Parsons Fashion Design - Menswear 2013

Ah the gentlemen from the Parsons School of Design were  stylish lot.  Payton Frantzen mixed color and shiny leathers into the collection of jumpsuits.  The overall aesthetic reminded me of a luxe gas pump jacket of the future.

Yunxiang Sharon Zhou relied on asymmetrical proportions using traditional menswear fabrics.  The fit was relaxed and helped by surprises in headwear.  The dip dyed sleeves on the shirt was a nice touch.  I'm not sure the silhouettes are ready for the American market, but the collection looked comfortable.

 Patrick McCabe of Memphis had a modern take on formal wear.  The high contrast suits were young, fresh and I can totally see these on the red carpet.

Sang Hup Park took cozy, woolly menswear fabrics and designed a collection that turned classic menswear proportions around.  A dropped waist belted coat with over-sized pocket or a blazer with giant wrap collar looked avant-garde but completely wearable for the sophisticated man.  I totally see Barney's picking this label up. 

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Parsons Fashion Design - Class of 2013 Part Two

When I was at Parsons, the joke was that our school colors were black and grey.  It DID seem to be the uniform of the fashion industry back in the late 90's.  However, some of the graduating fashion  class of Parsons School of Design proved that color is the way to go.

The first group on the runway was an adorable children's collection.  The designer mixed up the rpints and accessorized with huge flowers for a cheerful presentation.

The group here mixed dimensional appliques with different textures of patent leather and quilting.  It had the look of arts and crafts meets rebel punk.

These were some of my favorites.  Fitted, sporty looks mixed with pop culture icons worked into religious icons as motifs.  It would seem gimmicky if the silhouettes weren't so flattering.

Bravo class of 2013!

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Parsons Fashion Show - Part One

My alma mater, Parsons School of Design held its fashion show for the class of 2013 last night.  The evening honored Patrick Robinson and attracted other Parsons alumni like Proenza Schouler. The first batch of designers here were all about a technique.  They took high tech and classic treatments and created a mini collection around it.

Sharon Yumen Wang above was about making sculpture out of pleats.  He used wide, sharp pleats and wound them around the body in different ways to in a grey, black and white palette.

Francine Frolich incorporated digital printing and laser cutting.  She took architectural forms and used them as motif and almost like armor when worn on the body.  I'm not sure how comfortable they were to wear, but I can say I haven't seen this on a runway before.

 Connie de la Cruz from the Domincan Republic also used digital printing.  He then took the printed fabric and manipulated it with bold solid colors for an easy sportswear look.

This collection by Jasmine Plantin was all about thick, woolly embroidery contrasted with sheer, light fabric.  The dark, natural colors and the swirled patterns looked a lot like an elevation map to me.  While the silhouettes were very simple, the looks were very effective.  It's hard to make embroidery look masculine, but this group made it work.

Stay tuned for more graduate work!  Good luck to all of the designers!

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