Present in the collection was Marshall’s trademark undulating layers that flipped back & forth as the skaters made their way around the ice adding another layer of rhythm to the graceful play between the garment & the skater. The designer says she was inspired to create this collection as a result of her recent obsession with figure skating, which she partakes in as often as she can in Bryant Park before going into work in her nearby atelier. She started bringing some of her dresses to the rink to see how they’d react to being worn on the ice & the lightbulb for this show went off.
Remove the leotards from the pieces Marshall showed, & the result is a collection of truly stunning, lightweight, fashionable confections that will likely prove as beautiful on a red carpet or a night out on the town as they are on the ice. Marshall has found considerable success in the bridal world since her time on Project Runway & so many of the dramatic, romantic details that make her collection of bridal so alluring shine through in this collection which is decidedly runway in nature.
We say bravo (pun NOT intended, but it made us smile) to her effort! So happy Leanne Marshall is back… she’s a talent that NYFW so desperately needs…
]]>Hirsch divided his show into 5 sections, each being principally inspired by one of the characters from Last Epoch. Each section began with a t-shirt dress that announced the section’s theme or inspiration. Each section consisted of 3 to 5 looks to create a thematic vignette.
When I first came across the game, the first thing I noticed was the highly stylized characters and how every single one had a distinct look that made each one unique. Working with Last Epoch has allowed me to embrace the fantasy and fantastical elements that I love when designing.
Evan Hirsch- Designer
Hirsch has built quite a following on social media by posting videos of his gowns that, when unsnapped, or untied, or when some other release point is engaged, transform into a wholly different look, that in some cases that don’t hold even the slightest resemblance to the original. During his Fall Winter 2024 showing, he began with a simple fur “stole” that unsnapped & dropped down to form a fur skirt of sorts. As the show went on, there were 4 other transforming looks that got progressively more dramatic as the show progressed. Regardless, those in attendance were heard audibly gasping in awe of what just happened in front of their very eyes.
It seems his nearly 1 million followers on TikTok & Instagram with several videos earning over 60 million views each, is just the beginning of the designer’s appeal. Fresh off an appearance on The Tampon Hall Show as one of Tamron’s “designer’s to watch”, and now with his first full show at NYFW, this is a designer whose star is clearly on the rise. We can’t wait to see this collection lands in stores… but until then, you’ll have to go directly to the source: www.evan-hirsch.com
]]>For Fall 2024, Gita showed a collection inspired by her emotional response to the war in the Gaza that has been gripping her native Israel since late last year. She turned to her fond memories of her time in the military for her core inspiration & contrasted those hard, angular lines & details to the soft, carefree nature of her fellow Israeli citizens to create the collection that walked the runway of the Chelsea art gallery where she chose to stage her NFYW show, her 3rd season as part of the bi-annual happening.
This collection was inspired by my emotional response to the war in Gaza.
– Gita Omri, Designer
Cargo pockets made their way onto many of the ensembles, which is to be expected given the inspiration, but such details were softened by a color palette that was solidly in the dusty, natural end of the spectrum while begin grounded in Terra Cotta & Olive foundational colors, which proved the perfect complement to the Sand, Cream, Yellow, Aqua, Sage & Peach that created punch in the softer pieces.
The Yellow ribbon that was on the invitation found itself covering the walls of the venue for the show & also were seen on several of the garments, most notably as Gray sweater that had Yellow ribbons all over the shoulders like a colorful shawl collar. When pressed with the reason for the Yellow ribbons everywhere, Gita explained that the Yellow ribbons are a sign of hope & solidarity for & with the hostages taken at the very beginning of the war. Also of note was a print of a stone wall found on a soft, flowing georgette-like fabric that found it’s way into the collection on two of the strongest silhouettes, a cargo pocketed maxi dress & one of the best jumpsuits of all of NFYW. The pattern turned out to be an original pattern painted by Omri herself from a canvas she recently created & sold to a private collector. The wall in question was none other that Jerusalem’s Waling Wall, one of the sacred places on our planet, which lent context to this collection on many levels.
This collection was Omri’s strongest showing to date & if this is any indication of the ongoing trajectory this designer is on, Gita Omri is a designer you’ll want to continue to watch in the coming seasons.
