New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015 Round-up

Designer Luis Antonio alongside designs from his stunning Spring 2015 collection. ((Photos by Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz)

Now that Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week shows for Spring/Summer 2015 are ended, I’ve taken some time to think about what I saw on the runway to try to summarize the shows.  Each show always contains garments that you  know buyers and stylists will pick up for next season and those that will be left behind.  Some consumers may not realize that much of what the designers send down the runway will never be picked up by buyers to be mass-produced and sold in stores.  You can take a look at some of the pictures from the shows and make some very educated guesses about what might actually show up on retails racks. As you might expect, most of the Spring/Summer 2015 collections offered plenty of floral and bright vibrant colors. However, there was still plenty of black and white on the runway, and more muted colors as well. For women, the Spring 2015 color palette includes Aquamarine, Scuba Blue, Lucite Green,Classic Blue,Toasted Almond, Strawberry Ice, Tangerine, Custard.Marsala and Glacier Gray.  Here’s a  look at some  of the shows The Recessionista attended at New York Fashion Week, featuring some emerging designers with unique perspectives on Spring.

One of the evening gowns from Luis Antonio Spring 2015 with a textured pattern/print. (Photo Getty Images)

Luis Antonio:  This beautiful collection entitled “Maritime” from  Puerto Rico based designer, Luis Antonio offered stunning gowns and beautiful dresses with unique textile designs.  This was Mr. Antonio’s first show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.   I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I headed to the show in heavy New York traffic and was so glad I made it to Lincoln Center to see the show.  Mr. Antonio presented some beautiful designs for Spring.  Designs that are very accessible and can be worn by women of many shapes and sizes. The collection was modern, yet feminine.  Mr. Antonio’s designs have garnered much attention worldwide and have been seen on Hollywood and Latin stars alike. Known for blending elegance and luxury with ease, The Puerto Rico Tourism Company helped to sponsor and support Mr. Antonio’s show and his designs.  After the show I had the opportunity to talk briefly with Mr. Antonio’s family including handbag designer Beatriz Sanchez. They reminded me that one of the most stunning aspects of the show was Mr. Antonio’s unique prints with striped patterns, even on evening gowns, with vibrant colors.

Garments from Katie Gallagher’s Spring 2015 collection via Nitrolicious

Katie Gallagher:  This collection entitled “Fantasm”  looked like something out of a Victorian gothic novel.  The collection was designed to capture “the illusory essence of the word Fantasm”  capturing the idea of seeing the true complexion of something just before it fades away — “like the changing appearance of naturally occurring elements like dew or smoke just before they diminish into transparency or the faint luminance of a memory just before it disappears from one’s mind.” Accordingly, many of the garments were transparent with diaphanous fabrication.  Some of the models even wore fitted veils over their heads. The show premiered away from Lincoln Center at the Highland Hotel in a room that looked like an old Church and probably was because the Highline Hotel was once the General Theological Seminary.   The Gothic molding and accents of the historic property perfectly fitted the “Fantasm” theme.

Red Carpet Ready: A lilac cape and Black and White cupcake dress from August Getty for Spring 2015. (photos via Getty Images)

August Getty:  This was the first runway show for designer August Getty at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.  Mr. Getty’s collection looked like it walked right off a Hollywood red carpet.  Glamour, power and prestige push the envelope of Getty’s designs that include drop dead, head turning dresses and gowns. Monochromatic gowns in Black and White create architectural lines were complemented by a palette of Lavender and Muted Rose, while fierce metallics flashed light throughout the collection. Fabrications include French custom made lace, leather and silks.

Designer Mathieu Mirano surrounded by models wearing his Spring 2015 collection (image courtesy of Mathieu Mirano.)

Mathieu Mirano: This young designer is best known for dressing over the top rock star Lady Gaga.  Mr. Mirano’s spring 2015 collection is the opposite of what you’d think of as Lady Gaga style. It’s a very tailored collection with classic details.  Nothing about it scream rock star. The collection intertwines architectural structure with organic detailing,  with the classical elements in a thoughtful, yet innovative way. For his Spring 2015 Collection, the 23 year old designer has placed a heightened focus on the silhouette; creating forms, for the sake of modernity, that accentuate the woman’s body beyond her shape. In playing with asymmetry and volume, Mr. Mirano has reintroduced classic details such as pleats and peplums in an entirely different, modern way. The artistry of the 31 piece Spring/Summer 15 collection  is designed to mirror  woman’s impeccable taste and individuality.

