story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Ned & Aya Rosen
Katie Gallagher’s Fall 2011 collection continued an exploratory growth of her art as a designer. Her developing signatures of mixing hard and soft and flow and structure were still strongly in evidence, but this time there was a little bit more flow than stiffness. The most prominent development this season was in her intelligent use of textured fabrics. Fabric sourcing is a key component in the process of designing a collection, and Ms. Gallagher once again displayed a keen eye in her choices. Her ridged, dappled and textured fabrics were incorporated into garments in sections or squares that peeked from under flowing cuts in some pieces and stiff structured designs in others. This had the impact of creating the appearance of strength as the revealed sections felt strong and armored.
Ms. Gallagher also continued to provide NYC’s Generation Next with some of the most intriguing tights that can be found anywhere. Each season she manages to find new ways to render such a simple item in myriad new and interesting ways. It was pleasing to see some bright colors finding their way into the collection and I do hope that in the future they find their way into more of her work. Overall, Katie Gallagher’s Fall 2011 collection keeps this young talent on the map and headed in the right direction.
