Hard Times in New York City

Yesterday New York Fashion Week officially began, but somehow it lacks the excitement of previous seasons. In this age of austerity, many designers I know who showed last season have opted not to show, and many who are showing have scaled back their presentations.  The Tim Hamilton show took place in a vacant and very dimly-lit store space in Chinatown with straightfaced models sporting his high-end industrial goth-kid clothes.  Many of the garments had the logos of the FDIC and Capitol One printed on the lining, part of a collaboration with artist Seth Price, and a not-so-subtle reference to our unstable economic times.  For once, the surrounding austerity seemed entirely appropriate.

-Tiffany

Walk Like An Egyptian

All photos by Kristian Löveborg.

Just in case it wasn't immediately obviously from the wobbling Cleopatra wigs, Minimarket's Spring collection was inspired by the Ancient Egyptians. Several legendary characters served as muses, including the goddess Isis, Queen Nefertiti, and of course, Cleopatra.  The prehistoric vibe was filtered through a 70's lens, with plenty of dusty orange and green, campy oversized jewels, and high high platform shoes. Of course Minimarket's shoes are always a delight, and even though they're quite difficult to walk in, I'd be willing to give the Spring collection another go. I'm particularly obsessed with the black, orange, and white striped platforms, as well as the floral printed platform brogues.

-Tiffany

Bright Lights

All photos by Sofi Svensson

Sofi Svensson is another one of the rising talents that showed at the Swedish School of Textile Graduate Show last month. To say that her work is eyecatching is an understatement--her senior collection was embroidered with hundreds of brightly colored beads and embellished with oversized sparkling sequins, with all the contrasting textures and colors vying for the viewer's attention.  Though the outfits wouldn't look out of place at a rave, or at Kenny Kenny's Sunday night party at Vandam, they were not inspired by clubkids, but somewhat counterintuitively, by mindfulness and meditation.  The collection, which was titled "Inner Light," tells a story of looking for peace, balance and happiness, and finding that shining inner light, which in turn manifests itself in a very extroverted manner.

-Tiffany