Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Fashion Week Fall / Winter 2016: Karigam and Tadashi Shoji

Karigam

The show began a bit late but allowed guests to explore the airy and raw Clarkson Square space, a good fit for Creative Director Karina Gamez’s nature inspired collection.  Gamez was influenced by the palates of her native Venezuela, naming the collection after “Salto Angel,” the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall. As expected,  minimalist and monochromatic looks ruled the runway, but soon the show emerged almost as a narrative piece. Following a few safe muted blue and gray toned looks, the designer added bright marine flourishes, harkening back to a forming Kerep River.

 

      

      
  
Suddenly crisp auburns emerged, indicative of the violent yet magnificent fall from plateau to freshly exposed red clay deposits. Then we’re running through lush and deep tropical greens, a nod to the flora and fauna which derive life from this process. The collection maintained Karigam's signature black and white undertones but utilized accent scarves and shawls to evoke the spirit of cascades in flourishes of color. It’s an understated yet grandiose style, layering long and airy pieces over sharp straight-cut pants and high collared blouses, creating a dialectic between order and tradition with the representative temporal disorder of a waterfall. Gamez curated the collection as elegant and sophisticated professional wear for women, and inherent in its order is her own personal journey from Caracas to New York.  The collection was a nod to modern professional style while pushing out tired industrial tropes with flourishes of individualism and personality.

      

      
All photos from Matte Finish 

Tadashi Shoji 
Always a red carpet favorite, Tadashi Shoji knows exactly how to produce an evening gown that perfectly combines sexiness, elegance, and pizzazz to make heads turn. This season, we saw an unexpected edge: black tattoo motifs and tribal patterns, grunge wet hair, heavy dark makeup, and chokers. The outcome? Brilliant. Inspired by “a tattoo parlor that has been transformed into a dressmaking atelier”, the patterns were treated like a second skin. Embellished bodysuits were layered with faux furs and skirts, and form fitting gowns had lace inserts and sheer panels, giving an illusion of second skin. I simply loved the delicate but statement arm bands. Slits up to the hip, bronze metallic detailing, and countless numbers of embroidered sheer pieces felt as though the designer is looking to expand his look to a younger generation. Tadashi closed his collection with a series of solid, etheral, pleated chiffon gowns that flow down the runway like a dream, almost like he was bringing his collection home.

      

      

      

      

      
All photos courtesy of Tadashi Shoji. 

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