District L

It was a laissez-faire affair last evening at Lu Magnus gallery. Arriving at the Lower East Side space for New Fashion: Works by 6 Emerging Designers, we were instantly reminded of another favorite designer's presentation, Ann Yee Collection back in S/S 2011 at ION Studios.

If you'll recall, at Yee's showing, models engaged attendees, chatting, mingling, and lounging lackadaisically in oversized shades. The mood at Lu Magnus was just as bright and easy, with models clustered cheerfully together sporting the designs of emerging talents like Guy French, Steve Zerbe, and of course our personal favorite R+R - the clever and subtle collaboration between designers Rebecca Formichella and Rita Watson.

Among those showing that evening, R+R was definitely a stand-out - their soft, feminine forms were lent a hard edge by way of clever texture play and asymmetry. Inspired by tales of childhood and nature, each look possessed at once both an innocence and a darkness - a youthful playfulness pitted against a deep, impenetrable wood.

The skilled young duo, recently graduated from SCAD, petitioned to work together on their final senior project, rather than pursue independent final collections. Their dedication to collaboration speaks to their maturity as designers and to their continued success. It's reassuring to see talent that have such a defined point of view, and a refined aesthetic, so early on in their careers.

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva

In typical District L style, we'd perhaps open this post with a clever paragraph wherein we reminisce fondly about last week - what with all the rushing too and fro between venues, furious, finger-callusing live-tweeting, and countless moments of anticipation as the plastic was peeled back from the runway time and time again. We might even throw in an alcohol-related pun, hurl a barb at the sucky realities of returning to the daily grind, and spit some vitriol about people on the subway.

But the fact of the matter is that it's 10 PM on a Tuesday and we'd rather just jump straight to the LaPointe (sorry, had to) - here are our top 5 picks for best collections from NYFW A/W 2011:

1. Sally LaPointe

This one should come as no surprise - ever since attending the plucky designer's debut show last September, we've been staunch supporters of LaPointe's dark, alien aesthetic that resonates as simultaneously precise and effortless. Did her Fall collection climb straight out of the primordial ooze of a Roland Flexner print? Or did it reverse sublimate from thin air to monolithic vibrancy?

2. Bensoni

Gothic wedding vignette? How rad was that? The duo behind Bensoni is all about balance, taking inspiration from the past yet tempering it with forward thinking. Needless to say, they didn't disappoint for Fall. There was a hefty dose of 90's gloom and doom in their presentation this season, but taken to the next level with an infusion of minute detail and texture play that has become a contemporary design mainstay.

3. Mik Cire

Mik Cire's Eric Kim is an accomplished design professional, and his collection this season made that fact more evident than ever. Last Spring, Kim gave us slouchy asymmetricality in linen and jersey; this Fall, he presented crisp, sharp tailoring in leather and gabardine. A quality that we value most in a designer is something Kim possesses in spades - the ability to surprise and deliver the unexpected without allowing their trademark sensibilities to become lost.

4. Maisonette 1977

Designer Jane Ibrahim stirred something far down inside of us with her evocative Fall line for Maisonette 1977. Taking inspiration from Christopher Nolan's "Inception", she served as the architect behind a towering metropolis rising out of the ether of the subconscious. It was well-edited, modern, and to be quite honest it just had a certain je ne sais quoi about it that drew us in deeper, deeper, and deeper still.

5. NOMIA

Like Bensoni, NOMIA was another delightfully intimate affair in the Standard's Highline Room - a perfect setting for an enticing collection of sleek, geometric sportswear that can easily find a home in any closet (or bedroom floor, whatever). We have to give praise to lines like NOMIA that strike rest firmly in that hard-to-hit intersection of concept and accessibility. Like Madisen said, "[The Standard's] attuned blend of nature, urbanity, and notorious exhibitionism matched perfectly with the theme of NOMIA’s runway."

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva

After a leisurely, prosecco and bruschetta fueled brunch at nearby Donatella, District L braved the windy backstreets of Chelsea, arriving at Capsule NYC in rare form. The celebrated tradeshow plays host to a bevy of emerging designers and street-wear labels, however visiting IVANA Helsinki’s booth to get a closer look at their AW 2011 collection was the primary line-item on our agenda that afternoon. Fashion Week may have just finished, but we were far from done with our duties this past weekend.

