2015 Supima Design Competition

Supima is America’s luxury cotton. The annual Supima Design Competition was created to give runway exposure to emerging talent and was modeled after the legendary 1954 Wool Secretariat competition that launched the careers of the then-teenaged Yves St. Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld.

12052458_10153078104451759_6477756776863435639_oSeven of America’s top design schools (AAU, FIDM, FIT, Kent State University, Pratt BF+DA, RISD, SCAD) are asked to select one finalist from among their graduating seniors. Each finalist is asked to create a capsule collection of women’s eveningwear gowns from premium Supima denims, knits, corduroys, twills, and shirting. A prestigious panel of judges decides the winner at a full-fledged fashion show held during New York Fashion Week at Lincoln Center. The winner is announced at the completion of the show and receives a $10,000 cash award.

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Host & judge details —

Host — Olivia Culpo

Judges —

  • Catherine Baba — Designer/stylist/costume designer
  • Ildo Damiano — Italian trend setter
  • Carmen Lilly — wardrobe stylist and personal shopping consultant
  • Aslaug Magnusdottir — entrepreneur and investor in the fashion space. She is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Moda Operandi and Tinker Tailor
  • Fern Mallis — was the Executive Director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) from 1991-2001, and created 7th on Sixth productions or NY Fashion Week as it’s known today. She’s currently President of the leading international fashion and design consultancy – Fern Mallis LLC

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  • Jessica Michault — editor-in-chief of Nowfashion, the leading digital magazine specialized in live runway coverage.
  • Naomi Nevitt — digital, editorial and social media strategist specializing in millennial, fashion and shopping trends
  • Nicolas Ouchenir — Ten years ago, Nicolas Ouchenir started to experiment with calligraphy. Entirely self-taught, he invented alphabets – both traditionally crafted and modern in style – for a variety of luxury fashion and arts clients. Today, he is one of Paris’ most sought after artisans (with clients including Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Christian Dior and Cartier).

Supima Design Competition - Runway - Spring 2016 New York Fashion Week: The Shows

  • Sam Spector — After graduating from Parsons School of Design’s A.A.S program in Fashion Design, Sam Spector held the Fashion Editor position at OUT magazine where he styled fashion shoots and shot celebrity cover stories. Now styling & visual presentation work, editorial & tv shows.
  • Mary Alice Stephenson — world renowned style and beauty expert, fashion commentator, humanitarian and the founder and force behind GLAM4GOOD.
  • David Yi — Mashable’s first-ever fashion hire where he spearheads editorial for the new vertical. From overseeing original shoots, to writing in-depth stories about the ever-changing industry, Mashable Fashion is quickly becoming the go-to destination for the global digital generation.

LET’S START WITH THE WINNER!

Kate Mckenna — Savannah College of Art & Design  Kate

Having always been an artistic and creatively driven child, fashion was just one of the ways she expressed herself. After being completely captivated by the dressmaking scene in Sleeping Beauty, she was hooked on the idea of making dresses. Mckenna’s area of design focuses on women’s eveningwear, ready-to-wear and bridal.

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Mckenna feels that fabrication is the most important part of her design process. “I design with a narrative, there’s always a reason or inspiration for silhouettes and details. I like to tell stories through my designs.” Here, her focus was on West African and Haitian voodoo in the deep south, with a deeper look into traditional indigo dying & basket weaving.

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Lauren Nahigian — Pratt Institute Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator

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Nahigian focuses on designing women’s sportswear but readily admits that her designs are “kind of out there”. An abundance of fabric, crazy colors and prints and intricate embellishments are all design elements Nahigian uses to express her vision.

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For this collection, Nahigian says — “1970’s flirty, weird girl. Something’s a little strange about how she looks and acts but you’re obsessed with her anyway. You’ll secretly wish you too were sporting her attitude.”

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Julia Han — Rhode Island School of Design  Julian

Han specializes in women’s knitwear and textile development, believing that fabric is the essential part of any design. With a philosophy rooted in the idea of material exploration and fabrics, Han pushes conventional materials and techniques in unconventional ways to create pieces that make you stop and look. “Fashion is a combination of art, design, culture, business and craft, in short, a culmination of many of the things I am interested in”, says Han.

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Han describes her capsule collection by saying — “Initially inspired by the layered imagery of Patti Smith’s collection of prose poems, The Coral Sea, my Supima capsule collection, translates written poetry into wearable garments. This eveningwear collection mainly plays off of unexpected poetic textures and fabric manipulations in hues of blue. If The Coral Sea was a collection of clothing, rather than words, what would it look like and ultimately feel like?”

