NYFW: Victoria Hayes Spring 2020 Fly Girls

Photos by Mariana Leung

Hey Fly Girl! Victoria Hayes Spring 2020 show at NY Fashion Week was a high energy tribute to the 1990s.

It didn't have literal 90s fashion references, unlike some designers who often put out greatest hits of a particular decade.

The collection was more about the attitude. Think In Living Color's Fly Girls and Jennifer Lopez at her start morphing into the Glamazon diva she would become in the decade after. Big shoulders, swinging toppers, a peek of toned abs were a theme. There were lots of shiny materials, whether it was the faux patent leather, metallics or iridescent. I remember lots of these fabrics being the favorite of design students when I went to Parsons in the 90s.

The difference being the fabrics used here were noticeably upgraded from the club kid looks in my day. Note the prominent jeweled embellishments giving them a luxe edge and paired with multi-layered statement necklaces.

The gigantic spiked hoop earrings in pop colors look like were broken off from the captain's wheel of a ravers' ship. It's like they were intended as a parody of the big hoop earrings of the 1990s.

Usually, the 9 PM slot on the first day of NYFW is a kiss of death. Photographers and editors are fatigued (Ok, I was fatigued). However, seeing the energy of the models and enjoying how fun this collection was, it woke me up and got me cheering at one point because the models were just that fierce. 

I love the signature detail of the giant curved tab feature both on skirts and the huge tote handbag. The stripe effect made by the long hanging tabs and the curved shape was a clever way to show off some leg AND update the fringe look.

Congratulations to Victoria Hayes on an awesome collection for Spring 2020!

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#NYFW Studio 189 from Rosario Dawson

Today we are taking a trip to Africa. Studio 189 Fall 2019 was one of my favorite presentations on several fronts. First, I was reunited with two immensely talented ex co-workers who now work on this brand. Jennifer Chun is amazing designer who know doubt was responsible for the best looks you see here. Ngaa Bedell, now relocated to Ghana, worked her magic from across the world and back in NYC to make sure it looked good.

Founder actress Rosario Dawson established Studio 189 as a sustainable fashion label celebrating the craftsmanship of African communities and the art of indigo dying. The silhouettes were incredibly chic and modern,  showcasing the updated expressions of local patterns beautifully.

The model casting was equally beautiful and diverse. The presentation incorporated dance and lots of team members excited to talk about their work.

Congratulations to everyone who worked on the Studio 189 fall 2019 collection. What a triumph!

All photos by Mariana Leung

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House of Versace - Some Thoughts

Whenever any high profile fashion-themed television program airs, non-fashion people inevitably bombard me for my opinion on it.  Mostly, they want confirmation that what they see is "really how it is".    I watched Lifetime TV's House of Versace last night with pretty low expectations in the accuracy or artistic merit department, but fully expected to see some great fashion.

I love Gina Gershon as an actress.  She plays ballsy roles that mix sexy, wacky and scary oh so well.  She played an over-the-top Italian beauty maven on the television show Ugly Betty a few years which no doubt served as her audition.  As Donatella Versace, she looked great and created a flawed, but sympathetic character.  She was over the top as you would like her to be with the men, sassy quotes, drugs and drama.  However, I'm sure I'm not alone in being disappointed that there wasn't a bit more humor in this portrayal.  I think Maya Rudolph set the bar too high on Saturday Night Live.  

I was preparing to indulge in a trip to my favorite 1990's fashion moments.  The peppy club hits at the beginning of the movie had me optimistic.  I was actually at the first Versace show to debut in Bryant Park many years ago.  It was one of my favorite shows of all time.  However, the biggest disappointment of this film was the cheap recreations of the Versace fashion.  It was far too obvious that the pieces were not the real thing.  The models in the film just didn't have the walk or the attitude or the posture of the models back then.  The fabrics looked cheap and clothes fit poorly.  I know that the costume designer Claire Nadon attempted to source some pieces from Ebay and followed pictures in a book, but 90% of the wardrobe were just knockoffs.  Really?  Half the women in Los Angeles and every costume studio should have racks of it.  

For all of Donatella's declarations about heels and confidence, the runway shows certainly didn't reflect it.  The poorly produced fashion segments looked so bad that the viewer who doesn't remember the real thing will end up wondering why the Versace name ever became an icon.

Drugs and champagne in fashion! Yes, it exists, but only occasionally to a certain segment of the population.  Yes we know the woman went to rehab.  The movie started with her hustling for editorial and celebrity coverage.  All the extraneous work that needs to be done just to get the fashion designs to be seen, but the movie dissolves into scene after scene of her drug use that overshadows her work and particular talents that made her a great partner to her brother.  Gianni was murdered, cue slo-mo Donatella drop to the ground.  How about the shock and sadness of all of his peers and what he meant to the fashion world?

I know a Lifetime Movie is about sensational drama and not a documentary.  I just wish for once that the real star (the clothes) would be the ones to shine.

Did you watch the movie?  What did you think?

Photo: Joseph Viles/Courtesy of Lifetime

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Anna Sui Spring 2013

There is something to be said for consistency. Anna Sui's spring 2013 fashion show at Mercedes Benz fashion week felt like I time traveled back to any season of the designer's in the 1990's.  Baby doll dresses, ditsy florals, capri tights.  It was the same flea market style that I remember working on 15 years ago.

Back in the day, Ms. Sui would send over 2-3 pieces she purchased a few blogs away at the famous flea market at 6th avenue and 25th street.  Then the entire collection was designed in various iterations "inspired" by the piece.  I have known several schoolmates and colleagues who have worked for the designer who would not care to repeat the experience.  My dealings with her as a vendor at an embroidery studio as well as an interviewer for this blog were, um, equally "pleasant".

All right, back to spring 2013.  The clothes were cute, if very familiar.  The paper crown princess look was also 'cute', appealing to the Japanese Lolita crowd for sure.  The Easter-egg colored hair pieces they threw on top of the models' heads was probably the 5th time I have had to see that styling gimmick this year (3rd for this particular fashion week).   Is this designer still relevant to the paying fashion customers stateside? That remains to be seen.

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Daryl K Fall 2011

Downtown Daryl K.  The label was the synonymous with hipster cool in the 1990’s.  Easy, slouchy, Bohemian yet urban, the designer herself embodied the ideal customer. 

Flash forward to 2011, the designer has grown up, become a mother.  The trendsetting items she made cool are now considered basics for a NYC uniform.  Leather leggings and military-inspired utility wear were brought back into spotlight.

Daryl Kerrigan took the season of fall quite literally as inspiration.  The studio runway was strewn with dried leaves and branches.  The backdrop was a collage of leaf prints.  The back wall had a projection of autumn woods.  The digitized leaf print was also used in jackets and dresses within the collection.  The silhouettes were made for the real woman, and that was exactly who modeled the clothes.  Shoes were cute, but sensible for the Manhattan streets (rather than the 6” platforms of all the other runways).  

The designer stated that comfort was the most important thing she learned over the years of career.  Amen to that.

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