Ladies Who Lunch: Alexander Berardi Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

At 24, he was the youngest designer to show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week this season.  His youth, however, did not hamper him in presenting a nice solid collection that also shows the promise of what is to come.

Inspired by Jean Seberg in the Goddard film "Breathless", Berardi took the nouvelle vague look and translated it to Hamptons chic, naming his presentation "Breathless is a Tribe Called Hamptons". Having grown up on the Upper East Side, the Hamptons is a subject this Parsons grad knows all too well.  There was a definite nautical influence in his daywear, derived from plays on the marinière shirts worn by Segerg in "Breathless" in the form of shirts, dresses, and chiffon capelets.  Trenches, both long and short were big, including a stunner with the bottom half of the trench all in pleats.  Light and breezy chiffon dresses, shorts, cargo pants and even harem pants helped round out the collection which I expect to see pop up all over the Hamptons next Summer with a color palette focused on navy, white, khaki, black and gold.

For evening, Mr. Berardi presented separates and gowns that while still being "Hamptons" relaxed and wearable, were also chicly elegant with a touch of 1930's glamour to them.  From gold sequined shorts and skirts and sexy gold sequined gown to sleekly draped black gowns, Berardi shows that he can bring it on.

Having grown up in the world he is catering to, Mr. Berardi  knows exactly what they want and is giving it to them in his own style.

Photos by Mdivani Monroe & Courtesy of Getty Images

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Ladies Who Lunch: Monique Lhuillier Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

For her Spring/Summer Collection shown at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Monique Lhuillier took inspiration from the Garden of Eden in all of its many facets.  The runway overflowed with floral dresses and gowns, from hand painted florals on organza and floral prints on chiffon to 3 dimensional floral motifs constructed of strips of organza.  Meticulously draped ball gowns in large floral prints waltzed amongst embellished gowns such as a nude raffia sequined corset atop a poppy red full skirt of floral-like organza strips with a light scattering of sequins.

Continuing the Garden of Eden theme beyond florals, Ms. Lhuillier presented a few reptile print chiffon frocks that breezed through the florals.  She also presented angelic whites counterbalanced with devilish  reds of poppy and candy-apple. Golds and bronzes also made their appearance in timeless sequined columns and metallic drapes.  Proving she is not afraid of color,  Ms. Lhuillier also presented gowns in vibrant blues and emeralds.

Day looks included high waisted pants and pencil skirts with ultra-feminine tops, including one with a spray of organza fans for embellishment. Only showing a few "day" looks, Ms. Lhuillier's strength is evident in her masterful creation of dresses and gowns that continue to fire the dreams and imaginations of girls everywhere.

photos courtesy of Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com


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Ladies Who Lunch: Rebecca Moses Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

After a 20 year absence from showing in New York, Rebecca Moses returns with a bang.  "I love to tell a story...fashion is such a colorful tale", states Ms. Moses and telling a story is exactly what she did.  Models posed in front of whimsically illustrated sets that told the story of a fantastical trip through Paris and its environs.   This mode of presentation highlighted quite nicely the chicness of the line and gave it a playful quality that reminded us that fashion should be fun.  Ms. Moses' philosophy is that we should be "celebrating dressing".

Emphasizing femininity, the line mixes animal prints with dots, florals and stripes in colors ranging from warm opalescent  ivories and terra cotta desert tones to peonies, jades, citron, warm mauves, blushes and a touch of black.  The collection is a wonderful grouping of mix and match separates and a nice selection of dresses.  Wn element of sexiness is also apparent in the line as noted in a sleek black gown with a gorgeous deep exposed back.  Silhouettes are as varied as the hemlines, giving a lot of choice to the individual in creating their own style.  Ms. Moses' collection is most certainly about lifestyle dressing, with looks that can take you easily from morning through evening.

Above all, the heart of this collection is about being super chic and it delivers on its mission to make fashion a vehicle for self expression.

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Ladies Who Lunch: Marchesa Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

Ideally, all fashion should in essence be artistically inspired.  In some instances, the art overwhelms the function of the garment and makes it in reality something that couldn't be worn or if worn, one would look ridiculous.  Marchesa manages to stay balanced on that fine line and consistently produce collections that are both artistic and wearable.  Their Spring/Summer 2011 Collection is no exception. Granted, some of them are perhaps only suited for the red carpet and one would have a hard time getting through a subway turnstile wearing a few of them, but they are still wearable works of art.

This particular collection balances dreamy fluid pieces with very architectural pieces and as a collection, they all flow together very nicely.  Dreamy fluid laces and chiffons give way to satins and taffetas with ease.  The embellishments are perfectly suited to each piece adding to its dramatic effect, integrated into the design as a logical extension of it, not thrown on as an afterthought.  The colors of the collection are whites, creams, blacks, violets and navies with some of the gowns and dresses decorated with hand painting that is beautiful in its almost impressionistic brush strokes.

Hairstyles were created for the collection by Frederic Fekkai and they complimented the collection perfectly.

I had been looking forward to Marchesa's Collection all week and I was not disappointed. Happily I remain a fan and admirer.



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Ladies Who Lunch: Pamela Roland Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

Pamela Roland's Spring/Summer 2011 Collection was fittingly shown at the Whitney Museum.  I say fittingly, because the collection was near perfection, especially as you could see it up close and appreciate all of the fine details.  I had to remind myself that I wasn't at a costume exhibit at the Met.

Inspired by a recent trip to Greece, Ms. Roland's collection captured the colors and mood of the Greek Isles: the whites of the houses, the blues of the sky and sea, the golds of the architecture and artwork, the neutrals or the land.

The silhouettes are beautifully varied and the attention to detail, whether in the beadwork or the intricate drape, is meticulous.

It is easy to see why Ms. Roland's work is a favorite for the red carpet. This collection harkened back to the works of master couturiers such as Jacques Fath.  Elegant, sophisticated and just plain beautiful, this fashionista was left wanting more!

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Ladies Who Lunch: Vassilios Kostetsos Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

Drawing on his Greek ancestry and mythology, Vassilios Kostetsos collection was full of imagery and fantasy. A very sexy, body conscious collection, even the loose fitting and flowing garments emphasized the body underneath.

The colors of the collection also conjured up Greece with a mix of white and golden sands, deep mango, and a splash of Mediterranean blue and a bit of black.

Mr. Kostetsos heavily used a detail that appeared at times to reference the wings of Icarus and at others fish scales from the Aegean Sea. This detail was utilized in both the women's and men's garments as well as in accessories and shoes.

With this collection, Mr. Kostetsos may have been flying towards the sun, but he managed to not get burned and instead shone brightly.

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Ladies who Lunch: Yoana Baraschi Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

Yoana Baraschi has had a long and solid career in the fashion business and it is apparent in the collection that she presented at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

Ultra feminine and flirty, this collection shows spring at it’s best with soft flowy fabrics and relaxed but sexy easy silhouettes.  A touch of retro influence makes the collection very playful, which was evident in the way the models wore it.

The collection colors relied heavily on white and neutrals, but also showed enough color to make the collection vibrate with energy: aqua, pink and coral pastels with floral prints and pops of brighter variations of thos colors.

Ms. Baraschi proved with this collection that experience is worth its weight in gold and I am confident that we will be seeing more of this talent in the coming seasons.

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