Text, Vivian G. Kelly
Images of Jaime Cole & Ryu Collection by Randy Brooke, Courtesy Academy of Art University
Images of Shady N.R. Elias Collection by Dan Lecca, Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
TWO DAYS BEFORE THE SHOW
Thursday, Jan. 31st – The Flatotel
We’re always partial to the student designer collections from AAU, San Francisco’s prestigious fashion school. We previewed the collection as last season, at the Flatotel, in a spacious suite. Each designer had their own rack and was busy putting on the finishing touches with Creative Director and AAU School of Fashion Director, Simon Ungless. This season’s crop of student designers was poised and mature beyond their years. Design student, JAIME COLE, had an MTV crew following her around nearly 24/7 while she was in New York. Ms. Cole was a natural in front of the camera.
MEET THE DESIGNERS:
We were focused on menswear this season and spent some time with Jaime and YOUNG JUN RYU examining their rack of mostly gray toned garments that had an interesting texture achieved via heat transfers on faux fur.
AMAZING FACT: It takes 6 months to create a print.
Not all designers create their own as these two did. The short cut is to buy a print and the technology that goes with it.
STYLE CONUNDRUM: A student fashion show is one in which the designers can allow themselves to be more experimental, but to a point. The clothes needed one good color accent but the question of the day was, “ Should the models wear the bright yellow pompom hats or not?” A good lead to follow would be Mr. Cox and Silver’s lead at Duckie Brown a few seasons back. Both collections had great tailoring in common. Duckie’s designers threw in the color via some eccentric bright green wigs on just a few models and one great coat – that was it. We pondered the choices with Jaime, Young and Richard Spiegel, Executive Editor of www.thefashiontribune.com and urged them to use only one color accent, and no hats, as the MTV cameras rolled.
We liked this collection, but we fell in love with SHADY N.R. ELIAS' sexy Euro slickster collection.
SHADY hails from Cairo. One of his primary influences this season was Abdel Salam, a famous Egyptian cinematographer, director and costume designer.
Add to that, “Bottega Venetta meets Jean Paul Gaultier”, the song Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) by the Audio Bullys with vocals by Nancy Sinatra, Islamic military costume, architecture, and the Japanese anime TV show Grendizer. The result of this melting pot of ideas was one slam-dunk collection for Mr. Elias. We made a beeline for his gorgeous eel skin leather vest and coat; they looked even better on the runway 2 days later.