NYFW Fall 2014: Costello Tagliapietra

My favorite fashion bears continue to expand their offerings this season beyond the beautifully draped dresses for which they are best known. Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra sent pencil skirts, trousers, fitted blazers, a borrowed-from-the-boys cardigan and even a jacquard coat onto the runway.

Don't fret if you are a fan of their luxe easy-to-wear dresss, those are still available. This season they have been a bit simplified for a cleaner approach. They've also lent their signature light touch with draping to beautiful blouses that are perfect for wearing to work or to dinner.

Masters of quirky color combinations you will find a soft mauve jersey with an acrid yellow iridescent taffeta, a rich red with a earth brown, oxblood with navy blue and sea green with navy, charcoal and mauve. The prints this season have an organic earth quality like lichen growing on a rock. Or semi-precious stones in the rough.

NYFW Spring 2014: Calla

Calla Haynes first caught my attention last season with her Tetris inspired 90s-esque collection. This season the young designer who was a finalist for France's prestigious ANDAM prize for 3 years continues her 90s love with a surf inspired collection. The designer's love for the decade could in part be stemmed from the fact that it was about the time in her life when fashion first held it's influence.

Fortunately the designer did not hold us hostage in the past and lent her youthful aesthetic to creating fresh fashion for the modern age. Sure there were crop tops, bat wing sweaters, bralets and matching skirt suits (Hello, Clueless) but the proportions have been modified to become a lot more flattering through full skirts, loose trousers and figure skimming sheaths

For most part just a peek of skin shows at a time making the cropped tops a lot more wearable. Items skim the body without being too oversized or too mini. 

  

Mixing prints seems second nature to Ms. Haynes and neon or bright pops were balanced with neutrals like black and white or white and warm grey.

The overall effect is that the Calla woman is feminine, cute but not at all saccharine or dainty.

NYFW Spring 2014: Costello Tagliapietra

The designers of Costello Tagliapietra have long been known as much for their personal style as they have been for their light handed approach to draping ultra-feminine dresses. This season they branched out of the their normal territory and made the collection a bit more personal by being inspired by their personal approach to dressing while introducing plenty of separates, handbags and shoes.

 

Naturally there was a nod to the plaid that they both love and have earned them the affectionate nickname of the Fashion Bears. However the plaid has been blurred out to it's most abstract form to create a softer print. The long cardigans they favor, button-up shirts, relaxed trousers and tailored jackets have all found their way into this collection. However this is not to say that this is a literal translation of the duos masculine style and there is no hint of hipster or 90s grunge present. It is more what the designer's vision of women borrowing from the boys might look like.

Don't think that this means the designers have given up on their first love of draping. There are feminine dresses a plenty. However this time around the silhouettes are less voluminous and more sleek.

The color palette of orange, aqua, baby blue, cobalt, olive, black and flame red lend a tropical feel to the collection. When it is layered and color blocked in many of the looks it becomes very striking.

Overall the results were successful in creating wearable, effortless, elegant clothing that is simultaneously modern and classic. I really appreciate how the designers have broadened their offerings, giving more choices to their customer and can't wait to see these pieces at retail.

NYFW Fall 2013: Louise Amstrupp

There are a couple of presentations that I stopped by that I never had a chance to get to so here is one more review for you. Louise Amstrup  is the London based designer who made her London Fashion Week debut back in 2009. Now to signify a new era Louise Amstrup presented in New York for the very first time at Milk Studios.

The collection was inspired by the 2004 documentary, Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, that portrayed a ghost town in the Californian desert. The town was once lauded to become the new Palm Springs before ever increasing salt levels gave the area an odor of decaying fish.

Salt crystals, underwater sea creatures and coral became the inspirational elements that Amstrup drew upon.  The level of detail took a couture approach. The organza skirt shown above consisted of hundreds of hand-dyed organza flowers and took 850 hours to create.

NYFW Fall 2013: Bellavance

Milk Studios was a buzz the other week as the most crowded of all presentations caught my attention. What was the buzz about? Why were people milling into such a small, hot room? Turns out that Bellavance who were winners of the MADE For Peroni Young Designer Awards, Ava Hama and Nolan Bellavance were showing their inaugural collection at Milk Studios. The award, which was open exclusively to select Parsons SoF graduates and alumni, meant $25,000 in funding, as well as production support and personal mentoring from London-based designer Antonio Beradi in the lead up to the presentation.

NYFW Fall 2013: Alexandre Herchcovitch

I had the chance to return to Milk Studios for Alexander Herchcovitch's runway show on Saturday night to a full house. The room was packed as the lights dimmed. The looks sort of floated into the room as all eyes were fixated on the stage and a hush came over the bustling crowd. Sculptural skirts that had a surprisingly light quality to them in spite of being created in satins. There was a sense of romance yet modernity but simultaneously there was an underlying eerie quality to the designs as well.

