Mena Lombard Fall 2015

Mena Lombard is yet another first time designer showing in New York for the first time. She's from Uruguay by way of Miami. Her design background is little more than some training in two Italian fashion schools and there have been no internships with any major fashion houses. What is to note, is this designer has already dressed Miss Argentina for the Miss Universe.

The strong suit of Miss Lombard is she knows how to finish garments well and her sense of color is correct. She's come up with some very nice floral print dresses with should work in her favor for the Miami crowd. The real test will be a return to New York and actually show during fashion week.

Saunder Fall 2014

From the designers run of show Saunder inspiration:

"For Fall/Winter 2014, Saunder was inspired by the 1980's BBC Miniseries, "The Signing Detective", the story of a pulp novelist hospitalized for a chronic skin condition. While in hospital, our protagonist drifts into feverish dream sequences where he believes he is a noir detective-soon enough, these dreamscapes overlap with reality, mixing our novelist's hallucinogenic fantasy with memories of growing up in wartime Britain".

The last time I checked we just moved into 2014 not the 1980's, correct? It has been my experience that inspirations like this don't translate well to consumers, at least American ones who might not have watched this program. Granted this is a very small collection, what seems to be missing is a direction and focus as to who designer Emily Saunders is designing for. There's a lot going on here but it feels like a pasta collection by way of trying to see what sticks. As for the clothing it just seems quite stiff with not a lot of movement, the fabric seems heavy. 

Oh and for the record i'm a huge fan of BBC'S "Top Gear" but I would not design a collection around it.

Whit Fall 2014

The Whit collection for 2014 was small, diverse and hit it's mark on a few different levels. First off the prints on dresses were varied but they all seemed to work. The printed pants came across unique and nothing I have seen in recent memory and even the white jacket with brown trim seemed classic and modern. It's my first Whitt collection and I think this is a design house to keep on the radar screen.

Photos: R.Spiegel

Jonathan Cohen Fall 2014

For Fall 2014 Jonathan Cohen stayed true to his designs and showed wonderful prints in a limited range of colors and incorporated solids for the first time I believe which evoked a 1970's feel in the construction of the garments. He also has a collaboration going with Saga Furs which can only get this young designers name out there even more. Once again it's not a big collection but with a sea-saw global economy he's making his moves in the fashion world smartly!

For the record he comes out of the house of Oscar De la Renta which in my opinion reflects in his construction of garments. Seams line up correctly, stitching is accurate and overall finishing of his pieces are precise!

Photos: R.Spiegel

Ann Yee Fall 2014

Amid terrible weather condition designer Ann Yee presented her fall 2014 collection to a snow beaten group of fashion editors and photographers. Yee is a new designer on my radar screen but demonstrates focus and direction in her designs. Her dominant color is grey scale which in photographic terms represents white to black and everything in-between.

The standout pieces and there are quite a few are her knit creations and her black and white print jacket. In regards to the kint pieces she seems to have chosen a good gauge regarding the weight of the knits, they are not thin but not overly chunky and have a relaxed comfy yet stylish feel to them.

Working in this grey scale color palette allows many possibilities but moreso continues the fall color trend we have been seeing in seasons past. When in doubt always wear black but now you can add grey to the mix. This was a short sweet and to the point collection, just what this editor loves!

Veronica Beard Resort 2014

Well the sister-in laws are back again with another rocking collection for resort 2014. Once again keeping things small and tight the collection spans around 20 looks but the focus of the collection is spot on and interpreted much better then other designers what have followed the 70's inspired path. In full view was there inspiration board with loads of 1970's references like YSL, Bianca Jagger, DVF etc.

Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard might be drinking from a wonderful inspiration well but the silhouette is quite specific, it's that tall lean look and with the blank canvas aspect. The collection makes for an accessories bonanza which when paired together works seamlessly! The men's suiting style details are once again utilized and pull together clean strong lines for this small collection. Of note there are some mixed fabric combinations which surprisingly work quite well and don't look like they are fighting for attention, a task not easy to achieve.

The most impressive aspect to this two woman design duo is that in only three short years they are selling in over 70 boutiques; and are moving into the European marketplace. They have a firm grasp on who their customer is, and are delivering on all fronts. If resort 2014 is this amazing, I can't wait for Spring 2015 and my crystal ball tell me this resort inspiration might just drip into Spring.

For more information on Veronica Beard please visit www.veronicabeard.com

Domenico Vacca S/S 2013 Edited Looks

ALL IMAGES: DOMENICO VACCA

Trance Essence Parfum "Abbey Rose"

The Trance Essence perfume corporation formed in 2008 has developed a cult following with celeb's like Pamela Anderson, Cher and Kate Hudson just to name a few who are devotees to this new fragrance company. What separates this line from others is that it's not mass produced. According to Janna Sheehan founder and creator states" Parfumes enhance self-esteem and a personal sense of well-being, something we all can use now!"

Her newest launch of Abbey Rose is infused with Bulgarian rose, Organic French lavender, Italian bergarmot and fig. reatil price for this is listed around $100.00 for a 2 fl oz bottle. The entire line of Trance Essence can be found at their site www.tranceessence.com

Ports 1961 Fall 2009

First off we'd like to thank whomever yet again for giving us a seventh row seat (the last row) for this show. We got the same row and same seat last season, and when your in the last row you can't see anything at all, so we walked out of the show. But thanks to the wonder of images we can give comment on the Ports 1961 fall collection. According to our other editorial colleges this was a collection inspired by India and the color that celebrate the country and looks which where over 45 pieces, a little to much for our taste. But back at the showroom we would bet that there is well over one hundred.

The collection has it's strong points which are the solids and the slacks, this was the main focus years ago used to get fashion editor gaga over this line, their first show which was a presentation only showed fifteen pieces and made us wanting more, but that was years ago and this is 2009.

Designer Tia Cibani has the ability to produce wonderful clothing which we have seen time and time again over the years but at times we feel that she has faced intense pressure from the owners of Ports 1961. The Spring collection last season in total was 350 pieces, know any designers who crank out those numbers? In short we feel Tia Cibani tries to hard to drive her design direction and she does not need to. We feel the strongest pieces are in her solid fabrics and colorways, the prints might be your thing but in the final analysis a designer has to know their customer.

Photos: Dan Lecca for Mercedes~Benz