Spring 2014 Shows| Prabal Gurung, Altuzarra, and More

Designer: Prabal Gurung

Sweet colors. That was Prabal Gurung’s idea of his new Spring 2014 “preserved elegance.” The theme didn’t quite convey the message in the clothes, but it did help with the setting. The models began the show with lining each other in two rows inside a plastic covered curtain and a melancholy song that made up for the lost theme. It felt more futuristic, which was something that did imbue in Mr. Gurung’s high-tech fabrics. 

The show began with a white cotton sheath number that exposed a plastic harness in the back. He really wants his harnesses to become a wardrobe staple for women. 

He played around with what he does best at – digital prints. It was captivating to see prints etched on plastic skirts and raincoats (every woman should own one of this), tweed, paper-thin leather, and glossy satin colored pieces that were major. His pastel colors – pink, lavender, green, red, baby blue, and yellow – made up a beautiful rainbow for a Saturday afternoon. Surprisingly, there were only three pants shown in the entire collection, but all had a great potential to sell out, especially that hot fitted lavender one with white details. Some final evening or cocktail dresses were also red carpet ready. Say that eye catching baby blue sweetheart satin dress we can’t get out of our minds yet.

Maybe he meant to make this collection preservation for the future of elegance. If that were the case, he outdid himself. But if we were to implement harsh fashion into this review, who would this remind you of? Wouldn’t you see a dose of Prada or something our true fashion innovator, Raf Simons, has already done at Dior?

Designer: Alexander Wang

If there was anything present at Alexander Wang’s Spring 2014 collection, it was full on retro 90s. The setting reminded one of a badass school playground. Mr. Wang knows very well how to communicate with the streets, and it sure was present here. Street style has been the sole that has turned his label into a fanatic obsession amongst young liberating teenagers. 

The first three ruffled miniskirts – gray, blue, and pink – with white waistbands were sexy for the beginning of the show. It followed along with a number of gray cropped slouchy gray pants that looked the best in their white waistbands. There was something sort of fetish-y with some of the looks Wang sent out – hospital type gowns, men’s boxer-inspired shorts, single-buttoned collar shirts, “Parental advisory explicit content” tops, and laser-cut leather provocative overalls encrypted with “Alexander Wang.”

He brought back the logomania 90s with his ‘Alexander Wang’ printed tops, laser-cut ‘Wang’ leather gloves, and more that was put in your face. His best looks of the show were a black leather laser-cut “Wang” coat, and his visible stitched denim jackets. And we can’t forget about those overalls we hope to see someone wearing very soon discretely if they can. Overall, these pieces certainly had a demand for that target audience, and it was refreshing to see Wang include a slightly bit of color into his clothes this time. 

Designer: Altuzarra

Altuzarra is one of the most anticipated shows in New York, and one of favorites amongst editors who we see wearing his label all the time. Joseph Altuzzara went for a more liberating tailoring this time, narrowing his structured embellishments to simply “layers.” Don’t take it wrong though, because if it’s Altuzarra doing his version of layering, it’ll be in the most genuine and luxurious manner. 

The show began with Joan Smalls wearing a silk striped button-down shirt and high-thigh semi-fringed skirt. If the first look said easiness with her shirt unbuttoned all the way to her waist, the rest was even more intriguing. Just about all skirts came with super-high slits on the left, but with Altuzarra’s signature of casual fringing. The most interesting skirts were the ones that seemed to be derived from an original button-down shirt cut to form a simple skirt; these will generate opinions and DIY when prices are revealed. 

The silk and layered shirts were the best part of this collection, but if the Altuzarra woman had something to say about these pieces it’d be in his suit jackets fitted to look easily luxurious with anything. His liquid silver and gold numbers – skirts, top, and dresses – brought a soft tailoring that were noteworthy.