Fashion Review : Orange Blossom

By WWD Staff

Remember the old Johnny Mathis song "Wild Is the Wind"? It inspired Nina Simone, David Bowie and George Michael to do their own versions. Now that ditty also has influenced a couple of Chicago designers, Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters. They recently launched Creatures of the Wind, named for a phrase from the song lyrics. Their fall debut skews "a bit hippie, a bit folksy," says Gabier. Here, one example, an embroidered cotton and silk dress with a cotton jersey inset.

From a sister act to an interior-design doyenne, a new set of designers is hitting the fashion scene. Meet them here and here; see the second installment in Wednesday's WWD.







Lialia

Backstory: Fashion may have been a big part of Julia and Natalia Alarcon's upbringing — their mother was a seamstress — but it was only recently that the sisters opted for a career in design. Both were involved in two very different — and "unglamorous," says Julia — professions until 2005, when they decided to enroll at Parsons The New School for Design together. Natalia did contract negotiations for engineering and construction companies, while Julia left a post as the assistant director of the Pittsburgh Zoo to go into industrial sales. "We both always really loved fashion," says Natalia, "so we finally decided, let's just do it." Both interned at Phi prior to launching their line, Lialia, in the spring, and Natalia also spent time at Reyes, Kate Spade, Michael Kors and Oscar de la Renta.







Collection: "We wanted to put together a collection for someone who's tired of wearing jeans," says Julia. "Pieces you could realistically wear on the street, like a feminine dandy." To date, the collections have taken a cue from the Forties — a recent inspiration Alfred Hitchcock's "Suspicion" — as seen in trim sheaths, high-waisted skirts and tuxedo blouses. But the color palette is another story. "We were inspired by mold," says Julia. "You can get some really beautiful hues — chartreuse, purples and blues."

Stats: Lialia, a play on the designers' names, wholesales from $200 to $1,000, and is sold at Début in New York and Inago in Los Angeles.


Rose Anne de Pampelonne

Backstory: Rose Anne de Pampelonne's name might already ring a bell. She's a prominent Paris interior designer, who decorated the old Eddie Barclay house in Saint-Tropez and had a hand in the recent renovations at Paris' Hôtel Lutétia. It's appropriate, then, that her entrée into fashion came by way of interiors: She began by dabbling in cushion and lamp shade designs, which eventually led to her year-old ready-to-wear and accessories collection. And, not surprisingly, de Pampelonne notes that a home line is in the pipeline.

Collection: Rich, lavish embellishments are the focus. Her clothes feature traditional Indian zardozi embroideries (done with metal threads) and are accented by ebony, tigereye, rose quartz and turquoise. Exotic stone patterns, for example, decorate everything from a simple cashmere cardigan to more elaborate hand-dyed caftans and tunics. De Pampelonne even adds carved Tibetan prayer beads to the mix. But the designer makes clear it's not the spiritual elements she's after here, but the craftsmanship. "It's about respecting a lost art," de Pampelonne says.

Stats: Accessories wholesale from $270 to $360, and her rtw from $240 to $800. Retailers include Vivre.com, Scoop and Stanley Korshak in Dallas.


Creatures of the Wind

Backstory: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the city's indie art scene proved the jumping points for fledging line Creatures of the Wind. Shane Gabier graduated from SAIC a decade ago and, after working in Antwerp, Belgium, for designers Dirk Schönberger and Jurgi Persoons, launched his own eponymous collection in 2003. Now the Michigan native is also a professor at the school and recently teamed up with another SAIC graduate, Christopher Peters of New Jersey, to rework his own label into Creatures of the Wind, which will launch this fall. The curious moniker comes from an old Johnny Mathis song recorded by Nina Simone, "Wild is the Wind."

Collection: "A cross between both our aesthetics," says Peters. "Shane is more structured, and I'm much more cartoon-y and graphic." The result is a charming lineup underscored by an arty, homespun vibe — cotton eyelet blouses, geometric wrap jackets and tops accented with handcrafted macramé insets. The two have also collaborated with local artists. Fall, for instance, included the work of jeweler Ryan Davis and fiber artist Elspeth Vance. "It's a bit hippie, a bit folksy," says Gabier, "with a creepy Sixties commune edge."

Stats: Wholesale prices start at $140 and go to $600. Hejfina in Chicago, Scout in Los Angeles and Stand Up Comedy in Portland, Ore., will carry the line.


Andy & Debb

Backstory: If you ever find yourself in a McDonald's in South Korea, you've seen the handiwork of the Seoul-based husband-and-wife team Andy Kim and Debbie Yoon. In 2006, the couple, who first met while studying at Pratt Institute in the Nineties, won a nationwide contest to outfit the restaurant's employees. "That's 10,000 people wearing our clothes every day," says Yoon. Their own collection, Andy & Debb, may not boast those same kinds of figures, but it's quickly expanding. To date, the two have nine freestanding stores in South Korea, with another opening there planned for August. Soon there will be growth of a different sort, as well: After nine years, Andy & Debb is finally entering the U.S. market for fall and, come September, will have its first show during New York Fashion Week.










Collection: Kim and Yoon claim that their collection is 70 percent minimal and 30 percent romantic. Translation? The collection veers decidedly feminine but not too frothy, with a clean, uptown polish throughout. Underscoring it all is a certain playful charm, seen in origami detailing, trompe l'oeil buttons and fishhook pins. "My husband does the tailoring and construction," says Yoon. "I play with colors and unique detailing." The duo also has enlisted local artists like Miro Kim to work on prints, such as fall's elaborate peacock illustrations.



Stats:Wholesale prices range from $130 for knit tops and $200 for skirts and pants to $1,000 for the most elaborate dresses. New York's Beyond Seven boutique and London's The Shop at Bluebird have picked up the line.

PHOTOS BY PASHA ANTONOV; MODELS: ANASTASIA PRETROVA AND ELIZABETH BERT, BOTH AT FUSION; HAIR BY YUKI YAMAZAKI USING PHYTO FOR THE ARTISTLOFTNYC.COM; MAKEUP BY BRYAN LYNDE/RJ BENNETT REPRENTS; FASHION ASSISTANT: ALEXANDRA CASEY; STYLED BY MAYTE ALLENDE. PORTRAITS BY PASHA ANTONOV, STEFANO BIANCHI AND KAREN HOYT



Taken From : http://www.wwd.com