frank tell – modaCYCLE

Frank Tell – Spring 2012 Review – Lace The Leather

Frank Tell’s Spring 2012 collection combines flowery lace work and luxe leathers that lend to impeccably put together pieces. Leather and lace is an often employed pairing, but do not let that fool you into thinking Frank Tell’s work with them is just another cliche. They may be used often elsewhere, but they are used very differently here.

story by Dana Varon
photos by Ned & Aya Rosen

Frank Tell‘s Spring 2012 collection combines flowery lace work and luxe leathers that lend to impeccably put together pieces. Leather and lace is an often employed pairing, but do not let that fool you into thinking Frank Tell’s work with them is just another cliche. They may be used often elsewhere, but they are used very differently here. Continue reading “Frank Tell – Spring 2012 Review – Lace The Leather”

Frank Tell – Fall 2011

The act of executing a fashion collection as primarily a display of art is a fearless undertaking. Frank Tell’s Fall 2011 collection was primitive, a stripped down show of the purest forms and functionality. The raw skins and heavy layers mixed with loosely constructed dresses and blouses to project a raw and visceral impact.

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Freda Henry

Frank Tell – Spring 2011

One of the most important words in all of fashion vocabulary is distinctive, a critical value that a designer’s work must possess is that it stands out, and even more so may be recognizable as only possibly having come from that designer.

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero

One of the most important words in all of fashion’s vocabulary is distinctive, a critical value that a designer’s work must possess is that it stands out, and even more so may be recognizable as only possibly having come from that designer. There are a number of easier ways to do this. Angela Missoni, Emilio Pucci, and Erdem Moralioglu have all fashioned easily identifiable designer signatures using patterns and prints. Others walk the more difficult road of employing the actual cuts and construction of the clothing as their marque’s marker. Over the past two years it seemed as if this was where Frank Tell was headed. His Fall 2008 collection held hints of promise with his radical construction, lovely play with volume, and the beginning of his tremendous work with knits, which would go on to garner him much deserved praise in the following months. Mr Tell’s next few seasons certainly reinforced this promise as his talent blossomed and he sent some of the best forward looking collections seen in N.Y.C down the runway. It was that trajectory that caused me to find his Spring Summer 2011 collection such a disappointment. The clothes felt overly simplified and watered down. Gone were the complex constructions and experimental tailoring and with them went the drama of his earlier work. To my mind, Frank Tell is not a minimalist, he is at his best when he works in layers and sharp structures. Even the brilliance of his knits was dimmed this season by having them deconstructed and threadbare. Continue reading “Frank Tell – Spring 2011”