NYFW Fall 2014: Marissa Webb

I kicked off my fashion week this year at the Marissa Webb show. The designer has been on the radar as one to watch for a number of seasons. This season the designer really found her sweet spot in sexy tomboy-ish clothing that is perfect for day-to-day life - never too sweet, with just the right amount of attitude to turn heads. The city girl who always seems to look pulled together even when she has just woken up and is on-the-go.

The beauty exemplified attitude the with messy rolled just-out-of-bed hair or wispy high buns contrasted with classic cat eyes, soft pink lips and radiant skin in full force.

The color palette was broken up into groupings monochromatic to start, introduction of navy and oxford blue, followed by smoldering purple, dusty pinks and finishing off with bold red. While black, grey and white dominated the color groupings made for a powerful impression. Plaid, tweed, leather, fur and abstract watercolor florals that added texture and dimension to the looks.

H&M Design Awards 2014

H&M has just announced the eight finalists for the H&M Design Awards 2014. The finalists chosen are quite an international mix from design schools around the world as one of the most promising talents of their generation.

The finalists have each won €5000, and will now present their work to an international jury that will determine the winner of the competition.

The winner will receive €50,000 and the chance to present winning collection on January 28th during Mercedes-Benz Stockholm Fashion Week. The winner will also develop pieces from the winning collection to be sold at selected H&M stores this Fall.

This year's prestigious jury includes which includes London-based designer Erdem, actress Michelle Dockery, style expert Michelle Harper, Serena Hood the executive fashion editor of Vogue UK, Sara Maino senior fashion editor of Vogue Italy, plus Ann-Sofie Johansson who is H&M’s head of design and of course Margareta van den Bosch, H&M’s creative advisor.

“I am so excited about the finalists for the H&M Design Award 2014. Each one has a sense of unique creativity, amazing technical skills, and the vision to push fashion forward. I can’t wait to see who will win!” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M’s head of design.

THE FINALISTS

EDDY ANEMIAN – 24-year-old Eddy is from Saint Chamond in France and is currently studying at La Cambre in Brussels. For the H&M Design Award 2014, he presented his fourth-year collection, inspired by Tilda Swinton in the movie I Am Love and the French painter Ingres.

CAMILLA BLASE WOODMAN – Camilla, 26, was born in Bristol in the UK, and studied knitwear at the Royal College of Art in London. Her collection takes inspiration from the dystopian vision of the future found in the 1988 movie They Live, resulting in graphic metallic knits matched with fuzzy knits inspired by white noise.

JIA HUA – Chinese-born Jia, 25, studied in the MFA program at Parsons in New York. Jia’s collection was inspired by artists such as Dan Flavin, Mickalene Thomas and Caroline Larsen. She mixes traditional craft techniques with contemporary sportswear and combines different materials, such as chiffon with sporty meshes.


DEVON HALFNIGHT LEFLUFY – Originally from Vancouver, Canada, 29-year-old Devon recently graduated from the Masters year at the Royal Academy in Antwerp. His luxury streetwear for men has already been stocked by stores such as Opening Ceremony and RA.

XIAO LI – 26-year-old Xiao Li is from China and studied for her MA at the Royal College of Art in London. Her interest is in garments of the future, with a focus on wearability. Her techniques include combining silicone with knits to create innovative fabrics and making molds of her knit fabrics.

LINA MICHAL – Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, 25-year-old Lina recently graduated from Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm. Her collection is inspired by nature, and takes decorative elements from Swedish traditions such as Midsummer and folk costumes for brides, using organic volumes and surface manipulation.


SOPHIE SÄLEKARI – 22-year-old Sophie was born in Helsinki and studied at the city’s Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture. In her Russian-folk-inspired collection presented for the H&M Design Award 2014, she explored color, print and texture, and how to use fabrics in unexpected ways.

HENRIETTE TILANUS – Henriette, 23, was born in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and graduated from the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem. Henriette’s collection is titled “Let the Dust Settle In”, and is inspired by the eccentric style of Edith Sitwell, using textile experiments such as embroidering on plastic and creating abstract flowers from found materials.

To find out more about the award and the finalists, and vote in the People’s Prize award, visit designaward.hm.com. Please click here to download the images and click here to view a short film on each designer’s presentation.

NYFW Spring 2014: Brandon Sun

I previously had pronounced Brandon Sun as a designer to watch and after my declaration, I was eager to see how this young designer would develop in his subsequent collections. His most recent collection was inspired by female warriors of the Samurai class in feudal Japan. The presentation took place at the Box in Lincoln Center.

You can see the influence in the shapes of blouses, streamlined silhouettes, the use of colorblocking and details like careful tucks in leather that look like they might hold artillery. Skirts with high slits up the front and asymmetrical wrap styling make the women look ready to pounce. The line seems to be of utmost importance and geometric shapes lend an architectural feeling that flatters the female body.

Plays with sheerness of fabric, iridescence and texture through leather and patch work fur offer a wide range of choices to the Sun woman. Against the base of black, white and shades of grey, mint/jade and peach/orange combinations popped and looked fresh.

My favorite looks are almost minimalist in nature. I love the white sheath with asymmetric details on the back, the  leather dress. The black & white sweater with leather bottoms is also quite striking. The future is bright for Sun as he continues to grow as a designer.

NYFW Fall 2013: Rafael Cennamo

Rafael Cennamo is not a name I had heard much about before but after Saturday's presentation at The Box at Lincoln Center, he is a name I will remember. Too often people attach the word couture to there names when the reality of the brand has very little to do with couture but for Mr. Cennamo, he understood the word completely. His eveningwear line first launched in 2006 and he has since become a celebrity favorite. With looks like these, you really don't even have to question why.

The collection entitled 21 Shades of Gold was gilded art inspired by "the passage of time with the ornate and golden aura of The Hall of Mirrors" there was a very strong baroque influence of over the top opulence and grandeur in each and every single one of the dresses. And as the title implied gold was the dominating factor creating the opportunity to showcase an abundance of texture - from gold foil to textural knit yarns to guipure lace to mesh to fortuny pleated lamé and beyond.

Runway Review: Norman Ambrose Spring 2012

My expectations were high as I walked into the Lincoln Center for what was Norman Ambrose’s debut runway show.  Last season, Lani and I were enamored by the 70s glam looks with the dazzling beading and the sexy pythons.  What would this season bring?

 

I soon got my answer with the pouring in of heavy metals. Since his inspiration was drawn from the sun glistening like diamonds on the Mediterranean sea I suppose metallics make sense. From Pewter to Gold to Silver and Copper – Norman Ambrose had metallic covered. Perhaps in a similar manner to Rachel Zoe’s presentation it was about “Glamour by Day” as even trouser suits and separates were all about the shine. Given the impeccable fit and tailoring I don’t see any reason not to shine in these clothing.  Although Norman Ambrose is still a young designer, he trained with a both master patternmaker and a master tailor (who logged time with Cristobal Balenciaga and Bill Blass) before launching his collection and it paid off.