Divinity in Fashion : "Camilla "And God Created Woman" Trunk Show

The Exclusive Invite

Yes, we all understand the belief in God being responsible for all form of life on this planet, yet the relation to that idea and designer Camilla Franks may not be so simple to understand.

This trunk show was held on September 9th, 2013 from Tuesday - Friday (1pm - 5pm). Like most trunk shows today, it was held in the same space as it would be sold. For the fall 2013 Camilla Franks collection, it was held in Bergdoff Goodman. Models paraded through the space donning her apparel. 

She even made a special appearance each day from 2pm- 4pm. This is not too common for big designers. So guests were pleased.

The trunk show related to her "Brave New World" Fall 2013 collection which almost crowned Franks on a throne in her collection's photography.

THE WORLDS FIRST UNDERWATER FASHION SHOW!!! !! !!

When you think of a fashion show, the last thing that you may be expecting to see is a pair of experienced divers, but they're not divers, they are models. And what are they doing in a pool of 20ft of water in an aquarium, you ask? Well they are modelling a traditional styled 2011 Korean dress collection by Park Sul-Nyeo. Park Sul-Nyeo is a Korean designer who creates traditional garments with modern twists. She has received the 1999 Yejiwon Lifetime Achievement Award and the 1999 KBS Costume Lease Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding creative and social presence in South Korea. Her career didn't end in the new millennium at all because in 2008 she was selected as the Female CEO Who Has Established Outstanding Success.

Park Sul-Nyeo

The Hanbok (traditional Korean) dresses flowed smoothly in the  water and showed off the fabrics flexibility. The way the models swam in the garments added to the calming remnants of Korean golden eras and speaking into a peaceful culture that connects with the Korean audience.

  

The 2011 Seoul, South Korea Park Sul-Nyeo Fashion Show

This innovative idea has sparked many other creations within the fashion industry in fashion photography and more submerged fashion shows. When water is added to the presentation of fashion whether in a photo, art, runway, or video presentation, it adds a soft edginess. The idea of fashion submerged in water is creatively drawn from folk tales and myths of sirens in jacquard woven brassieres and their decoratively sparkling tails.

The pastel candy greens, watermelon pinks, bubblegum pinks, cherry reds, forest greens, navy blues, and deep violets remind the audience of nature and those colors correspond to watching pedals of the most beautiful flowers floating in the rain's puddles. 

Pics from the fashion show

One of the many fashion shows inspired by Park Sul-Nyeo

 More drawn inspirations...

Rihanna in her music video for "Russian Roulette"

34th Street Window Splashes

Strolling on 34th Street and Fashion Avenue we can see the vogue or mania presented in the window displays all the way to Fifth Avenue. There are many sorts of retailing strategies using a distinctive palette of colors in store display styles featuring many categories of merchandise from women's wear to men's wear to children's wear to accessories. Noted in my analysis are the decorations(lights, props, stickers/posters), the geometric shapes and patterns, the overall color schemes used, and the trend of the fashion pieces in relation to the colors used. 

The trending color palette for Fall 2014 as examined in a score of store windows and in store displays is dark neutrals and warm colors with pops of pastels. It's trending in apparel and accessories as well as the wigs on the mannequins.

       

Colors detect and stimulate different moods, They are the most important tools of art helping to understand, identify, and relate to all types of masterpieces. In the decorations for the window displays that I've seen, neon colors accent the windows, even if the garments are in pastels or neutrals. For example, this video below shows how neon colors accent the black leather shirts (gleaming from its luster) and the gray knit dress.

Other decorations such as the flowers in this Bebe window display. Here the flowers are of intensified colors and they help to make the fashions in the window seem more edgy yet soft enough to not contrast with the overall classy chic and elegant vibe. 

Bebe's Fall 2014 Women's fashion display (34th St. & 5th Ave.)


Next on the list, is shapes. These geometric figures definitely help to outline color and emphasize or turn down the effect of a color in a window display which can be useful for sales and promotion for discounted 
fashions.