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Nnamdi Agum — FIT  Nnamdi

Agum takes more of a tactical approach to design and prefers working with his hands on the form. “ I enjoy creating clothing that makes people think”, says Agum. From eliminating or hiding seams to designing clothing with complicated and unusual seaming, Nnamdi Agum likes to push the boundaries of fashion.

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Agnum says — “New York’s rooftops are noted for their spectacular skyline views—but there’s so much more to them that most people never see. There are often lush, vibrant, amazing things in bloom, cultivated for their beauty, on those rooftops, known only to their privileged inhabitants. The collection is a cheeky nod to the beautiful secrets one may find, tucked away, just beneath the skyline.”

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Karen Dang — Academy of Art University   Karen

With an avant-garde approach to design, Karen Dang is not afraid to use colors to set the tone for her collections.

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Here is what Dang has to say on this collection — “I wanted to capture the controlled chaos and beauty seen in the works of Martin Klimas and Ori Gersht. My collection is inspired by Klimas’ series, ”FlowerVases” and Gersht’s “On Reflection”, capturing the events that take place with the explosion of flower and vase. My first look is more structured like the vase and the last look is free and crazy, capturing the image of the shattered flower.”

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Paige Meacham — Kent State University Paige

Meacham’s focus is on women’s designer ready-to-wear and outwear. Her love of textiles and fabric manipulation comes through in her designs where embroidery, smocking, quilting and screen-printing play a roll in Meacham’s signature style.

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“My Collection is inspired by my last two years of traveling around Europe and Asia. I believe that traveling is way people form layers. All the places I have been, I noticed the mixture of organic structures and movements, with hard city building lines. This juxtaposition of similar building structures with the vastly different lifestyles all come together to create something beautiful: humanity”

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Leetal Platt — FIDM Leetal

Since 2014 Platt has received numerous awards and recognition for her designs including the 2015 Best in Show award at FIDM. Platt takes a fairly loose approach to sketching in order to accommodate for the varying responses to fabric behavior. The use of textiles, hardware and shape all come together to form Platt’s design point of view.

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Platt says — “My collection is inspired by the bouganvillea vine. I am particularly drawn to the colors of its flowers and the contrast between that and the stone and concrete walls the vines canvas. As the collection flows, I try to explore this concept of overgrowth over manmade surfaces, and the juxtaposition of organic textures laying beside the hard geometry of infrastructure, resulting in gowns with beautiful fabric manipulation, color, and silhouette.”

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Art Institute Designers for Spring 2016

For twelve up-and-coming designers from The Art Institute of New York City, Fashion Week was a chance to showcase the talent, determination, and hard work they put into their Spring 2016 collections. These promising designers-both current students and recent graduates-presented designs that represented their passion, vision, and motivation to succeed.

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Deron Shields (5th Quarter Current Student, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)–  “Concrete Rose,” created an expressive and experimental look that reinterpreted the classics while fusing together quality craftsmanship and whimsical silhouettes. Layers of tulle in a myriad of shades of white, gray and pink came together to create this fresh look at sportswear that was a perfect balance between day and evening.
Eric Jernigan (6th Quarter Current Student, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)– Spirits emerging from volcanoes inspired this eveningwear collection that was entirely made of two colors – ash gray and neon pink. His pieces titled, “Beauteous Eruption,” were electrically elegant; a mixture of fantasy, control and edge.
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Nataliya Matkivska (7th Quarter Current Student, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)– Her collection,”Line and Shapes,” took the definition of classics to a new level. Hand beading & flowing textiles combined to create a feeling that was part retro, part futuristic.

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Melissa D. Gonzalez (Graduate: December 2014, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)–  “Meladama,” was inspired by the surreal and psychedelic elements of the film “Fantastic Planet.” Clashing fabrics, all richly textured, created a mélange of silhouettes that leave observers unsure of season, decade, or even planet, but yet wanting more. Shoes OYSBY London

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Ebony Taylor (4th Quarter Current Student, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)– Crisp Op-Art lines combined with draping fabrications gave this swim & après swim collection, “End Game,”an easy elegance that could effortlessly go from pool side to evening.
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Rujing Liu (Graduate: June 2015, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)– Her collection, “Dear Mother,” was organic in nature. Easy silhouettes in moody shades of vegetable dyed, textural fabrics that evoked a feeling of Asian simplicity were sent down the runway.
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Nathaly Meristil (Graduate: December 2014, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)– Shapes and dimensions drove her collection, “The Infinite Climb.” Architectural elements softened by neoprene were draped, cut, tucked, & seamed to evoke feelings both organic & sculptural.
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Monica Suemitsu (Graduate: March 2015, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)– Japanese inspired detailing came together with textural fabrics in oversized, silhouettes that gave just enough shape and interest to intrigue in this collection titled, “Onpa.” Bernardo Shoes
ai spring 2016 look 25- monica suemitsu