Visit the Gita Omri website here: www.gitaomri.com
Follow Gita Omri on Instagram: @gitaomriofficial
Photo Credit: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com
-Vivian Kelly @thefashionhistorian
]]>The S/S 2024 VERDAVAINNE presentation at Cipriani’s Wall Street location transported the audience from downtown Manhattan to the glamour of the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. Cipriani’s Greek Revival building has a bar/library space with a long balcony that served as the show’s runway. The models posed at the end of the red carpet as celebrities would for their photo opp at Cannes. Cyril’s tea length cocktail dresses & evening gowns were crafted from the finest European fabrics such as dupioni silks, satin twill, & brocade. These fabrics have the heft & stiffness that is necessary to execute a luxurious brocade coat & the voluminous skirts of the halter & portrait neck gowns. One can see the influence of working as Carmen Marc Valvo’s right hand on this designer from his years creating structured evening gowns for 15 years. While popular, the brand was a “safe” choice & lacked the excitement & daring & verve of Thierry Mugler’s designs, where Cyril had trained as an illustrator years earlier.
He has been on his own since 2018, when Carmen Marc Valvo closed its doors. From that point on, he has been making his hand-crafted pieces in his Manhattan atelier. While there are shades of what he did at Carmen Marc Valvo, Cyril has incorporated more daring designs for his own collections combined with the color palette (red, white, & blue) from his childhood in Casablanca.
I am done with being safe!
-Cyril Verdavainne
In 2020, while the Covid 19 pandemic stopped the world as we knew it, the designer pressed on, & busied himself planning his next collection. He remembered his earlier focus on being conservative & rethought his aesthetic. He laughed, “I am done with being safe!” He recalled his days in Paris, of the unhinged design mentality of his time in Paris & its lavish fashion shows reignited a flame in him.
For this latest collection, Cyril injected some of the romance of the gowns of the fifties & sixties, most notably in a citron & ivory metallic brocade coat & a chartreuse & navy cocktail dress with a flirty yellow belt bow. The halter gowns, by contrast, presented a nod to the seventies’ love affair with halter necks & slinky silhouettes popularized by Roy Halston. Best in this category were the white & navy Bali print halter gown, a citron toga dress with a ruffle front & a periwinkle & gold floral print shirt gown, also accessorized with a gold bow belt. Finally, there were some designs that hit a minimalist nineties chord, most notably a black brushstroke gown with a severe black sleeveless top ending in a painterly black & white skirt. Like Kevan Hall, Cyril knows that less is more, & how to edit his collection, leaving his audience wanting more. We look forward to the next chapter in this designer’s creative journey.
-Vivian Kelly
]]>Their debut collation under their label took to the runway in the lobby of the iconic Woolworth Building in lower Manhattan to an audience full of bridal fashionistas from all tracks of the industry. The collection took its inspiration from, in the words of Bendel, “Many expressive themes… including the Yew Tree Ball at Versailles, circa 1745, and a 1920’s Hamptons soiree. One or two bodies later and you’ll have arrived at the Teatro Di San Carlo in the 1800;s for their opening night. Be it ballet or opera. This collection is meant to make you feel that you are in the presence of greatness.”
The collection is a tour of history’s finer fashion moments.
Talya Bendel & Esty Haas
True to the diversity of inspiration, the collection embodied a diversity of silhouettes meant to appeal to a wide range of potential customers. While one might expect, given the creators’ backgrounds, the collection may lean towards the modest. However, whilst many pieces would indeed be appropriate for the most extreme codes of modestly, there were others that were downright daring in design, proving there is indeed a desire to have Talya Bendel – Haas Bridal truly be a go-to label for all brides of every culture.
New York Bridal Week has been a week of considerable excitement over the last few seasons & with the addition of Talya Bendel – Haas Bridal, it’s safe to say that the trend is not only strong, it’s actually getting stronger.
The collection is priced upon request, but has been stated to be between $5,000 to $9.000 & can be shopped by appointment at the Haas Bridal Atelier in Brooklyn, NY at 1554 63rd Street.
-R. Scott French
All photos Courtesy of Talya Bendel-Haas Bridal.
]]>Although the show was billed as a presentation, it was an old-school runway show with very experienced runway models who knew how to present the elegant gowns from multiple angles aka “sell the gowns”. Hall & his Casting Director, Renaldo Barnette, are known for choosing models who possess this critically important skill.