 H&M is one of the masters of using the geometric design of a window display to play on the effects of colors. In this store window for their Herald Square location, H&M uses the pyramid design to escalate the dark color scheme with deep olives and charcoal blacks all the while dramatizing other textures or lighter colors in the background. This makes the greens appear darker than they actually are, further separating them from the pastel pinks. It also marks separation with different textures. Many retailer place the fabrics with the softer hand towards the rear so that is calms down the entire window and doesn't create a stir of confusion and discomfort for viewers.Other retailers who use this concept for the trend of dark color are  

An example of the use of geometric designs to emphasize the dark color palette in contrast with pastels and various textures

With all that being said about the overall color scheme and how tools such as decorations and strategic geometric design can excite or bore certain aspects of a color scheme, the last thing to do is to examine the relation of the types of garments in the displays to the color scheme.The denim is deflected in all of the visual displays and then slightly intensified with posters and the denim trends across the spectrum of light to dark. Fur and other textured fabrics tends to be in the palette the pastel colors. For Fall 2014, black is in for leathers and other fabrics with slight or dramatic hints of luster. In the previous year, it was third to top tier and maroon rouge too the top spot followed by suntan orange. The deep olives are mostly in jackets, one-pieces, and other light outerwear. Other warm colors in the overall scheme splash in accessories, secondary pieces (not the most popular items,the color then draws attention to it),as well as other window/store display                       embellishments.            

womens

Auburn hair color in the neutral color palette

Neutral hair colors of browns and blacks

All black color scheme

mens

Trend: Neutrals and warm colors 

Neutrals with warm colors

Neutrals and pastels

 Denim background highlights the denim in the window although saturated other extreme textures like knitted velvet and sweater knit.

childrens

Darks & neutrals

Neutrals

Pastels & Darks

accessories

Geox (white shapes outlining the dark neutrals)

Aldo (dark colors)

Gucci (warms and pastels with intricate geometric designs)

Robyn "Ri Ri" Fenty Fashion Week Frenzy

Jacob Bernstein profiles The CFDA 2014 Style Icon winner and successful international pop-star Robyn "Rihanna" Fenty for New York Fashion week Fall 2014. Hitting up each show in reigning fashion force, Bernstein grants Rihanna the title of Fashion Queen for New York Fashion Week 2014. Fashion magazine editors such as Stefano Tonchi quote Rihanna to be a "fashion animal -totally enthralled by the process of transforming through clothes."Tonchi also tells Bernstein “She really worked so hard,” and that she even, "she was there on the set judging the clothes. She was a real part of the creative process.” Being such an influence in fashion, Rihanna attended a majority of shows for Fashion Week. Bernstein emphasizes her praise in this creative industry by including aforementioned statements made by W Magazine fashion editor Stefano Tonchi and citing Rihannas friendship with designer Jeremy Scott, even mentioning hoe forgiving he is about her missing his show. In this article Scott's impression of Ms. Fenty takes on chunky portion, which in it, he states, "the relationship between the fashion world and RiRi, as she’s referred to by devotees, is a two-sided love affair: She has an immense interest in clothes, and designers appreciate her ability to easily transform from one extreme to another.", and that "“She can appear in so many different styles and make it feel authentic.”

For the Fall 2014 fashion shows, Rihanna manages a variety of silhouettes, designs, details, colors, and fabrics.

  AdAm SeLmAn 

Girly frills and a flowy A-line dress is mature yet innocent enough for the youngest teen crowd. The purity in the ghost white dress color makes it simply elegant. It's sheer satin coating also helps to accentuate Rihanna's glowing skin. a tough of accessories in a thin silver chain and corresponding white heels with thin straps, pulls this masterpiece off at the top of the list for Ri Ri's Fashion Week Frenzy.

