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Last Friday was SAIC's 79th annual student fashion show and gala, THE WALK. See first reactions here. This event has come to attract some of the biggest names in fashion including Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte (honorees of this year's Legend of Fashion Award); Anne Slowey (the emcee) of Elle and Project Runway fame; Shane and Chris of Creatures of the Wind (and former CFDA runners-up); and hot tamale of the fashion world, Mickey Boardman.
As usual there was a little drama on the runway: a couple of pieces reminded us of the movie, The Predator; there was a ton of neon a la more couture Landan Twins and our 80s and 90s upbringing, including the blunt bob haircut that was ever so popular then, and a garment that looked like a topiary for a Siamese twin.
The real standouts, however, were the seniors. Their pieces were much more conceptual yet wearable than the sophomores and juniors, and it was very obvious in a good way that they took cues from some of the brightest stars in fashion. Let's list some highlights:
Kirstie Breitfuss
Kirstie showcased some wonderful ethnic prints suggestive of Stella Jean or Duro Olowu, while also showing off what she could do with the suit.
Kara Fenoglietto
Kara was one of last year's Swarovski award recipients and touted the honor with J'nai Gaither who wore one of the designer's crystal-encrusted iridescent gowns to Ikram Goldman's Crash the Gala last year. Kara showed no signs of slowing down this year. Her pieces were Year 2900 meets romance with sparkly pieces, technical fabrics and brocades.
Taylor Larson
The collection was such a departure from the myriad other senior collections. The ethereal, pajama-like pieces screamed luxury and romance, and were comprised of basic separates and dresses. The pieces were all muted tones and made of gauzy fabrics and organza. Delpozo, a newish Spanish line featured on Net-a-porter and Moda Operandi, is obviously a first or second cousin to this senior's wares.
Brian McIntyre
Brian blew us away with his sophisticated menswear collection. We describe his collection thusly: Thom Browne met up with Jil Sander at dinner. They then decided to walk back to Jil's house to prepare for a cocktail party in honor of Martin Margiela and Junya Watanabe. What followed was the biggest and best fashion orgy ever to be witnessed. From that orgy a Brian McIntyre baby was born, poised to take over the fashion world and stand as the martyr for fashion's new guard. McIntyre's collections was also probably the most cohesive of the night.
Tess Olson
Outstanding menswear collections abounded in this year's show, and Tess Olson's line was definitely at the helm. Our favorite piece was a white suit that looked like it was made out of painted white bricks. We've never seen anything like it, and will likely never see it again.
Austin Yamada
Austin's collection was pretty much the opposite of Brian McIntyre's, and it was also a women's wear collection, but some of the same themes were present. Austin's collection was reminiscent of Vivienne Westwood's Gold Label (her couture/evening line), with a bit of that edgy, punky Rick Owens leather thrown in.
Honorable mentions go to Savannah Cipriano, Seth Garlick, Marianne Finnerman, Lucy Silverman and Caroline Kuhlman, and all of the other great pieces that we saw on the runway.
· All SAIC Coverage [Racked]
· SAIC's First Show of the Day: Prolific Unbridled Creativity [Racked]