photographer/ Jena Cumbo
writer/ Alyssa Hardy
My hope for Fashion Week this season was to see something on the runways that was unfamiliar, inspired even. With the new venues and sponsors, I think everyone has been expecting SOMETHING to be different this week, and I’m itching to write about something that blew me away. As Day 1 began, I saw the typical slew of bloggers getting their pictures taken and editors running around on their iPhones…basically it was exactly like Lincoln Center, just 30 blocks south.
When I walked into Desigual later in the afternoon, I crossed my fingers that the oddly successful Spanish retailer would be able to grant my wish. As loud music pumped over the speakers, Iris Apfel sat next to Laverne Cox and Karolina Kurkova, working the dozens of cameras that surrounded her in the front row. The mood was high as the seat fillers came in and everyone in the back rows dashed to get a better seat. The lights went down and The Blur’s “woohoo” blasted so loudly, that I looked around to see if I was the only one startled. I was. Everyone had their lips pursed, ready for their close up in case a camera caught them looking the clothes up and down ala Anna Wintour or Rachel Zoe.
The inspiration for the collection was “Barcelona, BCN, La Ciudad Condal, the charming Mediterranean port town that’s always been home for Desigual.” I have to admit that as the girls started to come down, I did get excited over the bold prints and outrageous fabric headpieces that adorned their heads. It was interesting to say the least, and I immediately understood why Iris was sitting front row. The styling of the looks was purposefully absurd with crocheted pieces paired with crazy prints and bikini tops, some of which felt contrived, and others less so. One of the last couple of looks included a model with a selfie stick to which I say, don’t. She had on cool patched jeans that I would have totally loved if I hadn’t been so distracted by her trying to pass the selfie stick to another model, who looked almost too terrified to even touch the thing.
They kept it up through the finale, and I honestly felt like that was the only thing I could focus on.
The lights went down without an appearance by the designer, which by the pre-clap stance everyone had, was unexpected. As I rushed out of the show, I think everyone got a similar vibe: It wasn’t quite the mind blowing genius I was hoping for, but it was a good show. None of the looks were amazing, but the headpieces were certainly exciting. Also I got to see Iris Apfel in person, and she is just as incredible as I imagined.
