Runway to Retail.

For my Current Designers course I am currently taking this fall quarter, we went on a little field trip to the local Neiman Marcus & Barney's New York to look at some of the commercial merchandise by designer's we've covered in class for their S/S13 runway collections. The goal was to compare & contrast the palettes, prints, fabrics and silhouettes from the runway to the retailer. 

Stop 1: Neiman Marcus

Marni

 

(Disclaimer: Not actual display at Neiman Marcus. Example.)

One of the first designers we took a look at was Marni. Marni had a very delightful and fun display and decoration for their in-store shop at Neiman Marcus. Like the above rack, is the type of racks they were using. That is not the current rack, it's an example I found because no photography is allowed. From what I saw of Marni, the visual aesthetics of the shop to begin with I feel go really well with the quirky and artsy vibe the brand is known for. The clothing was very wearable too. For being commercial pieces, I felt they were wearable yet still very upbeat and a good representation of what Marni shows on the runway. Since it is the fall/winter apparel, I saw browns, whites, blacks, royal blues, red-oranges, forest greens, rusty orange and grays for the color palette. In prints I saw stripes, leaves, and large floral print. Fabrics we see crepe, jacquard, satin, leather, flannel, some furs like fox and mink, and a little embroidery and embellishment on some clothing. The silhouette is somewhat relaxed, sort of boxy and loose, a few asymmetric cuts here and there. Overall, I'm not a Marni fan but I did really like everything and I feel it is a very appropriate brand for San Francisco natives.

Gucci

The collection of the fall/winter season of Gucci is one that I really like and I feel also does represent the brand well. Many of the pieces are very San Francisco woman style, and many still give that sexy but classy vibe we get off watching their collections grace the runway. I actually noticed a few similar styles on some of the clothing in store now to that of their runway. There was long wide and flowy sleeves and some slits. Of course the color story of this to their SS13 collection is very different cause of the season, but I got the same vibe I did from them off their runway. The collection is still sensuous and fashion forward, but wearable of course. The color palette of this collection is black, white, maroon, gold, brown, cream, grays, and a little reds, pink, and yellow, like the fabulous colors we saw in their SS13 collection but more subtle and muted. For fabrics we have jacquard, jersey, satin, silk, georgette, knits, suede, chiffon, tulle, velvet, and just about almost anything! In prints, we see floral with tiger, leopard and the rest are plain. The silhouettes we see a lot of high-waist, some body-con, a few relaxed fits, and emphasis on the neck and shoulder area with wide sleeves, embellishing, turtle necks or slits.

Stop 2: Barneys New York

Rodarte

One of the designers I was most surprised with seeing at the Barneys store was Rodarte. I felt like it was the most different out of all the designers from the looks I saw on the runway compared to the commercial looks at the retailer; regardless of it being different seasons. Rodarte's spring collection was very bold, edgy and daring. What I saw of their fall clothing didn't come off that way. Since we couldn't take any images, this was the only image on their website provided. You can already see it is definitely a more classic silhouette and bland colors, a safe choice. The color palette consisted of black, browns, tan, maroon, pale greens and oranges. For prints I saw florals again, dots, stripes, and other geometrical like lines. Fabrics there is jacquard, leather, and chiffon. The silhouettes are quite retro and somewhat form-fitting, in the waist and hip areas.






Proenza Schouler
Last but not least, I'll be talking about Proenza Schouler's clothing at Barneys. This is one brand I actually also felt lived up well to what the brand is and debuts on 
the runways. The fabrics, colors and patterns were very much the brand; edgy, cool and rather daring. The silhouettes were a but more traditional though. I felt like these commercial silhouettes of the clothing, some, were rather matronly compared to what we see on the runway from them. So for the in-store and online pieces from their Winter/Fall collection for the color palette we have black, white, red, olive, blues, aquamarine, green, and oranges. In prints it varies quite well with tie dye, some graphics, japanese print, stripes, and small squared and geometric shapes. For their fabric story, there is wovens, tweed, jacquard, and georgette. The silhouettes are not form-fitting whatsoever but not loose either. Just relaxed and it ranges in lengths from the jeans to the shorts to the skirts and dresses. 

(All images via Barneys New York and Neiman Marcus)

S/S 2013 British Designers

traveling to... London S/S 2013 runways!

Colors, Prints, Fabrics & Silhouettes.

First, Burberry Prorsum.

The color palette of this collection was if anything, COLOR COLOR COLOR. In this rather large collection, we see white, nudes, earthy tones like creams, browns, khakis; jewel tones like emeralds, deep purples, aquamarines and deep royal blues, and bright greens and fuschia, pastel lavenders and oranges with a metallic like sheen. Many of these colors graced the signature trench coats Burberry is famous for and on the mini capes that are very popular in the collection. As far as prints go, this collection wasn't really about prints but more about the colors and fabrics. One print I did see was on a skirt that has small squares and lines on the top and bottom border of the skirt, but nothing flashy or elaborate. For the fabrics, we see quite a fun variety of texture. There is a lot of shininess going on with the plastic like material used on some of the mini caps and handbags, and a light metallic fabric used on some of the shirts and a similar kind of fabric but is in a scrunched kind of design. Some of the other materials looked like a colored patent leather, there was a little lace, satins, and some of what looked a little 3D with a lot of texture like the mossy looking trench coat or deep royal blue dress with what looked like is covered in tiny pieces of chiffon. For silhouettes of the designs, there was a lot of voluminous capes, somewhat exaggerated sleeves, peplum over pants, high-waisted skirts, and fishtails in the front and back of skirts and dresses. All in all, this collection is definitely one that played with color the most out of other SS13 designers, that being their focus.

