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Photo editorials are usually styled by, well, stylists. However, we at modaCYCLE like to see what the designers would do if they styled a shoot themselves. We call this a Designer Dossier.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
fashion styling by Logan Neitzel
makeup by Marni Giannotti
hair by Annabell Lausch
model is Flynn Kelly from Fusion Models
Photo editorials are usually styled by, well, stylists. We at modaCYCLE like to see what the designers would do if they styled a shoot themselves. We call this a Designer Dossier. Continue reading “Logan Neitzel – Designer Dossier”
Alice Temperley seems to be a woman of many worlds. She creates clothing that evokes myriad eras and multiple geographies. What really makes her multifaceted garments exceptionally interesting is that there is no attempt to blend the diverse elements she uses into a congruent whole. Rather Mrs. Temperley takes design details and combines them in a way where one is aware of the contrasts, but they work together so as not to seem forced and ungainly.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Ned & Aya Rosen
Alice Temperley seems to be a woman of many worlds. She creates clothing that evokes myriad eras and multiple geographies. What really makes her multifaceted garments exceptionally interesting is that there is no attempt to blend the diverse elements she uses into a congruent whole. Rather Mrs. Temperley takes design details and combines them in a way where one is aware of the contrasts, but they work together so as not to seem forced and ungainly. She doesn’t tone things down to get them to function as both compliment and contradiction. The clothes from her Spring 2011 collection exhibited both a classic elegance and the stamps of modern life. Frills, ruffles, and lace met chains, bolts and leather. Urban and rural, romantic and punk, all at once. It is the spirit of Ms. Temperley’s clothes that is the glue that binds the distinct elements together. Continue reading “Temperley London & Alice – Spring 2011”
Many forward-looking designers seem to create pieces that are very hard-edged or hyper-structured. Amongst their contemporaries though, there are just a handful of designers who have a softer and more natural view of the future. This is where Jeremy Laing fits in.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
Inventive, innovative, and imaginative Jeremy Laing’s Spring 2011 collection showed that in his twelfth season he is still committed to expanding his repertoire. His love of geometry was still evident, and that is his signature, but his work with knits in the collection was new and bold. The show for the most part was more draped flow than structure, which worked perfectly with his fabric choices and the shapes he wielded them into. Continue reading “Jeremy Laing – Spring 2011”
The runway at Monique Lhuillier’s Spring 2011 bridal collection show was framed by white branches that referenced a grove of birch or sycamore trees. A fitting setting, displaying a deep understanding of the mythology of woods. Those patches of pillars of white that shine out in a forest have long been believed to be home to magic and spirits unseen.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Sandy Ramirez
The runway at Monique Lhuillier’s Spring 2011 bridal collection show was framed by white branches that referenced a grove of birch or sycamore trees. A fitting setting, displaying a deep understanding of the mythology of woods. Those patches of pillars of white that shine out in a forest have long been believed to be home to magic and spirits unseen. The 27 looks that shone out on the path that emerged from that thicket of pale wood were perfect for the marriage of dryads or sprites. Lhuillier’s looks ranged from cocktail to classic train, but all of the dresses maintained the air of fantasy that hung around the room. One of the many brilliant things about her as a designer is a talent at creating a delicateness in some of her garments that borders on fragility. The impression of fantastical softness is so strong that it makes the wearer seem dreamlike or almost ethereal. This is spot on for wedding gowns. in which many women want to appear to have descended from the heavens or walked out of a mythical realm. And, what man doesn’t want to marry a goddess? Continue reading “Monique Lhuillier – Spring 2011 Bridal”
One of Mr. Fransesc’s strengths to me has always been his fabric sourcing and creation. He uses the most delicate silks and creates knits that are so precise and fine that they could be mistaken for wovens. With all of that softness though he manages to still create flowing sculptural pieces that are brimming with points of visual interest.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Freda Henry
There are all sorts of beautiful. In the fleeting flow of models on a runway there are many moments of beauty. As your eye travels up and down a model and the garments she is wearing, you also take in the accessories, the hair & make up, and the footwear. The designers aren’t the only artists who are the best of the best displaying their prowess during fashion weeks. The brilliant and vastly underrated Spaniard Toni Francesc had more than enough splendor from all quarters on display in his Spring 2011 Collection. Before I launch into my review of the amazing garments that Mr. Francesc created for spring, I need to pay deserved tribute to the great work that lead makeup artist Jackie Mgido of Mehron cosmetics created for the show. Jackie and her team’s work on the eyes and cheeks of the models was the best I saw all season. As good as the make up and hair was, it was still second fiddle to the Toni Francesc collection paraded down the runway at Lincoln Center. One of Mr. Fransesc’s strengths to me has always been his fabric sourcing and creation. He uses the most delicate silks and creates knits that are so precise and fine that they could be mistaken for wovens. With all of that softness though he manages to still create flowing sculptural pieces that are brimming with points of visual interest. Continue reading “Toni Francesc – Spring 2011”
