Carolina Herrera, Brandon Maxwell Spring/Summer 2023 Shows – The Hollywood Reporter

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New York designers have learned many lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, not only about how to sustain a luxury-focused fashion business in a global lockdown, but also about the importance of making choices based on personal fulfillment when it comes to the main line. . And if a satisfied designer equates to a commercially successful collection, perhaps that’s no coincidence.

That’s how both Brandon Maxwell and Carolina Herrera approached creative director Wes Gordon about their spring/summer 2023 collections, which debuted this week. Gordon’s presentation at the Plaza unabashedly poked fun at every element, from the classic New York setting to the bold floral prints – a theme taken from the 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The secret garden — and especially the show’s soundtrack, Barbra Streisand’s delightful mix of Broadway and cinematic scores.

“I wasn’t looking for hipster EDM music, I was looking for fun music that girls like,” Gordon says. The Hollywood Reporter After the event. Indeed, even one of Katy Walk’s champion walkers, Karlie Kloss, couldn’t help but notice that once Streisand’s voice began belting out the title tune, she seemed to find another gear in her step. Hello Dolly!

“From the very first note, straight to the beat, I knew this was going to be one of the most exciting, inspiring and empowering sets we’ve ever seen from Wes,” said Broadway producer Jordan Roth. Wilson Theatre, Lea Michele is performing her dream eight times a week as Fannie Brice enters. Funny girlThe role that made Streisand famous in 1964.

“Don’t Rain on My Parade” certainly felt more than a little festive when Gordon’s set hit the stage, with celebrities included. Guardians of the Galaxy Actress Karen Gillan, singer Ellie Goulding, Martha Stewart and Sabrina Carpenter sat in the front row. Gordon was inspired by Burnett’s novel not only because it was his mother’s favorite book, which she read as a child, but also because it allowed him to fully embrace his love of colors and flowers. “The secret element in the collection is found in the black needles you see, which is a note between softness and romance,” he explained. “I wasn’t worried about chasing trends – instead, I would double down on who I am and who the house is, and make pieces without questioning aesthetics.”

A model walks the runway during the Carolina Herrera fashion show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows in September 2022.

Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows

Five floral prints form the core of the collection: “the seeds of my garden,” Gordon calls them. These cheerful bouquets of pinks, yellows and pale blues are mixed with black dots in silhouettes reminiscent of the Upper East Side. The silhouettes are crisp white shirts and black trousers with floral belts, mid-length tops with A-line skirts that reach almost to the ankles, and an elegant mix of yellow floral skirts with pockets. “I took some of the five prints and blew some onto chiffon, cut some out or took details from others,” Gordon explains. Although they are the same anemone flower, many of them read.

Gordon sported lush floral corsages draped over the shoulders in a few dresses, including a stunning one in a red silk crepe dress. If the dress looks familiar, Kate Hudson wore the design two days before its runway debut when she appeared on the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival. “There was always the feeling that the collection’s revelation should be a big mystery,” Gordon says. “If there is something beautiful, share it. I am honored and happy that she wore it the day before our event.

Happiness is also synonymous with serenity, and Brandon Maxwell was more than ready to convey that sensibility in his latest collection. The designer, who started out as a stylist for Lady Gaga and other high-wattage stars, says he was looking for a quieter life – and why not? His schedule has been bursting with projects lately, including guest designer for Fila, a line of tennis apparel that’s equal parts classic and modern that hit stores in August, and a job as creative director of Walmart’s fashion brands that launched in February. Maxwell added, referring to Bravo’s season 20, “We start filming the TV show next week.” Project runwayWith Kloss on it, the designer Christian Siriano and Elle Editor-in-Chief Nina Garcia.

“It’s really fun to be able to go to work and be a part of someone’s journey,” Maxwell said of the reality competition show. “I know it’s a TV show, but the filming and the process is so real and so human. And honestly, I don’t feel like I’m far from it. [the contestants] They are, so it’s really fun to be involved in what they’re going through.

So it’s understandable why Maxwell wanted to get out of Manhattan to enjoy a more bucolic existence in his spare time. The designer quickly discovered that the early morning hours, filled with birdsong and the colors of the sunrise, were not only relaxing but also very stimulating. “The hours between 5 and 7 in the morning have been the most refreshing thing in my life in the last two months,” he said. THR Back after his show.

Lavender, which Maxwell calls “a very quiet and unhurried color,” became a central theme, and was also employed to light our showroom for a series of galleries at Christie’s in Midtown. From the very beginning, sunrise tones mixed with neutrals created a pale mix of low-slung pants in wheat, an apricot tank sprinkled with sheer chains, as well as asymmetrical skirts that fell to one hip and wide-leg pants with a strapless top embellished with black sequins and gold daisies.

In the end it was a perfect combination of polish and ease. “You never want to lose the DNA and the core of the brand, which is a very refined look,” Maxwell said. But you want to introduce yourself to where you are now, which I guess is a little more relaxed for me.

Maxwell’s flowers also enjoyed simplicity, never expensive or forced. Instead, one print inspired the idea of ​​light-sensitive paper that kids use to make nature prints in elementary school—not that they look childish. Instead, they felt beautiful and natural in their simplicity. “Where I live now, it brings back so many memories of where I grew up,” Maxwell explained, referring to his Texas roots. “I think there was a lot of peace and quiet when life moved a little slower, the future seemed uncertain and I dreamed of working in fashion. With that in mind, I wanted some things to feel a little more transparent.

A flowing halter dress in that floral print was one of the highlights of the collection, as was a silver-plated mermaid gown embellished with sequin flowers in pink, lavender and moss green — just in case Maxwell’s red carpet fans were worried he wouldn’t have it. Those pieces are ready. “Having been a stylist for so many years, I think that’s always in the back of my mind, even if it’s not something I’m consciously planning,” he says. “Now I’m focused on saying what I want to say in the set. If this involves a long dress, that’s great, but if not, that’s okay too. The last few years have been hard, but now I am so grateful.



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