2. Meedham Kirchhoff

For this collection, the color palette was much more basic. Actually, a lot of it consisted of the primary colors red, blue and yellow. Amongst it was white, grey, black, gold, and a lighter blue and yellow. The only exception is the image to the left, which was the only ensemble that incorporated pink into the collection. I actually really liked the simplicity yet playfulness of the basic colors used and in slightly other lighter variations. For prints, there is just a lot of things going on. Plaid, large not perfectly circular polka dots, brocade, one random very small and busy pattern, one very small polka dot and a very small sparse floral print. Fabrics used range from satin, lace, cotton, and chiffon, silk brocade and embroidery. The silhouettes like the fabrics,  also ranged quite wide. We see peplum, full skirts over pants, a lot of Rococo inspired silhouettes with the tight midsections using corsets and jackets, some long poofy sleeves, and one dress with the side bustle, and one very tight one piece ensemble. This collection is definitely one of the most diverse ones with its very dramatic over the top theme that differentiates greatly from other designers.

 

 

 3. Roksanda Illincic

 Roksanda Ilincic's collection had a lot of bright colors in it, but it wasn't anything overwhelming or over-done. It seemed somewhat of a mixture of southwestern and nautical to me. There was a lot of white, black, some taupe, blue, red-orange, orange, and yellow. Color and neutrals are both incorporated in the looks. In this collection there isn't much focus on print either, a few skirts and dresses did had a lot of  large colored lines going in different directions and in geometric shapes, as well as a zig zag dress. For fabrics, a lot of it looks like cotton, silk, satin, and just very common and rather lightweight fabrics. A lot of the silhouettes are long and flowy, but there also is shorter above the knee bodycon sleeveless and 3/4 sleeved dresses. There is a lot of emphasis on the neck area with the big collars and big dainty bows, there is big long sleeves, high waisted pants, and her signature tiered skirts. Personally, this is one of my top favorites for the designers I'm discussing in this entry.

 

 

 

4. Mary Katrantzou

Mary Katrantzou's collection is one of the most busiest ones too, with pattern and print. The color palette is quite bright with aquamarine, yellow, green, light purple, periwinkle, red, and then some tints of those colors, which is all evened out with a lot of grey, white, and black; making it not be obnoxious. However, the big scaled prints on just about this entire collection is in your face and somewhat obnoxious. From the entire collection, there is two ensembles that are like a wome's suit, and those are the only monochromatic ones with a shiny and more subdued print; no stamps! We see large prints of postal stamps from over the world, zig zags, stripes, and a whole lot of very geometric shapes that really show her architectural background. The fabrics of this collection slightly vary. There isn't anything sheer going on, there is a few lightweight chiffon like fabric on some of the dresses, and other ones that look like satin and silk brocade; which actually has Swarovski crystals meshed in it. The silhouettes were pretty long, there was nothing that was short above the knee. We see a lot of A-line dresses, structured and boxy tops, deep plunging necklines on blazers, long sleeves, short sleeves and 3/4 sleeves. I did't enjoy the beginning of this collection much, but towards the end with the tints of the colors with white and the silk brocades, I did like those pieces a lot more and they seemed much more elegant and wearable than the rest.

5. Peter Pilotto

Keep the colors and prints coming! Peter Pilotto's collection debuted a whole lot of color and prints to, much similar to Mary Katrantzou's. In this collection, we see bright red, lime green, periwinkle, aquamarine, royal blue, orange, yellow, and black and white that also neutralizes all the color business going on! For the prints, we see a lot of geometric patterns and shapes that are very well incorporated with the structure and silhouette of the pieces,   there's stripes, embroidery, and a a lot of cut outs. For fabrics, there is also nothing sheer going on here. We see what looks like jersey, silk, and there's some embellishment on some of the fabrics, as well as the embroidery. Moving on to silhouettes, there is also no short business going on here. Everything is below the knee or pants. We have some A-line dresses, structured and peplum on shirts, peplum at the bottom of the skirts of the dresses, tiered skirt, ruffles on dresses and on 3/4 sleeves, high waistlines, and cigarette pants. A lot of it the silhouettes seemed somewhat Spanish influenced. Overall, I did find this collection to not be obnoxious and the prints were incorporated much better with the silhouettes of the pieces. A Peter Pilotto girl very much reminds me of a Proenza Schouler one.

Overall, from viewing these few British collections, I can see the big difference between their style and an American designer one. I definitely see a lot more prints, shapes, not so exposed silhouettes, and definitely a whole lot more playfulness with color. These collections are definitely more daring and for a woman who is more of a fashion leader. 

-PGM

(All images via Style)