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Kiki Terrels (4th Quarter Current Student, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)– His collection, “Ironclad,” was influenced by medieval armor mixed with modern functionality complete with inserts of paisley, leather, and sheet metal. Shoes by Pikolinos
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ai spring 2016 look 19- matheus rangel
 
Matheus Rangel (4th Quarter Current Student, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)– Druids & gypsies came together to create an easy collection titled, “Druidry,” that was part loungewear, part smart sportswear, & part explorations of androgyny for the modern man.  Pikolinos Shoes
ai spring 2016 look 23- matheus rangel
ai spring 2016 look 46- yurie lim

 
Yurie Lim (6th Quarter Current Student, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)– “Things I Don’t Show,” embodied his personality by fusing together clean and strong silhouettes with more sweet and delicate details. The menswear collection incorporate Japanese patchwork and colors he grew up wearing in the Philippines.
ai spring 2016 look 47- yurie lim
 
ai spring 2016 look 70- lavan chxeidze
Lavan Chxiedze (Graduate: June 2015, Fashion Design, AAS, The Art Institute of New York City)– Making his second appearance at New York Fashion Week, “Love Letters from Berlin,” was inspired by Berlin in the 1920s and 1940s, especially the history of hardship facing the gay population during that time. His collection pushed the boundaries of menswear and challenged the constructs of gender-appropriate clothing.
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Hair by: Jorge Luis for Privé by Laurent D 
Nails by: FABY USA
Make-up by: MAKEUP BY DISCO, Sarah Digisco 

Front of House, Show Production, & Direction (Scott French)– The Bromley Group

Show Production & Direction — Bishop Collective, Mai Vu

Assistant Director — Denise Lacen

Music — DJ Xavier

Models — Adam, Chase, Major, MSA, State, & Wilhelmina

Fittings — Patricia McCoy

Art Institute Corporate Marketing — Alicia Levey

AI Corporate PR — Devra Pransky

 

NYFW — Modern, Glamorous Womenswear

Great takes on modern womenswear, from evening to cocktail to RTW.

Naeem Khan

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Naeem Khan is known for his beautiful and ornate gowns, and this season he did not disappoint. Inspired by sun-drenched gardens in the south of France, as well as the waters of Capri, Khan took us on a luxe journey through the Mediterranean. The collection channeled the Fifties and Sixties, with Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot and Jackie Kennedy as his muses. Khan imagined how they would dress for parties while on vacation.

Naeem Khan RTW Spring 2016   Naeem Khan RTW Spring 2016

The outcome was a collection of brimming with rich embroideries, intricate beading, basket-weave sequins and woven raffia. A vibrant palette included sunset hues of yellow, orange and bright pink, as well as azure, lilac, red rose and celadon green. Even the runway itself was decorated full-on, with a floral wall and an arched white doorway.

Naeem Khan RTW Spring 2016    Naeem Khan RTW Spring 2016

There were a ton of standout looks that graced this runway. I often include Khan’s work on my Best Dressed lists and am positive we should see a few of these gowns grace a red carpet or 2 in the coming award season.

Naeem Khan RTW Spring 2016   Naeem Khan RTW Spring 2016

Naeem Khan RTW Spring 2016      Naeem Khan RTW Spring 2016

KYE

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Korean designer Kathleen Kye is known in Seoul for her high-end streetwear looks, but now it’s her bold and witty K-Pop-inspired looks that are hitting it big on the runway. This season she referenced her thoughts on hate, or rather, the kind of hate akin to friendly jealously.

Kye RTW Spring 2016   Kye RTW Spring 2016

The inspiration came across as literal text on tops and jackets, with graphics Kye makes herself in Korea. As expected, prints were abundant in the women’s looks. These prints screamed KYE to me and for me, is what makes KYE stand out!

Kye RTW Spring 2016    Kye RTW Spring 2016

The menswear looks were too quite vibrant. I’m excited for KYE and her super well-rounded collection for S/S 2016.

Kye RTW Spring 2016   Kye RTW Spring 2016

Mitsou Ly

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Mitsou Ly realizes garment’s unique qualities by giving it distinctive perspective, independent expression and personality. Her pieces mix feminine style with an edgy flair. The beautiful fabrics she chooses, combined with the striking designs and silhouettes make her collections truly unique. I was more than pleased to receive an invite to her NYFW show. It was exhilarating and a wonderfully put together presentation.