The inspiration came from flowers but not in the way that one would typically think. Sure there were have done it. The models themselves became the flowers and you could see the flowers going through all the stages from young bud to the shedding of petals. The shedding was most interesting to me upon closer examination I realized that the shedding is actually not assymetry but how the garments have been designed to be deconstructed. She's come undone and is revealing some sexy lingerie inspired pieces.

NYFW Fall 2013: CALLA

Call me a bit of an 90s nerd but whenever a collection is inspired by Tetris or other video games it fascinates me. Calla Haynes the Canadian Paris-based designer behind CALLA was inspired by Tetris, Legend of Zelda and director Michel Gondry's The Science of sleep. The unique prints that resembled blurry pixel florals, while another has a cosmic blustery petal feel and let's not forget the Tetris tweed used. The designer partnered up with Austrian knitwear designer Michaela Buerger to create chunky hand-knit wool sweaters.  Fortunately the collection did not look anything like a 90s nerd.

NYFW Fall 2013: Jonathan Simkhai

After catching a show at Milk Studios on the weekend, I made my way up to the 8th floor to catch some presentations - one of which was Jonathan Simkhai.  A little hipster, a little sporty, a little androgynous, a little downtown - but all cool is the best way for me to describe his collection.  As one of the members of the CFDA's fashion incubator program, Simkhai definitely didn't disappoint!

NYFW Fall 2013: Costello Tagliapietra

I got to kick of my NYFW by attending the Costello Tagliapietra show at Milk Studios. My favorite designer duo Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra, affectionately known as the Fashion Bears, created another beautiful collection while the Misshapes spun tunes and the fearless Kate Lanphear was spotted again.

This time around the inspiration for the collection came in the form of aerial maps, topographic lines and the floral-like energy that they take on. These images were used as tools that were superimposed on the human form and recreated through drape and patterning.

The results were dresses that had a 40s sort of glamor to them. There was a coziness to the collection thanks to the addition of alpaca teddybear knits that were carefully knit with leaf patterns that from a distance resemble a chunky cable. The alpaca teddybear, if the name of the fabric wasn't adorable enough made for some gorgeous little capelets.

NYFW Runway Review: The Blonds

The final show I attended of NYFW was the loudest as Milk Studios was overtaken by the downtown cool kids strutting their most outrageous outfits.  Before the show even began I saw Spike Hair, furry monster get-up, angel wings and one topless bathing suit paired with tassle  pasties.  Celebs like Stacy London, Nigel Barker, Miss J Alexander, Jay Manuel, Robert Verdi were enjoying themselves and posing for photos as everyone strutted their best stuff. The energy and over the top exuberance had me not knowing where to look and I scarcely noticed the electric motorcycle on the runway that was deeply connected to the theme of the show.  Right before the show began there was a sudden flurry of activity as Lil Kim made her way into the room.

Runway Review: Costello Tagliapietra Fall 2012

Costello Tagliapietra was my first show of NYFW and the energy was flowing at Milk Studios while The Misshapes were spinning tunes that will get your heart pumping.  It was a full house and out of the corner of my eye I spotted Kate Lanphear, my personal style icon and US Editor in Chief of Elle Magazine in the front row along (bottom right photo) with some of the crew from Barneys New York.  Things were going to get interesting and a familiar hush filled the room as the lights darkened and the audience prepared themselves to be wowed.

In typical Costello Tagliapietra fashion soft, feminine draping hit the runway in the form of dresses that exude casual ease, elegance and luxury.  The prints painted by Jeffrey Costello reminded me of sea anenomes - a bit mystical, quirky and very organic.

The color palette reflects the prints in beautiful and unusual awkward tones of Raisin, Seagreen, Bark, Acid Green, Rust, Steel Blue and Indigo that seem to lend visual movement and compliment the artful draping.  It also gives me pleasure to know that the duo wherever possible relies on the eco-friendly AirDye process to dye and print the fabrics in their collection without using a single drop of water

While beautiful dresses are the effortless backbone of the collection, I was also magnetized by separates like the printed skinny pants and the reversible hooded coats that look so easy to wear and comfortable.

While many of the dresses have lots of fabric gathered around the body, it is not without waist emphasis to ensure a feminine silhouette.  Most of the looks were pretty covered up but some offered just the slightest sliver of skin for a hint of sexiness that is not in your face.

Fabrics with a contrasting color on either side also made their way into some of the draped jerseys for a fun unexpected pop of color.

My personal favorite pieces were the reversible coat, the rust colored one sleeve dress,  the steel blue silk twist dress, the printed brown scarf neck dress, the steel grey/seafoam drape neck halter dress and the cafe colored satin drape neck gown.

Beauty images courtesy of MilkMade.com

As for beauty, it was kept simple with a neutral lip and soft doe eyes that are highlighted in a light pink and steely blue.  Hair was kept very clean and lady-like in a low roll bun.  For nails a chocolatey burgundy shade was created using Essie Nail Polish.

Overall the collection was focused, glamorous and elegant - what more could a woman ask for?