Zang Toi's gown is ready for its closeup. Photo by Charles Norfleet.HEAD’S UP: That turnaround between September and February always seems short. One is in the middle of the Yuletide season when the notice arrives about registering for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York! Well, here we are at Fall 2013 and a small change in the VEVLYN’S PEN approach to covering Fashion Week. We will still put emphasis on the truly inspirational on the runway and will only do a “best of” when it suits. We will also continue to endeavor to provide a roundup of the best, worst and most interesting Yours Truly (and others) witnesses, from trends to sightings to the rather unusual/bizarre. Now, for the changes. On some days we will provide a “snapshot” as we on 7 Feb. (http://www.vevlynspen.com/2013/02/mbfw-day-1-snapshot-todd-snyders.html). We will also comment on particular pieces from a collection that capture our imagination. Finally, at VEVLYN’S PEN, coverage may take the form of photos with comments underneath, including whether the picture subject tends toward a trend. How’s that? OK, off we go!
Day 7
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere): ANNA SUI, BIBHU MOHAPATRA, B MICHAEL AMERICA, BRANDON SUN, CLOVER CANYON, ELIZABETH AND JAMES, FALGUNI AND SHANE PEACOCK, GIULIETTA, HONORE, JEREMY SCOTT, J. MENDEL, JOIE, MARCHESANY, MICHAEL KORS, MILLY BY MICHELLE SMITH, NANETTE LEPORE, PETER SOM, PHILOSOPHY, PROENZA SCHOULER, REED KRAKOFF, THREEASFOUR, RICARDO SECO, ZANG TOI
WHAT a small bit of joy it is watching the Zang Toi show. Having not glanced at the run of show, Yours Truly assumes the designer is doing an homage to Marie Antoinette. The hair and the richness of the fabrics are the leading indicators.
All is lush and lovely. It is mostly day wear. Then things veer toward the evening. The person next to me utters, “Now for the really good stuff.”
Numerous bright spots in the house of Milly by Michelle Smith. Photo from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.A moment later it appears. It is a kelly green gown of the richest silk. It is advancing slowly down the runway. It looks as if the model has been poured into it. There is not a wrinkle or stitch out of place. It comes with a matching shrug. At the bottom it is rimmed by black beading, as is the shrug. It has the hint of draping in the back. It is stunning. The gown is not overdone – not exactly Antoinettish.
When I glance at the run of show, I learn that ZT is channeling Imperialist Russia with particular attention to the Faberge Eggs and the opulent gardens and palaces that are St. Petersburg’s Peterhof Place. For a point of reference, the palace is often called the Russian Versailles.
ZT could have gone off his rocker but edited himself admirably, using superior fabrics, intricate stitching and some voluminous shapes to suggest something tending toward the rococo that marks the period. The hair is big but not overly adorned or piled five or six inches high or more, which would have taken the proceedings into the direction of a costume drama.
That emerald silk gazar bordered gown with jet and emerald crown jewels and matching hermitage shrug, however, is the bell of the ball. Its opulence lies in its superior construction and simplicity.
Treading carefully is Leather Japan. Photo by Yours Truly.Elsewhere of note, Michelle's Smith Milly by Michelle Smith is smartly illuminated with bold bright colors metallics, lurex and iridescence. Leather Japan shines in a completely different way. How so? Try burying leather product in the garden and arranging it among broken glass. Then put in a cage surrounded by mesh the Japanese orchestra, Turtle Island, which will plaintively belt its Asian folk music, inflected by punk rock. Sounds like a Best Presentation format if nothing else.
On Deck today, Last Day: ABRAHAM PELHAM, CALLULA LILLIBELLE, CALVIN KLEIN, JUAN CARLOS OBANDO, MARC JACOBS, RALPH LAUREN
Visit http://www.mbfashionweek.com to learn more about Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, including show information and videos.
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