Tailoring and touches with maturity and moxie, Andrew Buckler always manages to thread the needle between youthful energy and grown-up gravity, and his Spring 2011 collection was no exception.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
Tailoring and touches with maturity and moxie, Andrew Buckler always manages to thread the needle between youthful energy and grown-up gravity, and his Spring 2011 collection was no exception. The collection was inspired by the period at the end of the highly influential Bauhaus school of art and design. “What we did with the Spring 2011 collection was, we looked at fabrics of the period and at the way people were wearing clothes at that time as well.” Continue reading “Buckler – Spring 2011”
With a minimalist approach to design, it’s very important to not drift into dullness, and Matthew Ames’ Spring 2011 collection stayed intriguing and spellbinding throughout.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Martin Bielecki
When fashion industry people talk about “cuts” they mean exactly what you think they mean and not exactly what you think they mean. Inigo Montoya like, “let me s’plain. No, wait, there is too much. Let me sum up.” Yes it is where and how a designer lays scissor to fabric, but it is also how that cut interacts and is formed and moves on the body parts on which it lays. To cut well is to understand how different fabrics are affected by anatomy and kinetics. Matthew Ames cuts well. In boldest fact, Matthew Ames cuts extraordinarily well. His Spring 2011 collection was primarily silks and linens and he displayed a deep understanding of how those fabrics shape and move on a woman’s body. Mr. Ames’ talents very clearly shone through in his design details and in his ability to balance freedom of movement and structure. In fact in every aspect of the collection there was balance. From cuts to color, the whole collection was stunningly beautiful. Continue reading “Matthew Ames – Spring 2011”
The combinations of clothes and accessories really nailed the spirit Mr. Simkhai was evoking, a woman who is intelligent, free spirited, and sexy.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
It was very refreshing to wander into the Griffin Restaurant in the Meatpacking District of downtown Manhattan and see that smart is still sexy. Jonathan Simkhai’s Spring 2011 collection was laden with the lovely spirit of the intellectual femme fatale. Think eye glasses and leather skirts. A delicious thought, isn’t it? In fact the collection was replete with contrasts that worked wonderfully together. Think of the girl building looks from both her sexy wardrobe and his college and work wardrobe, and the collection comes into much sharper focus. Mr. Simkhai’s strong editing skills in using just the right amount of “masculine tailoring” kept the collection sexy instead of sloppy. The overall impact was the projection of a woman who is compelling; the type of woman that hijacks your thoughts for awhile. The individual pieces were all strong and imaginative, clever cuts abounded as did eye-catching touches. The leather pieces were particularly heady, sexy yet not overly vampy. And when they were mixed with the garments that echoed traditional “masculine” clothing the impact was undeniable. Continue reading “Jonathan Simkhai – Spring 2011”
This is the way that one encounters curves in nature, never perfect in measure but a harmonious perfection.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Freda Henry
Once you are a commercially successful fashion designer a whole trunk full of rules invisibly drops into place around you. The stores who buy you give you sales reports and they very clearly show you what sells. The temptation to design to fill those slots must be terribly difficult to resist. Pulling against that ton of temptation is the restless nature of creative artists, the desire to be joyfully fresh and boldly innovative each new season. It is the ability to create a collection that both satisfies the designer as an artist and satiates the appetites of buyers that leads to long careers. It is always a joy to see a great designer deal with that “difficulty,” the great ones escape from it as easily as squirrels defeat every bird-feeding countermeasure humans devise. Continue reading “Carlos Miele – Spring 2011”
His collections appear fairly straight forward at first but you can never be fooled by seeming simplicity from great designers, there is invariably more going on in the clothes than you think there is.
story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
Austerity, severity, restraint. No, I’m not speaking of the debt crisis or of finance at all. I’m describing Rad Hourani’s Spring 2011 collection. Rad Hourani’s art for Spring was all of those things, but still crackled with creative energy that felt caged by his cuts and colors. The collection was black, white, and gray yet it still felt vibrant. This is all part of the complicated nature of Rad Hourani’s clothing. His collections appear fairly straight forward at first but you can never be fooled by seeming simplicity from great designers, there is invariably more going on in the clothes than you think there is. Continue reading “Rad Hourani – Spring 2011”
