Reem Acra – modaCYCLE

Reem Acra – Star Strut

The clear message from Reem Acra for Spring 2014 is get up and dance. There were no backstage discussions of empowering women or clothes conferring confidence for the demands of their busy lives. No, no. Ms. Acra wants her girls to have some fun. Proof was the show started, not with the expected selection of spiffy day looks, but rather with a sparkly detonation of molten, bias cut, and draped party dresses in black, the key shade of night.

story by Lisa-Maria Radano
photos by Charles Beckwith

Reem Acra – Fierce First

I asked Reem Acra, known for her florally feminine bridal and evening wear, if I was correct in sensing a new forceful if not downright aggressive energy in her crimson splashed black collection for Fall 2013. “Well yes!” she answered readily, “I am a strong woman, and I believe it’s time again for women to be stronger! These are clothes that will protect, give armor to the wearer so they can be fierce!” From bride to fierce – indeed any busy, multi-mani-pedi-tasking woman will tell you, it’s all fun and games until someone gets married…

story by Lisa Radano
photos by udor and Charles Beckwith

Reem Acra, Bridal Elevated

Weddings are a ceremony of immortality. They represent moments of transition in which responsibility for the continuity of life is passed from one generation to the next. Almost certainly second only to burial rites in the chain of human social imperatives, they are sacred and primal. The difficulty for any garment designer in rendering clothing appropriate for such a timeless ritual in our culture is to present fertility without vulgarity. In this, Reem Acra is a master beyond reproach.

story and photos by Charles Beckwith

Reem Acra – Heaven Bent For Leather

Reem Acra is one of those designers who always surprises. Season after season, some major part of what is sent down the runway is remarkably different from past collections in both form and technique, yet the same in passion, creativity and quality. It is like watching Iron Chef, every episode has a secret ingredient. This season she introduced laser-cut leather and went wild and wondrous with its deployment. Ms. Acra, ever the master designer, never pulls the same rabbit out of her hat twice, but you always know it will be a great show.

story by Charles Beckwith
photos by udor and Charles Beckwith

Reem Acra is one of those designers who always surprises. Season after season, some major part of what is sent down the runway is remarkably different from past collections in both form and technique, yet the same in passion, creativity and quality. It is like watching Iron Chef, every episode has a secret ingredient. This season she introduced laser-cut leather and went wild and wondrous with its deployment. Ms. Acra, ever the master designer, never pulls the same rabbit out of her hat twice, but you always know it will be a great show. Continue reading “Reem Acra – Heaven Bent For Leather”

Reem Acra – Fall 2012 – Acra Ascendant

It’s been a fascinating experience to watch Reem Acra’s growth as a designer. In her earlier work, Ms. Acra was more feminine and flirty, then in the middle of the last decade her pieces became more form-fitting. Her love of metallic embroidery and stone and crystalline accents began to emerge and her work began to become increasingly capable of creating those jarring moments that send the red carpet photographers into a frenzy. For Reem Acra’s return to the runways of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (she’s been showing in her Fifth Avenue atelier for the past few seasons), she turned up the volume on the glamorous sexiness that is quickly becoming her new signature.

view the full collection in our Photo Gallery

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Charles Beckwith

It’s been a fascinating experience to watch Reem Acra‘s growth as a designer. In her earlier work, Ms. Acra was more feminine and flirty, then in the middle of the last decade her pieces became more form-fitting. Her love of metallic embroidery and stone and crystalline accents began to emerge and her work began to become increasingly capable of creating those jarring moments that send the red carpet photographers into a frenzy. For Reem Acra’s return to the runways of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (she’s been showing in her Fifth Avenue atelier for the past few seasons), she turned up the volume on the glamorous sexiness that is quickly becoming her new signature. Continue reading “Reem Acra – Fall 2012 – Acra Ascendant”

Reem Acra Bridal – Fall 2012 Review – Precision Opulence

The Reem Acra Fall 2012 bridal collection showcased pleated intricacy, laser-cut origami of tulle and sheer organza (“transparency is the new white,” declared the line sheet), and a judicious use of sequins. Asymmetrical cinching and striations give classic shapes in unconventional ways. Echoes of the recent Ready To Wear collection were present, such as cascading vine motifs, dazzinlg sparkles like rain running down glass, or waves of tears covering the body.

View the full collection in our Photo Gallery.

story by Charles Beckwith
photos by Adrianna Favero

Downtown, Night – A Photo Editorial

It’s easy to get lost in the cold canyons of deep downtown New York. At night it can be an eerie place, dark and claustrophobic. Yet even then there are places of light and moments of beauty.

photos by Aeric Meredith-Goujon
art direction and styling by Seth Friedermann
makeup by Becca Bouchard
hair by Sonia Castleberry
model is Harrington from Fenton Moon
photo assistant Emmanuel Fleurinord
styling assistants Ashley Roberts and Zimir Hernandez

It’s easy to get lost in the cold canyons of deep downtown New York. At night it can be an eerie place, dark and claustrophobic. Yet even then there are places of light and moments of beauty. Continue reading “Downtown, Night – A Photo Editorial”

Reem Acra – Spring 2012 Review – She Dances, She Dazzles

When you’re viewing the work of a great fashion designer you cannot simply cast a cursory glance at the design and make a decision. The skill level and ability of the best of the best requires that you study and absorb to understand precisely what you are looking at. Reem Acra is certainly a designer of that caliber, and compels such a level of effort. It was particularly important for her Spring 2012 collection as she, like many designers this season, changed her design direction.

View the full collection in our Photo Gallery.

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Charles Beckwith

Reem Acra – Bridal Fall 2011 – New York

There were sparkles everywhere, the dresses just sang in the light as they moved.

story by Charles Beckwith
photos by Adrianna Favero

Master designer Reem Acra, who recently gave a wonderfully inspirational auto-biographical talk at TEDx in Doha, presented a cinema-themed Fall 2011 bridal collection in her Fifth Avenue New York showroom. Each look took the name of a romantic film, though direct visual connections to those films were not often plain. Continue reading “Reem Acra – Bridal Fall 2011 – New York”

Reem Acra – Spring 2011 – New York

I wanted vintage-looking with a modern attitude, she said.

story by Charles Beckwith
photos by Adrianna Favero

Reem Acra’s Spring 2011 collection seeks to answer the question “what would an American princess look like?” To answer that, she reforged and reformatted the melting pot contents of the last hundred years, showing 16 distinct looks in an intimate presentation at her showroom above New York’s Fifth Avenue. “I wanted vintage-looking with a modern attitude,” she said. Continue reading “Reem Acra – Spring 2011 – New York”