswept look.” He finished off each model with Bumble and bumble’s newest product, Cream Contour, a hair texturizer that can be used on any hair type. “I wanted a worn-out look with a lot of lightness, I didn’t want any weight at all, and this Cream Contour is perfect for that,” said Philippon. Each model’s look was topped off with a beanie.
Val Garland, lead makeup artist for Sephora Pro, used browns and neutral tones for a grunge-meets-Middle East-inspired look. Using Sephora waterproof liner in dark brown matte, Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil in bourbon, and Dior Diorshow mascara in chestnut, Garland created a smoldering dark-brown smoky eye. To showcase the cheeks, she used Benefit’s Watt’s Up! on top of Stila Stay All Day foundation. The look was topped off with a glossy nude lip from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar.
Check out all the photos from Jane Kratochvil after the break.
The season 8 Project Runway winner Gretchen Jones has debuted her S/S 2013 collection. The collection pays homage to American folk singer and human rights activist Joan Baez’s album “Any Day Now,” comprised of only Bob Dylan songs, as well as Joan Didion’s essay “Where the Kissing Never Stops,” in the book Slouching Towards Bethlehem. By bridging together romantic and minimalist silhouettes with architecturally inspired textiles and tailoring, Jones introduces an early folk reinterpretation of classic bohemian femininity.
Over 70% of the collection is made from ethical and natural materials. By working primarily with leather, silk, wool, linen, bamboo, organic cotton, wood, brass and gemstones, Jones maintains a connection to the rustic and artisanal. “I’ve incorporated organic cottons and worked with an amazing company, Indigo Handloom, who works with off-the-grid weavers in India. My custom prints are still digitally printed to reduce water waste and I continue to and will always support domestic production,” Jones said in a statement.
Gretchen Jones is produced domestically and aligned with Save the Garment Center, an NYC-based organization that supports local craftspeople and ethical business practices. The collection retails from $200 – $700 and is available online soon at www.gretchenjonesnyc.com.