Down The Rabbit Hole

Dresses adorned with giant lips, a sequined skirt that also has a pair of giant lips on the back, and a super-trippy polka-dot dress

While I always take a look at the other exhibitors at D&A, I have to say I'm rarely impressed by the tepid boho threads that dominate the show. Boho is one of those trends that will never die, probably because, as my former boss pointed out, "people just like to dress that way." I guess it isn't a terrible tragedy, since it means I'm rarely spending my hard earned cash on frivolous personal orders at the show. Still, as Andre Leon Talley would say, there's a famine of beauty, and whenever I do find a designer I like mysteriously represented amongst the dross, I find myself mesmerized.

Turkish-based designer Asli Filinta is one such example. Asli's designs are always cheeky and whimsical, and her Fall 2010 collection took a decidedly Dada and Surrealist spin. Man Ray style ruby-red lips were placed on the backside of waistbands and on the front of dresses, tops had multiple sets of sleeves, and one dress's bottom mirrored its own top with an upside-down collar and set of sleeves. There were also plenty of Filinta's signature playful touches: bold polka-dots, plenty of pom-poms, and a cute/menacing bunny rabbit made plenty of appearances. I spent a fair amount of time poking around the collection, and I was hoping to leave with a bunny, but alas, someone else got to it before me! Still, you can find her current collection (and the bunny) at my favorite online retailer, The Moon and Mars.

-Tiffany