VERSUS VERSACE

 

This fabric holds its shape enough to be considered properly resilient although it does have enough flexibility to allow for the added bias cuts and tug of the large gold pins. The color blocking here definitely contributes to spontaneous fun and freedom. The hugging silhouette is a passion of Rihanna's fashion flexibility as seen here with her play of jewelry on her fingers and her body chain. 

Stunning at Joseph Altuzarra's show 

     Fringes decorate the hourglass silhouette that enhances Rihanna's legs and chest. The dark color makes the details of this garment seem more potent, the black color pushes this outerwear into a classy and elegant stare of style.

Here we see luster masterfully incorporated into a fitted-straight robe styled dressed with a hood that also included drawn pockets. The shine in the metallic blue jacket, doesn't take away from the fit nor does is become trapped and mushed within the drapery. The matching hat is something that only Ms. Fenty masters in style.




The matching is far from boring and the little pop of highlight red coloring on both the lips ad heels makes headlines on fashion blogs worldwide.(Now, how could something so simple be so outstanding?)

- Heading to Alexander Wang wearing T by Alexander Wang

I Spy With My Stylish Eye

The streets of NYC host the most adored styles of our great nation. I hit the streets to find the most popular trends. Not just the ones that would appear on magazines but the ones that everyone seems to be wearing.

Here is where innovation lies. Where the young lady in the floral print shirt and zebra skirt has #herownstyle. Where the man in the black jeans and green tee has #hisownstyle. Where those reading on the park bench with knit cardigans and long bottoms with tall hats have #theirownstyle. 

I've compiled my top 3 looks from the NYC street. Many of our retailers seem to approach the left field innovators, but they always keep the calm and casual trends flowing. You'll always find a plain tee,  jeans, and cargo shorts, "Hey isn't that fashion."

Trend #1: T-Shirts & Jeans, T- Shirts & Shorts, W/o hat and jewelry to accessorize

Trend #2 : Brands that endorse tees and bottoms accessorized in color code with 

hats or jewelry.

Trend #3 : All black with a slim gold chain. And for women, prints and shapely silhouettes.

CASUAL

You'd definitely see this guy walking down your block, no matter where you live, no matter where or who you are. Shouldn't this be considered the most popular trend. Isn't this more than 50% of what's stocking stores?

Here you see two men casually dresssed on one of NYC's hottest spots, The Highline. Some may say that they aren't 

fit to be on the cover of Vogue, but they are sporting a long 

lasting fashion trend that spills comfort. Trends will go in and 

out of season but you'll soon catch on to why this style is a classic. 

So that's a bit of casual, but before we get the chicest trends in NYC, we have to visit casual chic. It's defined as a trendy style mixed with a comfortable layout of apparel and accessories. 

    CASUAL CHIC

This man pulls of raw denim jeans with alligator shoes and a nice sporty graphic tee with a gold chain that has an Egyptian element. It's not too gaudy to the eye nor simple enough to ever be considered boring #hisownstyle - Neternu J. Brooklyn, NY 

From Jordans to Polo tees to Nautica shorts and landing at a Chicago Bulls hat, for this teen, style is complimented by a variety of brands. Again, it's not pulled off in an overly gaudy fashion nor is it's not over-accessorized. Praise this young man for having #hisownstyle - Albert White, NJ 

So, we don't compromise comfort and we don't stretch it too far for our take on style and fashion. That's casual chic in a nutshell. Now, brace yourself for chic.

CHIC

Take it from the pros who work at some of your favorite stores. This cast of trendsetters take it to the top of the list (albeit at the bottom of the page)

For the men, it's all black with either casual sneakers or black shoes. No bulky jewelry adds affect, just a thin gold chain pops it off. For the ladies, everything is captured in a shapely silhouette elongating the legs. Prints can excite either the top or bottom as the compliment calms the outfit down to the chicest degree.

El-hajj, Macy's

#hisownstyle

Kevin, Aldo

#hisownstyle

Isabelle, Buffalo Exchange

#herownstyle