Lupe Gajardo Fall/Winter 2015

Natalia Barr, Contributing Writer

Lupe Gajardo brought The Pavilion at Lincoln Center to the streets for her Fall/Winter 2015 collection, the designer’s New York Fashion Week debut.

The Chilean designer said in her show’s program, “Birds and the homeless. The streets. Dressing out of necessity. Layers upon layers. The beauty of authenticity. The freedom that is granted by chaos. The wandering. The unpretentious.”

The collection was definitely inspired by all of the elements Gajardo mentioned. Recycled denim made an appearance in the form of a jacket, pants and a skirt, each covered in patches of different shades of denim for a unique, urban look. Gajardo also sent pieces made with more unique materials down the runway, including a particular skirt that was tailored well enough to fit like a pencil skirt, even though it was made with coffee sacks and pins. The majority of the ensembles in the collection were made from organic cotton, so every look appeared to be natural and comfortable. The birds of the streets were even represented through the use of natural feathers on a number of looks, including the final look: an organic cotton chiffon dress with a feather poncho that truly made the model look like she was about to fly off the runway.

Though Gajardo created several wearable and seemingly comfortable pieces, the pieces were certainly not made for a New Yorker–or anyone in cold weather–during the fall/winter seasons.  The one-shouldered dresses and leather slip on sandals she sent down the runway would need to be paired with layers of coats and warm accessories to be appropriate for freezing temperatures. Gajardo most likely designed her collection with the women of her hometown, Santiago, Chile, in mind.

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