Spring 2013 – Page 3

Ruffian On Approach

“We wanted to take couture to the street… dress our friends,” said Brian Wolk, co-designer with Claude Morais, of Ruffian. By the look of the Spring 2013 collection, they could be friends with Marie Antoinette, if she was around now and living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Ruffian’s exuberant, frothy, pastel collection was marched down the runway by models wearing the streetest of NYC footwear, Chuck Taylors – and if not for these solid sneakers grounding the wildly feminine clothes, they might have floated up and away.

story by Lisa Radano
photos by Rachel Reneé

Houghton – Sexy on The Roof

On a deck of The Standard Hotel, overlooking The High Line in the late summer sun, I watched as the wind picked up quite suddenly. Anything not taped down, including champagne flutes, had dedicated minions running chase to prevent disaster. Did that frazzle Katharine Polk, designer of Houghton? No way. “I’m a very positive person. When the people who work with me come running up to me telling me there’s some sort of problem, I always say, oh no no. No problem. What can I say? I’m just an optimistic girl.” Sure enough, that problem wind settled down just in time, as did the audience on their benches. Magic hour gave a golden halo to the models that stepped cautiously but optimistically onto the tree-lined runway.

story by Lisa Radano
photos by udor

On a deck of The Standard Hotel, overlooking The High Line in the late summer sun, I watched as the wind picked up quite suddenly. Anything not taped down, including champagne flutes, had dedicated minions running chase to prevent disaster. Did that frazzle Katharine Polk, designer of Houghton? No way. “I’m a very positive person. When the people who work with me come running up to me telling me there’s some sort of problem, I always say, ‘oh no no. No problem.’ What can I say? I’m just an optimistic girl.” Sure enough, that problem wind settled down just in time, as did the audience on their benches. Magic hour gave a golden halo to the models that stepped cautiously but optimistically onto the tree-lined runway. Continue reading “Houghton – Sexy on The Roof”

Chado Ralph Rucci… Supernova

Seth Friedermann and I walked in backstage at the Chado Ralph Rucci Spring 2013 show and were immediately surrounded by color and wonder. Ushered up to the designer, where he was standing, smiling broadly and looking physically renewed, in the middle of his collection on dozens of huge garment racks, ready to go onto his fleet of statuesque models a few minutes later, it was like being pushed out of Kansas into Oz. I started with the most simple and complex question you can ask a designer, “what is new? What has changed from your last collection?” Mr. Rucci paused for a moment and then started to unfold the story of this new world of color he was about to unveil in the largest tent at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. . .

story by Charles Beckwith
photos by udor and Charles Beckwith

Suno – Off The Path?

As a fashion label, Suno came about in an odd way. Filmmaker Max Osterweis created the brand with designer Erin Beatty, with the intention of sourcing textiles from developing nations, to give desperate communities an economic boost from the production and export of culturally-tied textiles. In the Spring 2013 collection, you can see a lot of hard work went into making the base elements of some of the garments, and there were some beautiful dresses, but several looks were still far from high end, and the collection didn’t seem to have a core concept stylistically.

story and photos by Charles Beckwith

Erin Barr – Did Marilyn Monroe Meet Frank Stella?

Did Frank Stella ever meet Maryiln Monroe? Did they ever find one another across a crowded party in some smoky Greenwich Village walk-up? Did they hang out and trade ideas or have a romantic but intellectual rendez vous? These are the questions Erin Barr poses in this smart, well-edited Spring 2012 collection, her third season.

story by Lisa Radano
photos by Charles Beckwith

Did Frank Stella ever meet Marilyn Monroe? Did they ever find one another across a crowded party in some smoky Greenwich Village walk-up? Did they hang out and trade ideas or have a romantic but intellectual rendez vous? These are the questions Erin Barr poses in this smart, well-edited Spring 2012 collection, her third season. Continue reading “Erin Barr – Did Marilyn Monroe Meet Frank Stella?”

Marc Jacobs – Lots of Stripes and Shiny Stuff

It is always a spectacle. Marc Jacobs is hard to read from season to season, but you can always expect a big production, long lines, gate crashers, and a lot of paparazzi hanging around. At most fashion shows there is a packet of paper on every chair called the line sheet, which tells you about the clothing, usually the color and what it is made from, like chantilly lace or angora, so the wholesale buyers know what they are looking at from some distance away from the models. The Marc Jacobs line sheet for this season says nothing about the clothing except that it exists. In fact, half the packet was a list of names that the brand wanted to thank, like movie credits on paper.

story by Charles Beckwith
photos by udor and Charles Beckwith

It is always a spectacle. Marc Jacobs is hard to read from season to season, but you can always expect a big production, long lines, and a lot of paparazzi hanging around. At most fashion shows there is a packet of paper on every chair called the line sheet, which tells you about the clothing, usually the color and what it is made from, like chantilly lace or angora, so the wholesale buyers know what they are looking at from some distance away from the models. The Marc Jacobs line sheet for this season says nothing about the clothing except that it exists. In fact, half the packet was a list of names that the brand wanted to thank, like movie credits on paper. Continue reading “Marc Jacobs – Lots of Stripes and Shiny Stuff”

Jen Kao Has An Angle

Jen Kao’s Spring 2013 designs represented a clean break with her past romanticism. Incredibly interesting and bold, the collection rested on Ms. Kao’s play with angles and folds, as well as her use of very modern fabrics such as neoprene, latex and mesh. The clothing felt designed to instantly move the wearer beyond simple trends and into a front line position firmly ahead of the pack.

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Rachel Reneé

Rubin & Chapelle – Smooth, Sleek, and Flowing

Twelve floors up in a showroom with floor-to-ceiling windows, models in pale toned chiffons and satins stood poised, almost floating, above the teaming cityscape below. As they balanced on gold strappy sandals, the slightest muscle flex or pulse point set the gossamer nude and buff-colored fabrics aflutter.

story by Lisa Radano
photos by Bonnie Rodríguez

Katie Gallagher Just Gets Better and Better

Katie Gallagher is a key player in the vanguard of young talent in American fashion. Her work is romantic and provocative with an underlying toughness. The Spring 2013 collection added in a few haute couture touches that tease with the potential of exciting unexplored territories. The use of matelasse and some excellent choices in pleating and gathering shows a growing maturity. Her staple work in leather and leggings prove that Ms. Gallagher is true to her clients, but she is undeniably reaching out to conquer new shores.

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Rachel Reneé

“Not” by Jenny Lai – A Creative Beginning

Jenny Lai has a strong vision of what she wants her clothes and the women who wear them to look like, and in her debut show it shined. Unfortunately, so did some of the common errors that befall novice designers. There were fit and fabrication issues that might hold her back from retail success with this offering, but should she take those lessons to heart she could have a bright future. For in a landscape dominated by same, safe, same, Her whimsical yet highly technical work was a jolt of energy.

story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Aeric Meredith-Goujon

Jenny Lai has a strong vision of what she wants her clothes and the women who wear them to look like, and in her debut show it shined. Unfortunately, so did some of the common errors that befall novice designers. There were fit and fabrication issues that might hold her back from retail success with this offering, but should she take those lessons to heart, and she could have a bright future. In a landscape dominated by same, safe, same, Jenny Lai’s whimsical yet highly technical work was a jolt of energy. Continue reading ““Not” by Jenny Lai – A Creative Beginning”