Dream of Creation. Christopher John Rogers SS24

May 4, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Christopher John Rogers has emerged from the pandemic at the top of New York’s young generation of designers. In his rainbow stripes and grids of colorful polka dots, he’s found strong, identifiable signatures, which is an important element of brand building that not all emerging talents understand or are capable of. The uptown, put-together polish of his clothes is another distinguishing factor. Many of his peers practice a scrappier, dirtier, more underground kind of fashion. His garments feel at ease on the red carpet. “I love being with a model and draping, or doing research, or really thinking about fit, about fabric, about texture, but I feel like only 10 to 15% of what I do is making clothes,” Rogers explained. “In some ways this collection was informed by wanting to go back to that essential feeling.” The sleeveless top and ball skirt of the first look suggested a new direction – as @londongirlinyc put it, very Carrie Bradshaw style, pre-And-Just-Like-That. To start, they were all-white, and then there was the off-kilter, undone aspect of their construction, but they were red herrings. Rogers quickly found his way back to the bright color and unbridled exuberance that are his hallmarks. The graphic stripes he’s known for were joined by similarly bold florals in the vein of Warhol’s daisies; a pair of evening dresses in black-and-white polka dots of varying sizes and overlays, both of which are definitely red carpet-bound; and going-out tops constructed like oversize birthday present bows. Rogers does a good business with knits. This season, he played with chunky yarns and thick, cozy layers, or fine gauges, though in both cases, he styled them to expose a flash of décoletté or midriff. On the opposite end of the texture spectrum were an elegant fitted button-down and matching long skirt and a pantsuit in a shiny material he likened to Glad garbage bags. “It’s this really amazing fabric that’s actually coated taffeta,” he said. To finish, there was a group of black looks, including a panniered ball skirt and a draped top with the romance of the opening outfit. Success begets success, and as Rogers’s business grows he’ll face ever more pressures and responsibilities that keep him from the design studio. The industry can be uniquely hard on promising newcomers, putting them in a box at the same time we demand they grow and evolve. But if that draped top and ball skirt can tell us anything, it’s that Rogers is as committed to the dream of creation as ever.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Fucking Fabulous. Tom Ford AW23

May 2, 2023May 2, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

We won’t get another Tom Ford by Tom Ford collection; he sold the company to Estée Lauder in a deal valued at $2.8 billion late last year. His newly-named successor, Peter Hawkings – who worked with Ford for over 25 years – will probably keep the brand in its familiar, glamorously elegant aesthetic, heavily scented with the intoxicating Fucking Fabulous fragrance. Tom opted out of a ceremonious, showy goodbye, choosing for his sign-off an Archive collection of his greatest hits instead. Clicking through them triggers many red carpet memories. There is Gwyneth Paltrow’s sensational white column gown and attached cape from the 2012 Oscars, and there is Zendaya’s hot pink molded breastplate and fluid skirt circa first-season Euphoria. The stretch sequin and mesh dress Rihanna wore on a 2016 issue of Vogue is also included. For his spring 2022 return to the runway post-pandemic, Ford considered the impact of social media on fashion. “Photogenic clothes today by their very nature mean that they are not at all timid,” he riffed at the time. That was never not true chez Tom Ford. As the worlds of fashion and Hollywood grow ever more intertwined, it seems too bad that the American designer who navigated both worlds with such control and assurance is stepping away. But if an era is ending, at least there’s the prospect of watching Ford’s cinematic vision unfold on the big screen sometime in the future.

