THE HIGHLIGHTS: LIALIA, HYDEN YOO, RICHARD RUIZ, JF AND SON
(Pics of LIALIA-from Édité Showroom)
Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC September 4, 2008
Words, Images Judith Ecochard
We always look forward to seeing less than household named talent- given an opportunity to shine in the spotlight...with models...and professional hair and makeup working the magic.
Fortunately, GEN ART’s runway production for Spring ’09 was held the night prior to the opening of the Tents…so we got to get there in plenty of time to see the entire show-which was a bit more conservative in tone than other events by this non-profit-we've been to in the past.
IMHO: The show of 10 looks from each of the eight runway designers, went at a well paced clip - (TG)…with the first label, LIALIA -our top pick.
Sisters Julia and Natalia Alarcon –the design duo- started off with an impeccably cut, long pleated white pants that took about 9 yards of fabric to make!!!
We also loved the the bright sunflower yellow bow gown that finished off this strong collection of classic modern elegance that we felt, captured the posh style of 1940’s Hollywood glam. Not a miss in the bunch.
INFO: LIALIA
Another impressive collection –for-guys- was put on by Hyden Yoo-a Season 3 finalist from NBC’s The Fear Factor---who’s ( Fall 2008 lineup we’ve previewed.
The best relaxed tailored pieces we saw-all named after tennis stars- were the “Federer” Trench and the heather gray “Connor” blazer and pale grey “Ashe” number. Think tweaked traditional classics.
INFO: HYDEN YOO
Some other standouts from the show included:
Japanese geishas inspired the feminine garb made from luxe silk crepe de chine or silk charmeuse... carefully crafted by Parson’s school trained, former tailor to the stars, Richard Ruiz. We loved the delicate prints that are exclusively conjured up by this obvious, mature talent...and the sexy dresses that stood out.
INFO: RICHARD RUIZ
A mash-up of textiles (sheer, linen) and subtle use of embellishments (beads, sequins) in the urban chic, semi-fitted silhouettes -seen throughout JF AND SON separates crafted by design team Jesse Finkelstein and Robert Cordero...worked.In fact, some of the pieces are available on Yoox.com already.
INFO: JF AND SON