NYFW Spring 2011: Katie Gallagher

Katie Gallagher has been on our "ones to watch" list ever since we saw her debut presentation last season. We had high hopes for her sophomore collection, and she kept to what she does well - slim silhouettes and intricate leggings.

Compared to last season, this collection felt more relaxed, less worked, but there was still a lot of great detail to be seen. Katie Gallagher excels at contrasting different materials from the same palette.

This season's the color palette consisted of black with pops of red and cobalt, and the collection included many form-fitting, figure-flattering jackets and dresses.
This season, the hair and makeup were simple, keeping the focus on the clothes. At the presentation, Erin and I spotted style icon Kate Lanphear, and we later learned that she actually helped style the show. The presentation was very sexy and strategic.

There were a lot of interesting necklines. The accessories and footwear were also noteworthy. The pieces were architectural and embellished with hardware.
We were huge fans of this collection, and we look forward to seeing more from this talented young designer.

First Look: Katie Gallagher FW2010

I was uber excited today to have the opportunity to check out NYC based designer Katie Gallagher. For those of you not familiar, Katie Gallagher is a RISD grad who has cut her teeth at the likes of ThreeAsFour and Anna Sui.

Her collection was titled, "The Heart of the Woods and What I Found There" references the designer's love of nature and the inspiration it holds over her work.

This was only Katie Gallagher's second collection but given the quality and creativity of her designs, I am anxious to see more. Her designs use creative curvilinear seaming to highlight the best parts of a woman's body. The designer compliments the body con pieces with sculptural jackets/sleeves and expert drapery.

The resulting look was sexy, eerily beautiful, ethereal modern day warriors. Femme without the frills or ruffles.

Fabrications played with variations on tone and texture. Half the collection was angelic with a mix of white, grey and beige tones. The other half of the collection was darker and more gothic. Quite a few pieces featured black on black panels that allowed texture to take center stage and keep things interesting.

I probably wouldn't personally wear the leggings as pants, they looked great in the presentation.

Strong beauty looks perfectly complimented the collection. Crimped hair, grey lips and dark slashes across the eyes made a strong statement. The nails matched the clothing in the layered nude to black effects but they weren't a look I would wear.

Overall I thought the collection was very cohesive and had the right balance of edgy sexiness and wearability. Well done, Ms Gallagher! You are definitely one of my personal faves from this Fall 2010 fashion week. I wish these pieces were jumping into my closet! What do you think of the collection?