Ethereal. Danielle Frankel AW23

April 16, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

The world of Danielle Frankel‘s bridal-wear redefines that whole fashion category, making it feel truly a dream. A wedding dress coming from Frankel’s atelier is a chef’s kiss. Just take a look at her latest offering. The opening look of the New York-based designer’s autumn-winter 2023 collection is a sleeveless dress featuring a silk wool twill bodice with an architectural mock neck, and corset-like details that wrap around the waist to meet a hand-cut lace-decorated linen organza skirt with an exaggerated tulip shape that falls to the ankle. It is light as air, and accessorized with an oversized straw hat decorated with hundreds of tiny flowers. The look is simultaneously evocative of another time while being grounded in the now. “I like to look back a lot more than what’s going on currently,” the designer said. “I was looking at a lot of the New Look; Dior, Balenciaga, and that era where you had these really dramatic silhouettes – but we’re making a contemporary version of that.” She nailed it – it’s rare to see such brilliant takes on the fashion history classics today. Frankel’s designs radiate with refinement, but also with an eternally youthful spirit: many of the looks consisted of mini-dresses worn over ankle-grazing skirts (perhaps to ensure these pieces get to be worn long after their walk down the aisle). A shiny silk wool spaghetti-strap mini dress with Chantilly lace appliqué at the hem and a matching maxi skirt worn with a silk cashmere mock neck sweater, its sleeves scrunched up to make way for dramatic opera-length gloves, recalled that favorite ’90s combo of a baby tee worn underneath a vintage satin slip dress, only more elegant. There was also a bit of the ’90s in a spaghetti strap column dress covered in Chantilly lace and ivory organza strips whose hand-frayed edges gave the impression of a very delicate fur. These looks are bridal because they are white, and delicate, and formal; but they could just as well be part of an everyday-wardrobe if they were made in other colors or fabrics. A boxy matte silk wool men’s tuxedo was another modern addition. Elsewhere, pieces made from genuine baroque pearls embroidered unto transparent sequins were simultaneously opulent and minimalist. So, who’s planning a wedding this year?!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Mirror Palais Girl

April 6, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mirror Palais is a sultry-slash-sustainable pre-order brand founded in 2019 by Marcelo Gaia. After working for almost a decade as a stylist, Gaia decided to create his own label – with the mission to celebrate the confident women who inspire him. His sumptuous collections feel like a nod to vintage silhouettes – think John Galliano’s 1990s bias-cut silk dreses – updated to fit the needs of the modern woman. The brand made an astounding impression on the industry with its New York Fashion Week show back in September, playing with several themes such as concealment and revelation. Born to immigrant parents from Brazil, Gaia’s years of youth consisted of humble beginnings, and a strict household. Among many brands, Mirror Palais is especially praised for its true celebration of Spanish culture as opposed to the appropriation of it. Gaia designs pieces with inspiration such as the Latino tradition of wearing white for good luck, the Huipil for its ruffles and silhouette, and the use of lace typically seen in a Mantilla. Overall, Mirror Palais is an amazing celebration of the female form and Spanish culture, designing timeless and unique pieces. Every Mirror Palais garment is designed and made in New York with the intention of bringing fair wages and craftsmanship to the forefront of the fashion conversation. So, when you buy Mirror Palais, you’re supporting a modicum of the garment district ecosystem. Here’s the brand’s latest diaphanous bridal collection…

Collage by Edward Kanarecki. Images via Mirror Palais’ website.
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Little Bit of Chaos. Commission AW23

April 1, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

This is Commission’s 10th collection (damn, time flies so fast!). It’s quite a milestone, and it had the New York-based designer Dylan Cao and Jin Kay in a contemplative mood. “This is really a nod to the 10 and 15 years Jin and I have been here, and how much the city has become ingrained in our creative language,” Cao explained. “Tourists, bankers, skaters, moms, dads, have always been in our design language, but before it was more about our parents and how people dressed in Asia in the past.” He added, “Now, we want to speak more of our version of that, which is like what we see now.” To that end, for autumn-winter 2023 they continue to explore sliced knitwear and elaborate on the cutaway shape of jackets and button-down shirts from last season, bringing the same idea to skirts, with an extra-wide slit cut in the front, exposing a silk jacquard “slip” underneath. That’s the distinct Commission look. The designers also cited their studio’s proximity to Times Square – and its cast of characters – as well as what their friends are wearing as inspiration. “It’s comfort and a little bit of chaos,” Cao said, which might also be a great way to sum up the Commision aesthetic. “Our friends would wear a pencil skirt with a puffer jacket to go somewhere, something very practical, but it’s meshing up all their wardrobe together,” Kay said. “I think that’s the kind of modern way of dressing.” And so they bulked up their track jackets to become puffers (a real NYC staple) and added rounded shoulders. The result is a piece that seamlessly toes the line between “basic” and “directional” – a Commission sweetspot. A proper water resistant canvas trench could be buttoned up a myriad of ways; a mid-length leather trench could also be worn as a cape. The designers’ friends also like to wear t-shirts under slip dresses, and so they combined them into one piece. Elsewhere, a skirt was constructed to look like it was falling off the hips, “exposing” the lining underneath. It was paired with a gray hoodie. The idea was also expanded into a strapless dress, with the bust taking on the details of a waistband, and the bodice turned into a corset. It certainly fit the “little bit of chaos” description – in the best possible way.