Mitsou Ly - Runway - Spring 2016 New York Fashion Week

Bold and vivid colors and stunning shapes are a key component to Mitsou Ly’s designs. These innovative designs mix vintage with modern; lady-like looks with revolutionary style. It all comes together to make her collection of-the-moment, sophisticated and modern. She artfully combines ruffles, satin, and geometric shapes. Even her vintage inspired pieces have an aesthetic that reflects today’s trends.

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Mitsou Ly manufactures her affordable luxury line in New York and Washington, DC.

NYFW — The Stunners!

Amazing set of stunning designers who presented stunning collections, whether it be thru elegant evening wear or imaginative RTW.

Libertine

Libertine RTW Spring 2016  Libertine RTW Spring 2016

Johnson Hartig is one of those designers who can find inspiration in anything, adapting disparate themes to his signature psychedelic aesthetic. His DIY approach to high-end streetwear design reimagines vintage fabrics into eccentric production-ready pieces. His Libertine collections could easily veer into the tacky, but the explosion of color, pattern-play and embellishments changes that up!

Libertine RTW Spring 2016   Libertine RTW Spring 2016 

For women, there was plenty of kitsch — neon chains, beaded fringe, bedazzled teeth, patchwork utensils with dangling spaghetti fringe, etc.— the list goes on. His collection of daytime separates screamed youthful, with bright colors and tailored mix-and-match separates. I’m always excited to see the Libertine show — it’s  a vibrantly rich collection, jam-packed into a high energy show.

Libertine RTW Spring 2016    Libertine RTW Spring 2016

Men’s looks included a disco-ball tracksuit, animal-print sweatpants and amoeba-patterned sweatshirts. With inspiration ranging from Staffordshire dogs to molecular cell research interpreted in fluorescent colors, the men’s lineup was fun and eccentric!

Libertine RTW Spring 2016    Libertine RTW Spring 2016

Stella Nolasco

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Stella Nolasco’s S/S 2016 collection, “POMAROSA”, is inspired by the decadent beauty of the poetry of Jose de Diego, a turn of the century Puerto Rican poet, born in Stella’s hometown. Layers of tulle, lace, and sheer fabrics add movement and give life to gowns that flow with the grace of poetry, floating transparently over the runway. Seeing each breathtaking piece come down the runway I was constantly in awe, thinking ok, this look is stunning, the best of the best, can it get any better?!? And with this collection, Stella was able to prove me wrong. Every look that continued to come down the runway had it’s own individual magic, keeping me awestruck from start to finish!

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The richly embroidered dresses, in colors varying from black to blush, yellow, plum rose (Pomarosa, in various tones), evoke the gentility of a bygone era with a daring, modern turn exemplified by plunging necklines. A sheer, almost lingerie-like quality of the dresses maintains an air of romanticism and whimsicality. Stella Nolasco’s charm and metropolitan sensibility render her designs modern, stylish and edgy. Consequently, she has earned a reputation as Puerto Rico’s most avant-garde designer. Her designs exude elements of both vintage nostalgia, and sophisticated modernity.

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Stella is a household name in Puerto Rico, where her work receives near constant media coverage. Stella’s line has been featured at luxury department store, Neiman Marcus, amongst other prestigious retailers. 

Stella attended the Atmosphere show at Paris fashion week and subsequently was picked up by famous European department store, Gerard Darel, along with international boutiques around the world including Sauce (Dubai), Style (Kuwait), Les Princesses (Paris), Studio Facts (Japan), Lorenzina (Spain), amongst others.

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Stella’s designs have been worn celebrities including Beyonce Knowles (on the cover of Seventeen Magazine), Actress Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes) and Actress Cote de Pablo (NCIS), to name a few. 

After her successful presentation at Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week in September of 2014, Nolasco has enjoyed various new opportunities, including the experience of dressing the actress Juliette Lewis, who attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party and was selected among the best dressed of the night by several fashion critics. Recently, Stella collaborated with the Hollywood actor and fashion designer, John Malkovich, for his clothing line “Technobohemian” at their fashion show in Puerto Rico.

