Checking Out Laura Siegel Fall 2012

During NYFW I had the pleasure of stopping by a snazzy little pop-up showroom at ACE Hotel to get an up-close look of Laura Siegel's latest creations for fall 2012. I'm not sure if I can say enough nice things about Laura and her wonderful work! There are a lot of designers who are hardworking, but Laura's got the heart to boot. She's incredibly passionate about her work and the artisans that she collaborates with in order to create her incredible clothing. The best part is, it's not just her. I really felt like ever member of her team saw her dreams just as much as she did. It was really very moving and refreshing. You see the young designers on TV shows throwing hissy fits and complaining about how badly they want to 'make it.' They should really take a lesson from Laura and her hard work instead of being divas.

Laura's impressive resume includes studying at Central Saint Martins in London and Parsons School of Design in New York, as well as working with Luca Luca and Yigal Azrouel. Her design talent is simply breathtaking. There wasn't a single piece I saw that I wouldn't wear immediately (it also helps that most of the pieces were very dark, and that's the only thing I wear. haha). Laura worked with skilled artisans across the globe to produce the collection.  Everything about the collection was done by hand- stitching, dying, embroidering, etc! She even worked with cotton spinners!

Below are the stamps used to print the fabric. This is called Ajrakh Block Printing, and it comes from a family in India who has been printing fabric this way for ten generations. The stamps are carved out of wood, dipped in bees wax, and then pressed onto the fabric. The portion of fabric that was touched by the wax remains un-dyed, giving the fabric a cool contrast. The grey dyes come from eucalyptus while the purple comes from the matta root.

Enjoy!

The clothes in the collection were really wonderful. I could see myself wearing everything! There was a common dark color scheme, but each piece was original because of its print and material (materials in the collection ranged raw silk, bamboo, jersey, merino, alpaca, and eco-cotton.) As you can probably guess, everything felt just as amazing it looked. The cuts were interesting as well, and the collection featured many maxi skirts, asymmetry, and thoughtfully-placed cut outs. 
The fit in the collection was rather relaxed. No pieces were too tight, but none were baggy and lazy either. Everything had just the perfect amount of flow and fall. 

When working with embroiderers, Laura gave them a rough outline and told them her inspiration; she then let them interpret it as they wish. The result was beautiful!

I love this print! The dying is all-natural, and it comes from Munnar, a city in the Indian region of Kerala. 

The pieces within the collection have such promising layering potential. I can look at each piece and think of at least six ways to style each one. Don't you just love it when chic goes versatile?

The blouses were some of my favorite pieces; they have perfectly rounded shoulders and they're the perfect cut (not too baggy, not too fitted). Want. Want. Want. The details were fun as well: over-sized stitches, embroidery, 

I found out that Laura makes THE perfect pair of printed pants that'll give Isabel Marant's stamped jeans a run for their money.

Actually, she just makes really good pants in general. haha.

The jewelry was part of a collaboration with Nicole Messina. The bells used were from Indian cowbell makers! Laura told me that the men who make the cowbells thought it was really amusing that American woman would want to wear their handy work. I totally fell in love with the braided rope-and-cowbell bracelet!

I was so grateful for the opportunity to stop by! You can find more of Laura's work online at http://www.laurasiegelcollection.com/. I have loved keeping up with her success and achievements and I know that there are many, many good things to come for this girl.
 Which pieces are your favorite?

Fashion Week Update or "Justine Rants About Color"

Oh, color. Come baaaaack....

image via unknown, via tumblr

Hello Lovelies! Well, day two of fashion week is done and over with, and it's been one heck of a day! I had one showroom visit this afternoon and then a runway show later in the evening. I'm currently laptop-less and the computer I'm using isn't letting me upload any new pictures (which is unfortunate because there are so many collections, personal pics and backstage shots I'm just dying to post). So luckily I had this stunning shot to show you. 
Have you been keeping up with these new Spring 2012 collections? I'm liking the pink, yellow and blue tones I'm seeing. I'm excited to find some yellow accessories and some great blue blouses. I'm not a big fan of all the white, though. I saw that The Row did an all-white collection, and although I liked the design, I couldn't help but be reminded of Alexander Wang's all-white collection for last spiring. I just feel like fashion just had an all-white moment, and now going back to it seems a bit old. If this all-white concept is used in more collections to come, I really hope designers step it up a notch and use white in ways we haven't seen before. I guess I'm just a bit... disappointed? The fall 2011 collections and the spring 2011 collections were just BURSTING with new hues and bold ideas, and it's hard to change from that 'colorful' mindset into thinking about beige. and white. yuck. But then again, fashion is all about change, and I'm sure whatever trends I'm faced with I will be able to pull off. (or fail at miserably. Like I said, I need to get used to this new mindset!)
     Now,  I'm not saying there's no color on the runways this season. Peter Som and Yigal Azrouel featured some stunning, rich tones in their latest collection, which was nice after seeing show after show of beige looks with small pops of blue, pink, and yellow. One thing I really liked was a heavy use of black at Yigal Azrouel, Mandy Coon and Cushnie et Ochs. I'm a true-blue New Yorker, and black is my uniform. So I dread spring seasons sometimes because it means I will have to come out of my black and grey shell and wear some kind of floral prints or something so that I doesn't look like I hate color. And I don't hate color at all. I just like black so much better. haha. I'm still anticipating what the rest of the collections will bring, because honestly it is only day two, and fashion week has so much more in store.  Well, I'm beginning to ramble a bit, and you know it's late and you're tired when blogger tells you that you're spelling every other word incorrectly. I need sleep, and I'm looking forward to reading my new issues of T and Interview magazines. With that, I leave you, until the next time I have wifi, Lovelies. Happy Fashion week!

Silent

Gorgeous photography, hair and make up!

I had such a fun day today. I had some interviews in the garment district, and one of them involved nearly bumping into Yigal Azrouel (which was worth the trip on it's own). I also got to go to Bergdorf Goodman. I love doing that kind of thing, and seeing the clothes you love so much. My favorites, were Jason Wu, Celine, and Givenchy. Is it bad that a Jason Wu dress can make me emotional? I worry about myself sometimes...

images via faking fashion