New York Fashion Week continues, with designer Michael Kors going for “the flirty freedom of things that move” and Marchesa drawing inspiration from late American portrait painter John Singer Sargent.
Feathers festoon Michael Kors collection
There were flirty feathers on at least 10 of the looks Kors sent down the runway—feathers adorning jeans, feathers on tweed, feathers on denim, and even feathers on black silk for the ultimate evening effect. There were also plenty of sequins, adding a very bright sheen to some of the designs.
Kors always has a healthy celebrity contingent at his fashion shows, and Wednesday’s event was no exception, with singer Blake Lively and actress Jennifer Hudson among front-row guests. And for the designer, this collection is something of a milestone.
“I’m not one for anniversaries, and I’m really not a big kind of looking-over-my-shoulder kind of guy. But when I started designing this I realized, ‘Oh my God, this is my 35th Fall collection.’ That’s crazy! I wanted this to be full of fun and charm. So it’s very flirty, short, leggy, not a gown in sight. All the rules are broken because stylish people break the rules,” Kors said.
Meanwhile, Marchesa designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig chose the art of famed American portrait painter John Singer Sargent, who died in 1925, to guide their always sumptuous, red-carpet-ready designs.
Marchesa designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig chose the art of famed American portrait painter John Singer Sargent.
“Well, the idea this season was looking at the painter John Singer Sargent, so each girl is going to feel like her own portrait. So we got little pops of color, we got different characters weaving through the collection, but they all tie together, they are all glamorous, ethereal, a Marchesa woman,” Chapman said.
The designers were aiming at capturing “the ultra-feminine strength” of the women that Sargent painted. There were sleek, fitted silhouettes as well as princess-style gowns. There was lots of lace and intricate beading, and brocades and silk flowers.
On the more fairy-tale side of things, there were a few dresses in pastel tulle, such as a Grecian gown with billowing sleeves and another in lilac and violet.
