No other times are more thrilling to spend in New York as the days during the fashion weeks, when the city becomes even more alive, busy and - very fashionable - with the overflow of the stylish crowd from around the world - press, PR, designers, models, fashionistas, buyers... - you name it.
Of course, not everyone in the city is happy about it as many venues will be closed for private and VIP parties for the industry players, but nevertheless, New York City will change for those times - and absolutely everyone will be affected by it.
The city will become even more alive and happening, and I, personally, love those times. Also because I meet new and interesting people during those in-between the fashion shows times when I get to talk to other fashion journalists, bloggers and photographers, as well as interview the designers and converse with their cool PR folks.
Aside from the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, February 9-16, I’m very excited about the Couture Fashion Week, February 17-19, 2012.
It's not being around for long, just for almost a decade, but it's already making its way into the American, or should I say - New York City, fashion scene.
When in 2003 Andres Aquino found and introduced to the New York fashion scene Couture Fashion Week that usually happens just after the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, no one really knew what it is and how it might or might not be connected to the overall fashion scene. The name ‘couture’ is an abbreviation of ‘haute couture’ and refers to:
"The creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing, made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.”
But so were the collections shown during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week – one of the biggest and well-populized fashion events in the world. So, what was so special about the Couture Fashoin Week that it needed to be created separately from the rest of the fashion weeks and shows?
When I first attended the Couture Fashion Week two years ago, the first thing that stood out was the fact that the participating in the runaway shows designers’ were, first of all, not well know to the American audience (if at all), and secondly – they represented the countries that most often are not represented at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Countries like Turkey, Dubai, Lebanon, Romania, Russia, Latvia, etc. – those were very talented designers from around the world picked by the Couture Fashion Week committee based on their many international awards and recognitions, not known to the American public. The participating designers were not from the street, they had a name in their country. They were recognized and known among their comrades, but yet had to establish themselves in American markets.
The first time I’ve met the founder and director of the Couture Fashion Week, Andres Aquino, he’s blown me away with his persona. This very active – almost on the border of hyper – man is not only a visionairy behind the Couture Fashion Week, but he is also a designer himself.
When I spoke with him and asked him why he decided to do this fashion week event and organize it around the major NY fashion weeks when the fashion industry is already competitive enough for both American and well known international designers (labels), he said that the reason he decided to do this show is that he believes many very talented designers who do not have the financial standing to make it for themselves are being overlooked by the high fashion (couture fashion), and most of them are coming from relatively poor countries, such as India, Eastern Europe, Latin America…
He wanted to bring those talents to USA and show their work to the Americans, help them to gain internqtional recognition and enter the American markets, because their work are worth it. Aquino also mentioned that one of the other easons why he thought there is a n eed to do this show is that he, himself, has had a very hard time to be recognized as a designer in USA, although he is an American citizen. The oversaturation of the famous fashion labels on the American fashion scene leaves almost no choice for the new designers to enter.
Spoken like a true visionairy because now, after nine years on the scene, Couture Fashion Week has a statue. It’s recognized by the fashion media and even though it’s still on a much smaller scale than the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and does not have much of the celebrity presence at the shows, it’s a true festivity of the amazing beautiful hand work by the designers from around the world who bring a true cultural and authentic world from their native country that is very distinctive among the many replicas of some famous labels that copy off the each other. And although many of those designers do not dress the Hollywood celebrities, they have a rather higher clientele – the world’s true royalties of the likes of the queens and kings and their relatives, as well as some of the well-known business figures and world’s art and cultural centers, such as Bolshoi Theatre (Russia) and Royal Academy of Arts (UK).
Couture Fashion Week has been presenting a series of couture and luxury fashion shows multiple times each year in New York City, Palm Beach, and other selected cities. The venue for Couture Fashion Week New York is the Waldorf-Astoria.
The Couture Fashion Week runaway shows always surprise me. There are some true gems. I'm absolutely ecstatic to see what designers and from what countries have been chosen to showcase this time - for the Fall 2012 collections. In the last few years I've seen the works by the designers - both established and beginners - from Turkey, Lebanon, Russia, Italy, Dubai, Germany, Romania, India, Beirut, Brazil, USA, South Africa, China, Norway, etc.
Here's what's cooking in the fashion weeks' schedule for February 2012 - some of the designers I've seen before and am excited to see what they bring this time around!
Couture Fashion Week New York February 17-19, 2012:
Friday, February 17, 2012
- "Collection Amoureux" - Couture Bridal Hair Designs by Elie Esper (Paris/Middle East)
- Sushma Patel (Performance by singer Nikoleta Rallis) (India)
- Isabel Zapardiez - Couture Bridal Designs (Pietra Banchi Performance by singer Sinem Saniye) (Spain)
- Yuliana Candra for BlacMéra
- Laura Williams (Performances by singer Reagan Richards and singer Sinem Saniye) (Washington DC, USA)
Saturday, February 18, 2012
- Nedret Taciroglu (Turkey)
- Patuna Bushyhead (Performance by singer Nini Shermadini) (Republic of Georgia/USA)
- Catalin Botezatu (Romania)
- Kostas Outerwear (Performances by singers Veronica Iovan and Nini Shermadini)
- Jet Art by Princess Tarinan Von Anhalt
- Andres Aquino (Performances by singers Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Veronica Iovan, Carole Bufford; pianists Prince Igor and Laura Korpa; cellist Gjilberta Gelaj)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
- Luis Machicao (Peru)
- LaureLuxe - Metal Couture (New York/USA)
- Romero Bryan (UK)
- Janerations - Couture Knitwear (Lithuania/USA)
- Sandra Baquero (Performances by pianist Laura Korpa and singer Reagan Richards) (Columbia)
- ALICAT Avril Lemieux
- Edwing D'Angelo
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