Aside from the convincing tableau, what Kevan Hall presented was the main event – the clothes, a highly edited collection of 26 looks. The fashion crowd has a notoriously short attention span & keeping to a tightly edited story line is to everyone’s benefit. Hall continued the design conversation from last season updating what elegant luxury means in the here & now. At Kevan Hall, this means sleek silhouettes & impeccable tailoring executed in the most sumptuous of fabrics such as silk crepes & chiffons.
He kicked off the show, taking the audience to Deauville, a glamorous seaside resort on the beaches of Normandy. Deauville gained notoriety as a favorite spot for Coco Chanel & the Duke of Windsor & Wallis Simpson in the thirties. The socialites who gathered there famously combined the finest jewelry with boyish trousers & blouses popularized by Coco Chanel. She raised the bar by wearing one of a kind Verdura pieces created for her by Fulco de Verdura. Hall’s modern-day interpretation was to partner with Chatham (www.chatham.com), a luxury brand renowned for its luxe laboratory-grown colored gemstone & diamond jewelry. The brand’s innovative approach to replicating natural gem-growing conditions is unparalleled. This collaboration resulted in unfussy pieces of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, & diamonds that enhanced the collection, rather than taking center stage. The only other accessories were the classically elegant Nina’s Shoes (www.ninashoes.com). A highlight of the Deauville segment was #4, a plaid trench coat, worn with a striped shirt & hi-waist pant, very much in the spirit of Mademoiselle Chanel as was #7, a multi-color “Deauville” embroidered stripe jumpsuit.
The best in show was the “Cannes” segment. Cannes is synonymous with the red carpet and considered the biggest European runway to showcase the most spectacular fashion & jewelry on the most beautiful women in the world. The segment showcased Hall’s strength as an evening wear designer who knows that “less is more”. There was a minimalist gown, #22, a coral pebble crepe racer gown that is right in tandem with the “quiet luxury” trend popularized by social media personality, Sofia Richie Grainge.
The showstoppers came towards the end – in looks #19-26. Of special note were #19, a sky-blue bustier gown with ostrich feathers, #25, a jade fil coupe bustier with bow, & the finale which could potentially be a one-of-a-kind bridal gown, a crushed ice Cannes bustier gown. Backstage, we asked Hall about the treatment of the “crushed ice”. He explained that the glass & beads were meticulously hand sewn to create the sparkling effect. This latest collection shows that this designer is the fourth facet of the jewel of American eveningwear design that includes Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, & Halston.
-Vivian Kelly – @thefashionhistorian
]]>The latest collection at Gucci seemed like an audition for creative director. This is not as surprising given that many fashion houses have stepped away from hiring 1st draft picks to follow supernova stars such as Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel & Alexander McQueen. This strategy has worked at both designers’ longtime first assistants Virginie Viard & Sarah Burton were groomed for years to take over in a well-organized succession plan. The former assistants dutifully followed in their boss’ giant footsteps & continue produce work that is in line with current brand standards & aesthetics, however thus far, they haven’t really demonstrated a strong vision for the future.
The biggest win employing this strategy has been Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli, who has reinterpreted Elsa Schiaparelli’s archives in a thoroughly modern manner that is resonating with retail & consumer customers as well & the press has taken major notice.
Hopefully, next season, Gucci will have a creative force at the reigns to continue to make this historic house great once again. Until then, we have to deal with a seemingly endless parade of ideas, none of which connect into a whole.
-Vivian Kelly (@thefashionhistorian)
]]>An important component in his designs is a strong affinity for structure, particularly when it comes to a powerful shoulders, which became noticeably more pronounced in his fall 2019 showing as well as the beautiful handcraft that has distinguished his clothing for over a decade & that is a part of his signature every season.
For fall 2023, his muse was heiress/writer, Nancy Cunard, as she appeared in an arresting black & white photo Man Ray took of her in 1926. In it, she wore stacks of large bangles. Fittingly, the model who opened Mohapatra’s show stepped out to a soundtrack of a reading of Cunard’s “Wheels” poem, donning a regally modest long white dress, accessorized by stacks of large red bangles.
