Jeffrey Dodd S/S2016

Relative new comer Jeffrey Dodd showed his second spring collection in his showroom downtown with the main subject of his visitors being women. I being the only man in the room besides Jeffrey seemed to go under the radar, that's ok I like to observe.

According to his site and his "about" section he started his career doing visual merchandising for Ralph Lauren in Chicago, moved to New York to attend Pratt Institute's fashion program and then over to Rachel Zoe to help develop her line. In 2014 Jeffrey Dodd is launched.

It seems the bulk of the collection is a split between black and a few other various colors. His assistants in the showroom seemed to be pulling many black pieces to drape his model. I found a beautiful long pony coat and requested it be utilized in my opinion is was a editorial piece.

But like I said, I like to observe and what I saw was Jeffrey Dodd the designer grabbing looks off his own rack and bringing them back to his model, not saying a word, almost if you did not know he was the designer, just another worker!

For the record Jeffrey Dodd shows major talent and the best pieces are not the black numbers they kept showing, but there are other young designers who can do it just as good and engage their audience.

Bill Blass years ago was, if not; the first designer who came from"the back room to the front room" and it made him the designer women adored. Jeffrey's in the right place and his customer does exist but to be selling pieces in range from $700 to $6,000 seems a test which should soon enough yield results. The strongest pieces I loved are his simple basics, pants, tops etc.. These are pieces women rely on for dressing everyday. Keep this one on the radar screen.

Photos: R.Spiegel & Jeffrey Dodd

This is Mimi Plange S/S2016

Bill Cunningham once made reference to horse racing and fashion; driving home the point of editors/photographers who "follow" designers. I have been following designer Mimi Plange for over ten years and by far this is her shining moment in fashion. A unique talent with a vast range of technique which she blended into one collection. Her love of florals, piping, hard, soft lines and her treatment of colors all were shown. She has utilized these looks in the past but it seems for this season the bringing together of Mimi's various design strengths worked flawlessly. Some of her best pieces was her pink overcoat and her ombre style soft sherbet skirt.

A Moi Fall 2015

A Moi a relative newcomer to the runways showed a straightforward collection which pulled no punches, something we like a lot! The collection utilized a limited color palette and was more about construction then flash. It takes time to find your customer as well show editors where your design focus is and this was a gate to wire win for this new line. The embellishments may come down the road but for what was shown it's on our radar screen.

Photos: Agentry PR

Ruben & Chapelle Fall 2015

For fall 2015 Ruben & Chapelle used Scottish menswear at a launch point for their collection, by utilizing digital manipulation they created beautiful prints from classic tartan and argyle. It's a small offering but comes off strong and concise and furthermore reinforces this design houses mantra of "doing their own thing". The colors are a bit darker from their spring season but the vibe is the same. The only miss where the shoes, the models might have been better off in sandals.  As for the strongest piece, the opening long coat; which we're seeing many from other designers and it's working very well!

Mara Hoffman Fall 2015~ A New Direction

For the record i've been to quite a few Mara Hoffman shows, my faves are the swimwear Miami collections she does and wins every time! But this season it's a much different story and a dramatic shift to what she has shown in the past. Mara Hoffman was/is known for her modern day boho hippie chic looks. Colors and prints gone wild which worked, and make women stand out, in effect it was her signature. One knew immediately "that's a Mara Hoffman piece".

This season shifts direction and truthfully we should have seen this coming; but from grooving from past collections to this, it comes as a bit of a shock. You can't keep throwing down the same style  season after season, it get's old and in effect one might lose customers out of complete boredom, but going in a new design direction is like uncharted waters.

For Fall 2015 the inspiration was Europe's wild men and Star Wars. From what was shown its extremely toned down. The collection pulls black white and earth tones for her color pallet. It's obvious she's going in a new direction but the question will be, will it take? Movie inspirations for collections can go either way so she's taking a risk. There were a few geometric prints but very subdued from previous seasons and lacked the psychedelic stamp she's known for.

Photos: Laforce & Stevens PR

Marissa Webb Fall 2015

From the show notes the collection is a mix between hard and soft and Bianca Jagger. In regards to the hard and soft it's there; but with such a separation between hard and soft; are the pieces competing for attention? Textures are one thing and colors are quite another which Webb used to her advantage utilizing black, red, grey and white. This shined through with her jackets and coats which are the strongest pieces, the black&white long coat is a must have!

Photos: R.Spiegel

Duckie Brown Fall 2015

It's been a few seasons since i've attended a Duckie Brown show, either by show conflict, bad weather or some unforeseen circumstance this has been my track record with this design house. For Fall 2015 it seems that Steven Cox and Daniel Silver has dipped back into the archives of past seasons to create this new collection which is not a bad thing to utilize.

The show was sent out like race horses out of the gate with boys moving quickly; so shooting this was a challenge I did not win. As for the clothing that were shown, traditional structural lines could be seen from previous seasons which is what cemented Duckie Brown years ago. The colors range seem to be dominated by deep navy, dark grey and  black. There were some pink pops in the beginning. Microfiber tech style fabrics dotted the collection; but it seemed that their more straightforward pieces ruled the day, with sharply cut pants and a drop dead grey overcoat. Overall it's one of their best collections to date, i'm glad I attended.

Jill Haber Fall 2015

The times they are changing in the aspect of accessories designers jumping  on the band wagon and showing fashion editors what they have to offer for the season. Such is the case for handbag designer Jill Haber who showed a standout collection for fall 2015.

It seems Ms. Haber has most of the bases covered and has quite the range of bags for sophisticated ladies who like to venture into the night! What drew me where her evening clutches and 3 dimensional shapes. She's done them via the mixing of materials and has joined together the likes of mother of pearl with wood; done in a high polish finish. You don't have to be a clothes horse to buy these; but the end result makes for a dramatic look to a potential so-so evening dress or the final touch to rule the night.

www.jillhaber.com

Cynthia Rowley S/S2015 Color Commander

Cynthia Rowley is a master in the ways of using color in her creations and for this season its a sixties inspiration which she does which ease and edge! What is most appealing is her juxtaposition in her color choices, some colors are paired to push another color forward or to group like colors together creating a smooth flow to a dress. Of note are the sunglasses which have a sixties feel and that color block.

As for the activewear it takes a different direction but hits home and certainly shows where she is positioning this aspect of her line. Rowley an avid surfer herself, makes some of the best fashion performance suits in the business and keeps it original and fashion forward at the same time.

All Photos: Cynthia Rowley

Pamella Roland S/S2015

Pamella Roland has been around forever and she knows who her woman is and what she's looking for, a refreshing vision within the Kentucky derby of fashion weeks! Her inspiration this season was from Japan; which might indicate the very clean simple lines her daywear shows. There's nothing complicated going on here which makes one's eye focus on the clothing itself. But the real stunner has always been her evening wear, where this designer shines like a diamond. The red carpet dresses are there and have a presence which commands attention! Yet again Pamella Roland delivers!

Alexandra Lin S/S2015~One's to Watch

Alexandra Lin best presentation hands down! A full breakfast buffet and a bar, I felt like I was backstage at some fashion show circa 1998! This is Lin's first time showing in New York for fashion week and only showed a small 10 piece collection. Based in Florida; Alexandra brings those beautiful Floridian colors to life and a southern feel to her clothing, a modern southern belle.

There's promise with this new designer and some pieces drift away from the deep south and venture across the pond, but with a small home based outfit running the business, there's a learning curve in place. Let's hope we see a fall showing. For the full collection her site http://www.alexandralindesign.com

Photos: Richard Spiegel