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Show Credits

Photography — firstVIEW

Styling — Shandi Alexander

Casting — Cast Inc/Julia Samersova

Makeup — Fatima Thomas for MAC

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Hair — Laurent Dufourg & Jorge Luis for Prive

Nails — Pattie Yankee

Shoes — Christian Louboutin

Music — Eiko Hara

PR — Emily Bungert/EB Consults

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Michael Costello

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Inspired by feminine decadence, Costello is merging his bold shapes with a softer and sweeter color palate. “This collection has more movement, leaving more to the imagination,” according to Costello. “It evokes the sexiness of a tight dress with the draping of an elegant gown.” For me, these looks perfectly encapsulated classic glam with a edgy, sexy vibe — not going too far, but pushing the boundaries just enough!
Gaining recognition as both a brand and designer, Costello chose this collection to unveil brighter gem tones, using the body as contrast. “These dresses make women feel desired and unforgettable,” according to Costello. There was a lot of great color in this collection, everything from bold tones in bright yellow to forest green, subtle hues in nude and soft pink, and beautiful floral prints.
Michael Costello is a fashion designer based out of Los Angeles, CA, building his brand around elegant and sexy silhouettes. After becoming a finalist on Project Runway, Costello has gone on to design memorable creations for celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears and is known for designing Beyoncé’s iconic 2014 Grammy gown, which is on display at the Grammy Museum. Michael’s designs have also been featured in countless editorials for International fashion publications including Vogue Italia, Elle and Marie Claire.

Photo credit — Bennet Cobliner Photography

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NYFW — Stunning Visions Come to Life!

This next batch of Fashion Week designers all had clear visions with concepts, and whether it was from cultural ties or the like, these ideas sprung to life!

Fashion Shenzhen

Various Chinese designers made their debut at Fashion Shenzhen’s S/S 2016 show. This year’s designers, Kavon, Haiping Xie, and Deng Hao, showed off their delicate and intricate collections, every artist in some way incorporating Chinese culture into their new works.

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Kavon, recognized as the first-ever Chinese designer to successfully use “colour art”, combines 3D cutting with vibrant colors to create thoughtful pieces of different shapes and sizes. With elaborate designs and statement patterns, hues of reds, yellows, blues, and whites were present in the majority of her dresses.

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In China, the designer, Deng Hao, has been nicknamed the “Chinese knitting queen”. As seen today, it is clear why she was bestowed such a name. Every piece by Deng Hao is unique and custom-made. Her collection consisted of a multitude of beautifully knit day dresses, blouses, and gaucho pants. In addition to the art of knitting, Deng Hao has also mastered the act embellishing her pieces with gems and floral patterns. Her collection debuted a variety of dresses and gowns with intricate designs and embellishments showered in layers of fabric with gems and rhinestones adorning the seams. She utilized colors of spring, popping to life her outfits with pastels of pinks, greens, blues, and whites.

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Every piece by Haiping Xie strongly incorporated Chinese heritage and culture. Black and white dresses with cutting-edge drapery in combination with sheer linen head-pieces flooded her runway show. She turned simple gowns into edgy and playful works of art. Gold, red, royal blue, and black were debuted on many of the pieces promoting a sense of Asian royalty. Collages of Chinese tradition adorned many of the dresses as well making them come to life in a story-like manner. She used sheer and silky, lightweight materials and asymmetrical hems to express the intricacy and art of her designs.

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Lie Sangbong

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Lie Sangbong is an innovative Korean designer. For spring, he created a light and airy collection, playing with geometric patchwork on a group of all-white looks. Lie also offered a series in blue that incorporated graphic linear patterns, stained-glass motifs and Korean lettering that was the lyrics to one of his country’s popular songs.

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The collection included relaxed and loose cropped trousers as well as skirts and dresses with origami folds.

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I really enjoyed these pieces, such intricacies and the pop of color in that of cobalt blue was brilliant!

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Casa de Moda by Jessica Lynn

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As people began filling the open space of the Prince George Gallery, a crack in the wall appeared and models began filing out. The social atmosphere was buzzing with the combination of conversation among guests, which included one of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” Claudia Jordan and Demetria McKinney. 13 models stood against a metal plated wall while the audience moved closer to get a better look.

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The Casa de Moda collection stayed true to its metropolitan image. “I’m from L.A. and I was inspired by my city,” designer Jessica Lynn said. “Last summer I was sitting on the beach and we [saw] a string of beautiful sunsets with pink and blue…in the sky, and I was like, ‘Alright, that’s going to be my next collection,’” Lynn said.

The pastel blue and pink of the sunsets that she mentioned were accents in her collection against a primarily black, white, and gray color scheme. Architectural details like asymmetrical slit skirts, ruffle hems, and half-moon shaped chest cutouts gave the minimalist looks dimension.

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Meagan Ollari

AMCONYC is a platform that brings together emerging millennial designers, allowing them to share their creations with top fashion insiders and influencers across the country. This year, AMCONYC featured Meagan Ollari, and other new designers together to send their latest looks down the catwalk in seven fashionable shows.

