Thursday, September 9, 2010

How Craig Turned One Show Into Four Shows

Today Intern Craig writes about his New York Fashion Week Day One.

I'm back from Day One of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011 and what a day it's been. I only had an RSVP at Concept Korea but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try another show (*coughcough* Ruffian *coughcough*). Unfortunately, the line stretched all the way to next week so I decided to wait it out. I found myself on the line to Christian Siriano and got standing room for his show instead.


The fliers on the seats told us that Siriano was inspired by African, Indian, and Chinese influences. I was definitely interested to see how Christian would tackle all these themes and he certainly did not, as usual, disappoint.

Christian Siriano photo courtesy of New York Daily News


The early looks consisted of separates and rather tame dresses according to Siriano's standards. There were a lot of prints which screamed Christian but he definitely gave a nice mix of solids with those prints.

In true Siriano fashion, we were treated to some fantastic gowns along the way. Christian has a fantastic way of creating gorgeous new silhouettes with tasteful prints. My jaw seriously hit the floor with the last two dresses in the collection. They were crinoline monstrosities but I couldn't keep my eye off of them.

Yet, looking at the collection as a whole left a lot to the imagination. There seemed to be a huge disconnect between the most commercial and the most "showy" pieces. At times the construction seemed heavy-handed and contrived, especially with this random frill detail that kept re-occurring. Overall, decent pieces in a sub-par collection. Definitely not Christian's best.

I was busy tweeting and not taking pictures, but I did record a video of the finale!




And let's not forget our 34th Street link to Christian: His Payless shoes, stunning at first sight. Their inspiration lies in the same African, Indian, and Chinese influences that the clothes
came from but with a delightful Siriano twist. I'm especially in awe of the shoe on the far left (below). It's called Shanghai and I love every minute of it. I'm told that the shoes will be in stores in February but I think that is much too far away.







Later, I attended the Concept Korea show which was quite the multimedia event. The show consisted of three different Korean designers who are definitely not new to the industry. First up was Pucca by Kwak Hyun Joo. To be completely honest, I wasn't impressed. The show got off to a rocky start: the first model, dressed as Snow White, completely wiped out, and at the top of the runway, a huge screen kept flashing colors which soon began to hurt my eyes.There were a lot of metallic fabrics mixed with short shorts and midriff-baring tops. In the program, we were told that the line was inspired by fairy tales, Lolitas, the future, etc. Needless to say, I'm still confused.

Next was Resurrection by Juyoung. I was in love with this collection. Juyoung, definitely the most experienced of the three, showed influences from Rick Owens and Ann Demeulemeester, among others. Juyoung's strength lies in her ability to tweak the notions of menswear by using primarily "feminine" materials like lace and sequins. While I would probably never be able to pull any of her outfits off, I loved the gladiator sandals on all the models!

The show closed with Lee Jean Youn, a designer known for his wedding dresses and who recently collaborated with Mango. This collection took some time for me to digest. It began with black separates and huge floppy hats, much like Christian Siriano's Project Runway collection. It progressed into peach/red dresses and finally ending with elaborate wedding dresses. The clothes were all intricately detailed and I can definitely appreciate the work that went into this collection.

Did anyone else catch some shows today?

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