Nolcha Fashion Week Recaps — Eveningwear & Project Subway Fun!

One of my most fave parts of NYFW is attending the Nolcha Fashion Week shows. I always see such bright, emerging talented designers. So many of the looks are always super captivating. I have a great time mingling with other fashion industry insiders. And also, a lot of great sponsors and partners take part in the series of events. This is why I wrote so many intro posts on Nolcha. And I am of course now very excited to start showcasing some images and look details for the many designers who presented their S/S 2015 collections at Nolcha during fall fashion week 2014!

So for my first piece, I have to start with the breathtaking and alluring eveningwear and more formal looks I saw. Also, Project Subway was back, and those looks are super creative and fun, thus, a CAN’T MISS! Up first, Mariana Valentina and her Spring 2015 entitled collection Le Jardin Persan.

Mariana Valentina’s “Le Jardin Persan” is a collection inspired by two films. The first portrays a mystical garden where there are fantasy-like women who live there, and then blossom into beautiful vines and exotic florals.

The other film focuses on a Persian warrior empress, from the times when the gods and goddesses ruled the world.

Persian warrior empress and vines may seem to be a mismatch, but it’s so NOT! It’s a classic play on hard & soft, which Mariana does beautifully. The looks incorporating vines and/or exotic florals really help to demonstrate Mariana’s signature of being elegant, yet sensual. She uses a lot of sheer effects in these looks, all done very tastefully and beautifully, but still present a woman who is full of confidence and not afraid to be sexy and daring.

What creates the wonderful intersection between Valentina’s differing worlds for this collection are the use of sheer effects. The soft and strong pair magically to create some truly luxe and gorgeous looks. The black asymmetrical look below is my most fave look and I believe very much encapsulates the underlying meaning of this collection. I would be proud to don this look and I’m sure the it would garner me much attention!

Mariana really has done a great job with this collection. I’m IMPRESSED!! She has stuck to her true aesthetic of sexy simplistic minimalism. The beauty in many of these pieces were the details, whether it was how the sheer effect was making your eye wonder or your eye being caught with the placement of embellishments. Get to know more about Mariana with a few other features on her already up on Fashion Nexus!

Next up, MIMI TRAN!

Let’s check out her collection for S/S 2015, red carpet & eveningwear looks to the extreme! Definitely not a bad thing!

Mimi Tran knows luxury, Hollywood glamour, and high fashion. This is what she is known for and she does it all so well. If you are looking for a formal gown for an event or red carpet, or even a look for a pageant or prom, there is no doubt you could find something to instantly fall in love with from Mimi! There are a lot of unique and distinguishing aspects to Tran’s work. This is what will set you apart and stand out at whatever formal event you are at!

Red carpet or evening looks work great in black and white. It’s hard to go wrong with those colors and with any collection surrounding formal pieces, you must be able to create some stunning looks in either color. Mimi has done just that, whether it was with a white floral tethered gown as seen above, or a circular beaded number as seen below, which also incorporates another great trend for any major red carpet event — Sheer effects!

Black and white aside, there was a great pop of color use as seen below with royal blue, personally my fave color!

Another great aspect to this collection is all things SHEER! Sheer effects are a trendy staple I’m sure we are going to see for a long time to come and not just on the red carpet. But you have to still be clever with how you are incorporating sheer overlay into your looks. You have to make the trend your own. And that is what Mimi has done here. She was really strategic in how she played with sheer and the use of it with her looks. It created for some great intricacies, especially when paired with luxe gorgeous beaded embellishments.

Formal looks are not always floor-length, so it was great to see Tran’s signature work utilized with a shorter, sexier look. The shorter looks are still full of Mimi Tran glamour and feminine appeal, still showcasing a boldly sensual and sexy vibe!

Mimi Tran did a great job with remaining contemporary and creating some truly beautiful creations for red carpets and formal events around the world. Check out my intro feature on her brand as well, up also on Fashion Nexus!

Finally, let’s take a look at the 2nd annual Project Subway creations for Nolcha! This go round, Project Subway challenged the up and coming designers, F.I.T. students, to construct one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by vegetables found in a SUBWAY restaurant — spinach, onions, tomatoes and all!

The winning look, onion inspired dress & coordinating hat by Veritee Hill!

The judges chose the winning design based on creativity, originality, beauty and best representation of the vegetables. As a reward, Veritee will receive a $1,000 cash prize and have his/her original design displayed at a New York City SUBWAY® restaurant.

Eveningwear bright red delicious tomatoes anyone!

Spicy, bold, and sexy structured green pepper mini!

Yes! Incorporate the subway logo, great idea!!

Is this garment using an actual product??

Voluminous asymmetrical banana peppers for all!

Lots of green, but carrots anyone!

Greens — could be lettuce, maybe a slice of draped cucumber!

How about a little lace with your lettuce!?!

A celebrity panel critiqued the designs, including: Johnny Wujek (celebrity stylist), Bella Thorne (actress), Nastia Liukin (Olympic champion), and Russell Westbrook (pro basketball’s MVP of fashion and SUBWAY Famous Fan).