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The models in Meagan Ollari’s “Bollywood Babydoll” Spring/Summer 2016 collection sauntered down the runway in bold prints inspired by Ollari’s recent travels to India. Bright colors and eccentric motifs played a leading role in her collection. Ollari created her line with innovation and wearability in mind, saying “I aim to be fresh, feminine, and sassy yet practical with my work and feel as though my best asset as a designer is the connection I have with my customers.” Feminine silhouettes brought the collection full circle with dresses perfect for sightseeing, outdoor brunches, and summer parties.

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Some Glitz & Glam at NYFW!

There is nothing wrong with a little glitz and glam, right! Check out these next designers who recently presented at fashion week in NY, all who held nothing back in terms of shimmer, shine, & sparkle!

Idan Cohen

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For S/S 2016, Idan was inspired by the ocean, with both his color palette and discernible seashell motif. A varied collection of mainly eveningwear looks were rendered in seafoam green, pale blue, coral and nude, with shell appliques and beaded shell shapes appearing on most looks. The intricate details on each look really made for such a vision with these pieces, all very mesmerizing.

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Cohen’s strength lies in eveningwear, and he delivered plenty of red-carpet-ready gowns, including a baby blue halter cocktail number with a beaded chevron pattern. These were truly some great looks, many highlights!

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Laurel Dewitt

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APPLIQUÉD ROSE WAIST CINCHER + TULIP CURVED SKIRT WITH   FLORAL APPLIQUÉ + NECK CORSET + FLOWER CROWN

Presenting “The Secret Garden” at The Church of the Holy Apostles.

**Guests included: Carmen Carrera, Elliott Sailors, Legendary Damon, V. Bozeman, Kid Chocolate and Sandflower.

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APPLIQUÉD FLOWER COAT OVER PETITE FLOWER MINI DRESS

For Spring/Summer 2016, Laurel DeWitt pushes open a door in her ever-evolving craft, revealing a lush, romantic fantasy world brimming with the promise of new life and the possibility of a world beyond. Striking a distinct 1930s note taking colorful cue from Elsa Schiaparelli, Ms. DeWitt’s current collection débuts not only a deeply hued array of elegant separates — introducing shagreen, leather, and fabric lacing to her already complex repertoire — but also doses the collection with metal flowers, entirely hand-cut, hand-rolled, and hand-painted to create a stunning display of incredible appliqué work rivaled by few in its detail and labor.

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FLOWER SHOULDER-PIECE OVER BUTTERFLY CAPE + METAL FLOWER BRA +   METAL APPLIQUÉD LEATHER WRAP SHORTS

Spring/Summer pioneers two new accessory categories for the designer: Eyewear and Millinery, where meticulous metal work on a smaller scale is of remark. In her world, dimension is best when juxtaposed, and Ms. DeWitt conflates these tiny techniques against the generous, tulip-like curves of a ballgown’s skirting, or the wide, preciseswoop of a structured cape, evocative of the scaled breadth of a butterfly.

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Also of note are the wasp-waists and draped contours of the late 1940s New Look, reflected in the slim bodices and grand red carpet gowns which, though made of metal, reminisce a fluttery, petaled lightness. Like the two aforementioned legends above, Ms. DeWitt is also self-taught, but in the craft of metal mastery. With fashion at top of mind – wearable, elegant clothing with metal at its core – this season’s soft spectacle lays witness to a collection of eternal flowers, of heirlooms for life.

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METAL ILLUSION BUSTLED GOWN WITH FLORAL APPLIQUÉ

HAIR — Lead hair by Janel Sealy-Smith for Tara Smith

MAKEUP — Makeup by Rose-Marie Swift of rms beauty

NAILS — Nails by Honey for rms beauty

PUBLIC RELATIONS — Rêve Public Relations

CREATIVE CONSULTANT — LSC Styling

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WOVEN MULTI COLOR PAILLETÉ MINI DRESS

STYLE TEAM — Cappie Pondexter and 4 Season Style Management

SHOES — Privileged, Christian Louboutin, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, & Prada

MUSIC — Music curated by DJ Runna featuring Estelle

PHOTOGRAHPY AND VIDEO — Photographed by Becky Yee/Around Digital Media Video by Around Digital Media

SWEETS — Desserts by BCakeNY

THANKS TO Michael Ottley & The Church of the Holy Apostles // Diana Fabrics // Aziz Mahrach // Cafe Kabila // Dragana of Fargo Lami Leathers // Jessica Penzari // Bianca Wilker

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FLOWER ILLUSION BRA + STUDDED CHAIN OPEN WEB SKIRT

Allison Mitchell

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Beautiful pictures taken by Nicole Bonanni

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More from Style Fashion Week

Another fun post for the talented designers who showcased at Style Fashion Week! This season, Style Fashion Week was held at Gotham Hall.

