Moore or Less

This Friday, September 21st, I was lucky enough to attend the Coterie trade show. It was a great experience and I met so many people in the fashion industry, including buyers, designers, and owners of show rooms. My boss had me gather line sheets and mark which pieces I liked the best so that I could compare with her my notes after attending the show. There were hundreds and hundreds of designers new collections, and I am planning to go to the next show!

Today, you can find historical influences in so many new up and coming designers. One major designer in history, Rupert de Givenchy has impacted multiple people  in the design world. His simple, classic, and sophisticated silhouettes and long lines can be seen in recent collections from Calvin Klein, Chloe, and Riccardo Tisci, in his own way.

This year I was lucky enough to attend the Nicholas K fashion show, which opened fashion week at 9am last Thursday. It was my first Mercedes Benz fashion show experience and I will never forget it. My boss knew that I love the brand and that some of my favorite sweaters are from Nicholas K, so when she was offered a seat at the show she kindly passed on the invitation to me! I had a perfect view of the runway and of the front row attendees at the show which included Kyle Cook & Paul Doucette of Matchbox Twenty (band), Rob Evans (Model, ANTM judge), Chaske Spencer (Twilight werewolf Sam Uley), Joe Zee, Bryanboy, Eric West (Actor), India De Beaufort (Actress, Jane by Design, wearing a dress by Nicholas K), Icona Pop (Swedish pop band, Aiwo Jawo & Caroline Hjelt), Irina Pantaeva (wearing a dress by Nicholas K) and more. One of my favorite collections from NY fashion week, I couldn’t have asked to see a better show!

With today’s technology and the amount of information that we can access, inspiration can come from so many different subjects. Calvin Klein’s Spring 2013 was inspired by cars, while Vogue referred to Helmut Lang’s shocking collection as an “aquatic vision.” (I say shocking because as a huge lover of Helmut Lang’s drapey fabrics and TYPICALLY neutral color palette I was shocked when I saw the terrifying prints coming down this season’s runway.)

My Inspiration: Although influenced by so many different things, my main inspiration comes from architecture. Whether it is an 1870′s home in the historic district of Savannah or a basilica designed by Gaudi in Spain, architecture inspires me. Similarly to designing clothes, the creation of a building or landmark which began as just a thought in someone’s head really does blow my mind.

Here’s an example of a recent collection also inspired by architecture.

Clipping from Architectural Digest: Built in 1946 and one of Neutra’s most famous homes, the Kaufmann Desert House is celebrated for its integration into the surrounding landscape. As Lam explains, “Neutra created such unique homes in the desert, demonstrating that modernism can be international in spirit but also very local in its inspiration. That, to me, is what is great and eternal about the Kaufmann House.”