Images from the Noon by Noor Spring 2015 runway show. (Getty Images.)

Noon by Noor:  This distinctly feminine brand took on a sportier style for Spring 2015.  While there were still plenty of gorgeous pastel dresses (see the pink dress above), there were also bomber jackets, metallic dresses, lush prints and separates designed with a nod to men’s suiting  resulting in boxier silhouettes.   I’ve been going to Noon by Noor now for several seasons and its still one of my favorite shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.  The garments are always beautiful and the details are amazing.   Look for the brand on sale on their own website as well as on Saks Fifth Avenue and Harvey Nichols.  I’m always look for sales on Noon by Noor because these are really fine clothes that you can invest in and wear for years.

Scenes from Chinese designer Taoray Wang Spring 2015 runway shows (Getty Images)

Taoray Wang : This streamlined collection offered clean lines and white and black with occasional bursts of color.  The designer blended  Asian culture with European influences. Ms.Wang’s debut collection for Spring 2015 emphasizes the style and power of successful women in all walks of life.  The collection was inspired by the movie Black Swan and ballet of the same name. “I respect and appreciate how difficult it is for busy women to excel in today’s fast-paced environment. My clean, simple and elegant designs express the innate sense of sophistication one notices with powerful women such as my muse Natalie Portman,” says Taoray Wang.   The color palette featured soft pinks, bold tangerines, deep midnight blues.  There was also plenty of basic black and white in this collection. This was a beautiful show and it was a shame that for some reason, there were many empty seats.  Everyone seated moved forward two rows to get closer to the runway, leaving two empty rows in the back.   With some much extra space, you’d think IMG and the designer would either want to invite more press into the show, or a few more bloggers to expand their traditional and social media coverage.

Costello Tagliapietra Spring 2015 Ready-to-Wear. (images via Getty Images.)

Costello Tagliapietra:  This collection might well be called 50 Shades of Blue.   There were dark blues, icy blues, ombres  and even navy plaid.  There were also shades of gold with a gold jersey dress and an olive silk jumpsuit.  For Spring 2015 Robert Tagliapietra and Jeffrey Costello collaborated on a streamlined collection whose color palette was moody and romantic, inspired by Patricia Arquette’s character in David Lynch’s Lost Highway. These designers create some of the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen.  For Spring 2015, the duo showed a romantic collection with nostalgic overtones.  Here’s hoping this talented duo (known as the “Bears”)  do a another affordable dress collection with UNIQLO.

Ohne Titel: For Spring 2015 Alexa Adams and Flora Gill (the duo behind the Ohne Titel fashion label ) showed snug fitting dresses and tops inspired by the soft felt sculptures of Miami-based artist Bianca Pratorius.   “We wanted the overall feel to be surf meets urban elegance, so some of the pieces combine a neoprene surf element with something that’s more elegant for the evening,” said designer Alexa Adams.  The look was surfer-chic with fabric hugging as close to the body as a scuba suit.  The designers showed leggings, fit and flare skirts, body conscious dresses and their own uniquely modern knits.   The runway show kicked off with a stunning black & white neoprene dress trimmed with green fringe. The show was sponsored by American Express and was part of Made Fashion Week.

David Ttlae:  My friend Lorna from The Fabulous Report very neatly summed up this collection, saying: “South African designer, David Ttale’s, spring 2015 collection juxtaposed African styles/print with American sensibilities, resulting in a bold set of clothes for the perfectly styled gal.”  Mr. Ttlae’s color palette was distinctive for it’s use of one of the Pantone colors for Spring 2015, the new take on blush called Strawberry Ice.  To see more of this shows, see more images on the Fashion Bomb Daily website.

In closing, thanks to all the designers and their public relations teams who invited me to these shows.  Space at each show is limited and it’s very expensive for designers to show at Lincoln Center.   Since 2013, it’s no longer easy for bloggers (online journalists) to get into a New York Fashion Week show, and I do appreciate the privilege of attendance.