Malan Breton

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Bradelis Lingerie

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Lainy Gold Swimwear

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Control Sector

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Quyn H. Paris

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ESOSA

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Santa Clara Moda

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Chrisber’y

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Anthony Rubio

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The Set NYC for NYFW

Additional Commentary by Lori Occhiogrosso

The Set NYC presented a series of shows on various days throughout NYFW. Proceeds of the evening’s various festivities were all for ending Child Trafficking thru the charitable organization Freedom Ladder. The shows were held at the Church of the Holy Apostles.

All Photos are credited to
David Leigh Neivert: Owner and Founder of Leigh Archangel Productions

Inspired NY

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Demi Jing Yang

as seen in Saks Fifth Ave & Style.com

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Autumnlin Kietponglert

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Lori describes this as a clear vision. It was very avant-garde and then some dark pieces. The crowd was into the show. This was a hint at the future of fashion. “I can see her line going places!”

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Chinaza Moses

One of the floor exhibitors —

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Lori dubbed this as “origami meets street style.” In creating this origami texture to these pieces, it was a fusion of material — pressed and manipulated to create the texture. This is avant garde meets classic delight!

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The Secret Society of Ex Mermaids (as seen in Nylon Magazine)

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Izavel Varela

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Alex Vinash (as seen in Elle Magazine & Harper’s Bazaar)

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Xi Couture

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Sherry Tsang

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Irina Shabayeva (as seen in Vogue)

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Floor & Showcase Exhibitions for the various nights: Meaghan Paige, Amy Dietz, Caitlin Farradas, Emma Berg, Carlen Manasse New York, artist Parker McComb, Ari J Collection, Cecile’s Bath & Body, Charmaine King, Jacqueline Kline, Barnabas Lee, Cathy Buckley Cats Meow, artist Julie Severino, EnidBSkinCare, Nilufer Satorius, Mehreen Pasha, artist Steven Cogle, Cecile’s Bath & Body, Lyne Cosmetics, Camille Davis, Lauren Chisholm

Nolcha Fashion Week — The Collective Show

Showcasing at Pier 59, with Nolcha Fashion Week in a 2nd series of shows during NYFW, presented during the evening a vibrant mix of elegant eveningwear, classic RTW, and bold, dynamic looks.

Danny Nguyen

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Danny does couture like no other. Every season I’ve seen him present I’m left in awe, mind blown. To see his vision come to life in these exquisite wearable works of art, you just can’t help but know you are in the presence of a great talent.

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These were some of my fave pieces from his collection, but really hard to pick a few. Each piece was unique in it’s own right, telling it’s own story. Each gown was so delicate, yet filled with a strong passionate vibe.

a model walks the runway during Nolcha Shows During New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 Collections NYFW - Danny Nguyen Couture at Pier 59 on September 13, 2015 in New York City.

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a model walks the runway during Nolcha Shows During New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 Collections NYFW - Danny Nguyen Couture at Pier 59 on September 13, 2015 in New York City.

Acid NYC

A model walks the runway during Nolcha Shows During New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 Collections NYFW - Acid NYC at Pier 59 on September 13, 2015 in New York City.

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ACID NYC is a brand comprised of Evelyn Luna and Scott Chester’s fashion talents. Together they have created clothing that is both unique and versatile. The sharp lines and sultry silhouettes allow their designs to be easily worn to almost any occasion.

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With prints made of microchips, wires, and more, the fabrics would make any tech-savvy girl excited to wear the garments in their Spring 2016 line. The prints use vibrant colors like green to really make their designs stand out. The clothing line is also full of both structured and loose fitted garments which make the clothing a great choice for every woman no matter what her preference or style is.

These dynamic, alluring, captivating prints really stood out for me. I was very much impressed and pleased with the S/S 2016 presentation.

Intrepid by Ao’C

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Intrepid is all about the style of classic, feminine RTW with a twist. The brand’s philosophy is classic innovation and chic. I have featured Intrepid on Fashion Nexus before and it’s great to see more amazing work from this amazing brand.

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In presenting for Nolcha, Designer Aerin O’Connell had to say “This is such an absolute honor and I am beyond thrilled and humbled. I know this will be a very memorable experience, and want to thank everyone who has made this possible. This is the beginning of everything, an amazing journey; I can’t wait to see where it ends up.  I am a blessed and very lucky designer, this really is a dream come true.”

