This is the fourth year Albright College students have shown their collections at NYFW. Nine recent graduates were chosen to participate in the annual show, on September 7th. Since the event is only held once a year, the student designers have the advantage of being able to show fashion that would work for either spring or fall, as opposed to all the other fashion designers who are restricted to showing to season.
Mary Quinn:
Mary Quinn, from Milford, Pennsylvania, was first up. Her designs were floral, tiered & rendered in pretty Easter Egg pastels such as Yellow, Blue, Lavender, & Pink. Her strongest look was a halter neck party dress composed of layers of semi sheer ruffles in the pretty pastels just cited. The dress hit just above the knee & would be perfect for a summer patio & pool party. The pretty pale Yellow long sleeve crop top & matching long ballgown skirt embroidered with daffodils is ideal for a romantic mid-summer garden party. The model in big eighties style hair by Jorge Luis, reminded us of the big, bigger, biggest hair women wore in the night clubs of the day.
Michelle Nguyen:
Michelle Nguyen calls Reading, Pennsylvania home. While her designs speak to the farm country she lives, as in her muted Grey plaid sets, there is also a strong Asian streetwear aesthetic present in her work. The Cream short skirt suit with colorful buttons & hat with ears & the Lime Green minidress with barn & tractor appliqués shown with a Peter Pan collar blouse, would appeal to trendy Japanese girls in Tokyo.
Truc Phuong Ha:
Truc Phuong Ha, also from Reading, showed her prowess at delivering effortless minimalism with an edge that saved it from being ho-hum. Her standout outfit was a long sleeve black shirt & slim trousers & white vest that played neatly into fashion’s continued fascination with androgyny. The edge came via 3 vertical black bands on the vest.
Abby Thomas-Ridgway:
Abby Thomas-Ridgway focused on pretty day dressing. She delivered airy little sun dresses that gave the illusion of floating off the models’ bodies. The White empire dress with Pale Pink satin trim along the neck & busty lines with a bow applique got our vote for vest summer day dress. The long dresses reminded us of the seventies’ brand, Gunne Sax, (owned by designer Jessica McClintock) that was the go-to brand for formal & semi-formal wear for high school & college girls back then.
Lydia Simone:
Lydia Simone, a resident of Philadelphia, showed a colorful swimwear collection that used ruffles as the primary focal point of her candy two-toned bikinis & tanks. A Lavender & Violet one-piece with a plunging keyhole neckline & ruffles on the hips looked great on its own. The filmy cover ups were on note as well, particularly a diaphanous Turquoise duster embellished with floral appliques.
Felicia Oyekola:
Felicia Oyekola, kicked off the dressier second half of the show. She touched on the season’s deep jewel tone colors, showing a Garnet Red long dress, followed by a deep Emerald Green gown with an interesting sheer detailing on one sleeve. Both would be ideal for a cocktail party or as bridesmaid dresses.
Kamiah Jean:
Brooklyn native, Kamiah Jean, showed her prowess with bias cuts, from her opening Amethyst Purple velvet evening gown. The one shoulder gown had illusion panels in just the right places. Her sheer Garnet organza blouse with crystal embroidered sleeves was a wonderful unisex piece that would look as well with a ballgown skirt or the trousers it was worn with. Most interesting was the experimental designs she showed at the end, boned cages over Nude-colored bodysuits. It was reminiscent of the beginning stages of the grand boned hoop gown designs that were de rigeur in the age of Marie Antoinette.
Mia Rezza:
Mia Rezza, a Horscham, PA resident, is a designer who has a promising future as an eveningwear designer. Her long pale satin designs were well-fitted, an absolute necessity when designing with satin. The Champagne halter neck satin gown was beautifully juxtaposed with the tiered Baby Blue Flamenco style tulle skirt.
Stephanie Vargas Hemmings:
Returning designer, Stephanie Vargas Hemmings, closed the show with a bang. Her Champagne & Yellow Chinoiserie vest looked good with the asymmetric mini she showed with it & could also work as a going out to drinks top paired with jeans. A great day look was a Cobalt Blue asymmetric one shoulder top shown with billowing Cream high waisted pants. Best though was the Cobalt & Turquoise fold over bra top with skinny gold hardware straps & matching sheer palazzo pants that could go from poolside to dinner in Miami.
-Vivian Kelly ( @TheFashionHistorian )