Pirjo Suhonen, sister to IVANA designer Paola Suhonen, was on hand to fill us in on the details behind this season’s collection. A departure from Spring’s upbeat sailor theme, Paola’s romantic aesthetic and knack for prints (all of them, by the way, custom made for this collection) were still just as present - it was great to see the designer’s darker side for sure.

The inspiration this season was special in that Paola sought to capture not only a mood, but a moment in time - that moment being, in this case, the quickening of the air before a big frost (and being from Finland, she knows a thing or two about the cold). The print motifs were definitely the focus of this collection, exhibited on a series of coquettish yet demure silhouettes - frosty green and fuschia feathers, arranged like rime gathered on a windowpane, stood out as particularly creative uses of pattern.

This season’s lookbook, assembled as a series of postcards in a box sporting the aforementioned feather print, was very inspired as well - how fitting that a line that so successfully encapsulated a single, ephemeral moment in time be presented as a series of moments itself. IVANA Helsinki’s cohesion and creativity across all fronts, branding included, is admirable - needless to say, we can't wait for next Spring.

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva

Emerging menswear line ROCHAMBEAU has risen through the esteemed ranks rather quickly over the past few years since the fateful meeting of trio Michael Venker, Laurence Chandler, and Joshua Cooper back in 2007. With features in SURFACE, Nylon, and Gotham Magazines, among other accolades, under their belt, the label's mantra of "taking chances" certainly seems to have paid off. Having done our homework, it was with great enthusiasm that we returned to the Highline Room at The Standard for the ROCHAMBEAU A/W 2011 presentation.

The paradox surrounding the amount of effort required in order to appear effortless is a constant in the fashion industry, and a stumbling block for many designers - how do you craft a look that maintains the integrity of inspiration without coming across as affected? It's always a sign of true skill when you chance upon one of those collections where the inspiration is evident yet open to the kind of interpretation that gives pause - ROCHAMBEAU, for us, is one of these.

It's not easy juxtaposing deconstruction with structure. However, the blend of the two found throughout yesterday's presentation - most notably in a rich red jersey wrap top paired with a structured grey blazer and black sport pants, and a paneled twill overcoat in navy with a rigid black button up and drop-crotch jersey pants - we thought highly successful.

There was an air of mystery about the looks as well, in that all together they very much formed a collection but we knew very little about the man inhabiting them. Sunburnt, nomadic, and silent, there is still an ease about ROCHAMBEAU's boy conveyed by the line's well-edited deconstruction. The pieces themselves communicate volumes without divulging too many specifics - no easy feat, yet one that the designers achieved effortlessly.

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva

After a round of Bee's Knees and Lady Lemons at the Boom Boom bar, the DL team elbowed their way through the throngs to The Standard Hotel's 3rd floor for Bensoni's A/W 2011 showing. Always a treat for the eyes, Bensoni's Channing Clyburn and Sonia Yoon delivered a vibrant 70's-inspired lineup last Spring. It was well received -  said Style.com of the twosome in their review "It will be exciting to watch this pair continue to find their voice in seasons to come" and we were inclined to agree. Needless to say, their Fall collection didn't disappoint.

Framing their runway in the context of a Gothic Wedding Vignette, each of the 24 looks shown was a story unto itself. Expertly styled, Bensoni gave us dramatic fur vests and parkas, daring outerwear in metallic snake and raw scratched wool, plenty of lace net, and a few coquettish peplumed looks that demonstrated a flawless sense of color (bridesmaids?). Multiple prints were used in many individual looks, a skill that few designers can pull off - the sheer amount of detail in each outfit was impressive.

Clyburn and Yoon executed their Fall collection without taking their inspiration too literally, another ability that they were noted for possessing last Spring. It's easy to envision a "Gothic Wedding" as a parade of pure leather and fishnet, which tonight's runway decidedly was not. We came away from The Standard afterwards feeling supremely fulfilled, and we're already anxious to see what the gifted young duo will present next season.

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva

Vivienne Tam's girl this season is on the run. From bolting down damp Shanghai alleyways in the dead of the night to assiduously avoiding eye contact at an elegant Hong Kong gathering, she's hiding something and will stop at nothing to conceal it. Is she a spy? A fugitive? We'll never know. In an A-line dark wool peacoat, or a Huang-shan inspired opera gown, she has the power of disguise down to an art. Don't chase, you'll never catch her.

Post by Nicolas Sera-Leyva