Nolcha Fashion Lounge

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During NYFW, Nolcha hosted their semi-annual fashion lounge at the Bo Concept store in Chelsea to spotlight the season’s hottest trends in apparel, accessories, and beauty.   The lounge showcased a range of independent brands including jewerly and accessories by Syd and Pia, Raje, and Zayver Designs, handbags by Adora and Charles & Ron, and apparel by Haute House.

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The lounge also featured beauty and wellness products and tips from LumaRX (the skin beauty system) and Dr. Gary Levine (women’s health expert).   On site, guests were treated to complimentary beverages courtesy of Coco Libre and Sparkling Ice, and celebrity stylist Derek Warburton was on hand signing copies of his Fall cover story in LAPALME Magazine.

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Official sponsors — Citibank, Don Q Rums, Luma Rx, Sparkling Ice, Dr. Gary Levine, Bo Concept, & Lyft

Nolcha Fashion Week — Ones to Watch

Nolcha is a season fave of mine! The “Ones to Watch” series always showcases amazing, indie designers. Back at Pier 59, Nolcha certainly didn’t disappoint this fashion week season. Here are the 5 designers encompassing “Ones to Watch”.

Anya Liesnik

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Anya Liesnik is a Ukrainian-born fashion designer based in Germany. Her collections have been shown in United Kingdom, USA, Germany, Ukraine and the Netherlands with great success. She has been featured in the British Vogue, and Italian Collezioni Donna, British ELLE, Regard Magazine and many others.

I was super impressed by Anya’s work here. Each look had such an eye-catching detail, and of course, superior shimmer and shine!

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Anya is fascinated by the magic of how a dress can create a new personality for a woman. Her signature style is feminine and iconic looks, using only high quality materials. The brand is influenced by silver screen divas and all strong women with their own signature style. Anya Liesnik is about contemporary fashion combined with the fascination for the charismatic style of iconic women, whose beauty was perfectly underlined through the dresses they wear.

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Charles & Ron

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The Maltese design duo for Spring/Summer 2016 had a “Mediterranean Love Affair.” I’m such a fan of their work, always such stunning RTW apparel for ladies. This collection is a vibrant and colorful, one of graphic prints inspired by the traditional Maltese fishing boat called “Luzzu“.

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The show featured Sky Blue and Buttercup Yellow in color block patterns and stripes, silk satin and viscose crepe dresses in super feminine cuts, all paired with Charles & Ron hand-crafted leather bags as accessories.

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As always, I’m in love with these pieces, such bold prints, bright pops of color, love it!

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Planet Zero Motorsports

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Founded in 2009, Planet Zero Motorsports, LLC (PZM) is a New York City based company that focuses on innovative motorsports equipment and apparel. And this was their major debut at Nolcha Fashion Week, coming in a true, kick-ass style. The company was born from the love for riding racing motorcycles. Leather work, jackets, pants, gloves, and racing full body suits are the signature styles of Planet Zero Motorsports.

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Designer Kenya Smith shares; “Planet Zero Motorsports is very excited about being in the Nolcha Shows as it represents the next level in high fashion exposure for our brand and we are honored to be selected for this curated runway show.”

Planet Zero Motorsports’ vision is to blend high fashion with motorcycle apparel and to bend the line between safety and Haute Couture.  The mission of the brand is to assure that everyone who participates in motorsports consistently wears the apparel needed for maximum protection whilst being stylish.

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Global Citizen

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GC is a movement to end world poverty, which empowers everyday people to take action and see real impact. At Nolcha, Global Citizen unveiled its 2015 festival line, that will be available online and at the annual festival in Central Park on September 26th featuring headliners Beyoncé, Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran, and Coldplay. The show also premiered a limited edition Global Citizen x Aviator Nation collection and the “Beyoncé” shirt (one of four limited-edition single artist tees), all also available as of September 26th. All items benefit The Global Poverty Project, a nonprofit that is building a worldwide movement to end extreme poverty by 2030. Four campaign managers from the GPP walked in the show (in lieu of traditional models).

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It was a great moment to keep in line with fashion and fashion week, but also to present fashion for a good cause.

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JUNGWON featuring CAT Footwear

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Huge fan of JUNGWON NY. I had the pleasure of doing a feature on the brand earlier this year. I was able to meet with the designer and visit their shop in Tribeca. What I enjoyed most from this fashion week presentation was seeing, new, intriguing looks from the dynamic outwear brand. It was great to see the menswear aspect on the runway as well.

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Official sponsors — Citibank, Don Q Rums, Luma Rx, Sparkling Ice, Dr. Gary Levine, Bo Concept, & Lyft