On Friday the 13th, the fashion world gathered at Bryant Park to see the Academy of Art University’s annual graduate collection (according to The Daily Cookie, Miss J was spotted in the front row). The collection showcased the work of fashion and knitwear design graduates and the textile designers they collaborated with. Despite being an amalgamation of five distinct collections, AAU’s MFA graduates seemed to agree on the theme of deconstructed volume, which I loved. The collection also showed a surprisingly cohesive color palate, accentuated by the sepia-inspired makeup provided by MAC.
I particularly loved Fashion and Knitwear Design major Qianya Martin’s beach inspired collection. The California native was inspired by the coastline of Bolinas, which was evident in her neutral color pallet and the flow of her designs.
Color: Martin maintained a neutral color pallet of whites, blacks, and shades of sandy browns, strongly defined by the incorporation of sheer knit panels.
Silhouette: The collection showed a contrast of geometric lines within curvilinear silhouettes. She seemed particularly fond of shorter length dresses with yoked necklines and bell sleeves.
What I loved: Qianya’s collection was very cohesive — she really took her nature inspiration and ran with it, all the while keeping within in the realm of definite wearability.
What it lacked: I thought this was a great ready to wear collection. I would wear every single piece on a daily basis. Sometimes, though, the best part of a collection is the over-the-top impractical fantastical get up that no one in their right mind would ever actually wear. I would love to have seen a piece or two like that, as well as more accent color, but maybe that’s something she’s holding out on until she gets her own full show…
All in all, a pretty tame collection from the ex-burlesque dancing knitwear designer, but just my style. You’ll find me rockin’ Qianya’s designs all over town when I’m a renowned fashion journalist (with a renowned bank account). For now
I’ll just have to lust after them from the other side of the knitwear lab.
If you missed the show, you can check out the video here.
To see stills of the collection, or any other collection, check out the Mercedez Benz New York Fashion Week website.
[…] while I’m lusting after Qianya’s knits from across the lab, I’ll be fanatasizing about what they would look like with a pair of […]