For casual days and running around town was (look 10), a white mini skirt, gray high neck cashmere sweater accessorized by cobalt tights – bright tights & lace tights were seen at many other collections this season at other shows such as at Chanel. For evening there was (Look 20), an elegant white of the shoulder bodycon drop waist top with a long duchesse satin skirt. What really made the look a stand-out was the black velvet portrait neckline that extended into long sleeves. Mohapatra showed his prowess for embellished evening wear as well, most notably (look 29) in a fairy tale princess pale blue off the shoulder gown which may well have been a riff on Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, Arielle’s, iconic pale blue gown.
Mohapatra also tapped into the fall foliage color trend. Burgundy was one of the predominant colors in his palette. Of special note was (look 4), a burgundy pantsuit accessorized with burnt orange top & ochre yellow pashmina scarf as well as (look 9), an ankle length burgundy dress with beautiful floral lace overlay. Also, of note was (look 16), a silver elbow length top with a lace overlay paired with a long burgundy leather skirt that had vine like floral embroidery running down the right side of the garment. He seemed to be on the same wavelength as Hermes’ Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski when it came to these color choices.
If you’re wondering why there were so many leather opera length gloves, (in punchy purple, orange & gold,) Mohapatra was tapped to make the performers’ clothes of the Washington National Opera’s concert, “Come Home”, a tribute to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was an opera buff. The gloves the performers wore were a nod to one of the Supreme Court justice’s style signature statements.
All in all, Mohapatra this collection demonstrates that while he has always been a strong evening wear designer – one that mothers of the bride looking to make an elegant splash at their son or daughter’s wedding, he is also adept at designing separates & suits for day that women are sure to want to add to their closet.
Designer Website: Bibhu Mohapatra
While there were some nice women’s looks (shown on female models), like a black & gray letterman’s jacket accessorized with an artfully draped cashmere cardigan & beanie, the focus of the collection was strongly directed on the men. What Draper showed went deeper than just great clothes for the modern man. The collection was not solely about how men can put themselves together in the morning to face the day. Draper was intent on getting an important & highly personal message across – that of men’s mental health. The designer has long endured a personal battle with mental health issues, namely, depression. Draper found the personal courage to express this in a very public forum, his first NYFW show.
My mission will not be complete until phrases like ‘walk it off’ or ‘man up’ are redefined in our vocabulary to mean that a man is in touch with his feelings and can communicate them in a healthy way. Every man’s first instinct should be to open up about feelings of overwhelm or depression without shame, guilt, or fear.
Taylor Draper, Designer
To help men feel good about themselves, Draper made sure that his men have some great options to feel well put together not just for work, but also for play/time-off & special occasions. For downtime, there were some collegiate letterman style jackets worn with the requisite (worn backwards) ballcap, sneakers, & an elegant burnt sienna cashmere vest & brown trousers.
For dressier occasions, there was a navy suit accessorized with a tartan watch plaid scarf, orange tee, and a fantastic charcoal gray overcoat with matching orange lapels & bands at the wrist. The coat is one of quite a few pieces that women are sure to “borrow”, & never return.
To conclude, INHERENT is more than just another well-executed sportswear label. What began as a small on-line store in 2020, thanks to Draper’s efforts, has moved quickly forward. After expanding into a flagship boutique storefront in Colorado Springs, CO only a year later, the designer can check the box of showing at NYFW off his list. His alliance with dynamic branding guru, Myrdith Leon-McCormack, founder of MLM Represents helped Draper launch INHERENT at NYFW, & together, they continue to move forward with their plan to grow the brand far beyond its Colorado roots until it is a truly global presence.
Instagram: @Thisisinherent
-Vivian Kelly (@thefashionhistorian)
]]>Black made up the bulk of the collection, punctuated with shocking doses of Neon Pink, Acid Green, & Citrusy Orange all of which appeared in furs, tulle & ruffles still strikingly set off against the base of the omnipresent Black. There were two aberrations from the formula above, that each stood out from the balance with shocking singularity, although one worked (the Silver mirrored asymmetrical dress that resembled smashed mirrors), & one didn’t (the Hunter Green fur hooded coat).
Alexandre Vauthier is a label that has yet to make any majorly serious inroads into the American fashion scene with the collection only able to be found in the most experimental, fashion forward boutiques in the country. This is a serious injustice. Collections of this sort deserve to be celebrated, deserve to be worn. I suspect that it’s only a matter of time for this one. It’s difficult to keep labels as brilliant as this one underground for too long.
Designer Website: www.alexandrevauthier.com
-R. Scott French
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