Anna Podkovyrova
When the economy turned sour, runways went black. Black turtlenecks, black pant suits, black everything. But judging from the latest Cynthia Steffe collection, next fall will be much less somber and a lot more colorful. Inspired by what designer Shaun Kearney called "unconventional future royalty," this season's show took a "modern approach to opulence: edgy embellishments, exotic trims and distorted animal prints are grounded by saturated, nature-inspired colors." The models strutting down the runway — with wine-colored lips and windswept hair — certainly looked the part.
Kearney mixed eveningwear fabrics such as luxe silk with urban leather skirts to create feminine but still slightly edgy looks. Over the elbow leather gloves paired with a flowing wrap dress, created this mix of "glamour with men's tailoring and classic menswear styles for an unexpected sexiness, bringing new meaning to the word ladylike."
Kearney also mixed fabrics for an unconventional take on the winter jacket. Half fur and half tweed, it seemed that the model was wearing arm warmers when indeed it was all one piece.
Although the looks were indeed sophisticated, he kept the mood fun and not at all uptight. His clothes are full of saturated colors like forest green and bright orange with splashes of gold rather than dull grays and blacks. Silk accents on pantsuits were made ready for both the office and the nightclub and traditional pencil skirts were toughened by making them from leather. Even the stockings at Cynthia Steffe were in fun colors like deep burgundy rather than a classic black or sheer.
In one of the final looks Kearney layered these stockings with a black dress made of loops of fabric. The collection overall was a classic with a twist.
