Angelina Mata Atelier Premieres at New York Fashion Week

The entrance to Cult Studios is hidden behind plywood and a closed-off sidewalk when I arrive at the Flower District location near New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology. Inside, Henry De La Paz, a hairdresser originally from the Rio Grande Valley, is preparing models with weaves, curls, and Princess Leia braids and ribbons for San Antonio designer Angelina Mata’s Spring/Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection being unveiled at New York Fashion Week.

With 12 years on the ground in San Antonio, and time in L.A., London, and now New York City, De La Paz continues to work with Mata, traveling to San Antonio roughly every five weeks. “I’ve worked with her and her family for eight years,” he says proudly. The all-star cast of San Antonio artists coming together to support Mata’s new line also includes makeup artist Patrick Eichler, whose extensive career includes working with icons such as Alexander McQueen, Valentino and Zac Posen.

When I’m finally ushered into the studio, I find Mata’s Atelier vision showcased in a performance-art installation rather than the traditional runway show. While the approach is said to have been adopted by many fashion designers after 9/11 for budget constraints, it’s continued because of the way it allows an audience to study the designs more deeply. It’s a different but much more rewarding experience.

A dress made with silk organza and “enshrined underground for ten days” was arguably one of Angelina Mata Atelier’s most important pieces of the night, as Mata worked with fiber artist Laura Beehler who helped dye and weather the fabric to create what Mata’s marketing calls a unique “b(earth)ing.” The two buried the five yards of fabric wrapped around a rusty grate, embedded it with rose petals, and kept it wet, as if growing a plant. Once extracted from the ground, the silk organza was turned into a signature bespoke dress with the intention to look antiquated, and indeed it did, as the rust, rose petals, and leaves all left their mark.

Mata says that her silk organza gown, as well as the rest of her line, “translates into a concise ultramodern look with the haunt of ancient civilizations.” This may feel like a familiar trend, however by combining both modern and ancient elements — conforming the long silk organza gown to the body while also allowing it to flow off the body, for example, contributes to a blending of conservatism and progressivism.

However, this exquisite work was less accessible than Mata’s other ready-to-wear outfits, like the fitted, dark pink, off-the-shoulder chiffon dress; a cream A-line knee-length dress; or the stark-white fitted dresses outlined with green and pink. Mata’s tribute to color featured green, orange, and yellow dresses with unique patterns. One of my favorites was the purple skirt with copper belt, which appeared to have large copper medallions printed on it. Large, thick metal belts tied other dresses together as well, however as exciting as the dresses were, the talk of the night were the shoes.

Mata’s shoes were a collaborative effort; furniture artist Peter Zubiate and graphic artist Can2 assisted here, along with metal artist Jose Chapa, who also did all of the metal work for belts. Many of the models appeared to be perched on stilts as they stood on thick wooden platforms stuck to metal extensions — not your typical stiletto. The shoes created a futuristic fairy tale experience, and complemented the models’ vertically pinned thick braids. Some of the braids appeared to be spray painted, others were very pixie-fairy-esque, evoking the fresh appearance of the line. (With their hair down and undone, the models recalled the film Avatar.) In addition, jewelry designer Tracy Stephens helped execute Mata’s earrings.

Mata made it to New York Fashion Week with more than $8,000 in donations largely from the San Antonio community. A thank-you celebration for local friends and supporters is set for November 2 at Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, during which Mata will show the collection against the backdrop of departed SA artist Chuck Ramirez’ work.

New York City Fashion Week: Kaelen’s Comfortable Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

Toronto born, New York-based designer Kaelen Farncombe presented her Spring/Summer 2012 collection at Chelsea neighborhood’s Root Drive-In Studio. Upon arrival, myself and guests were given a baby pink program with black Rorschachs. But we didn’t know quite what to make of it once we finally previewed the collection, as we were ushered into a rectangular room where translucent pink sheets hung from the ceiling, along with tree branches. The leaves of the trees appeared to be on the models’ headbands, which was distracting from Kaelen’s new collection.

Perhaps the Rorschachs, pink sheets and leafless branches were meant to evoke a psychological, fairy tale dream, which coincided with the collection. Light-weight fabrics like chiffon, silk, and cotton in muted hues of pink, peach, and nude hung loosely from the models’ bodies. Some outfits were given a punch of color, like the cropped tee in orange silk noil, accompanied with a draped skirt in peach silk chiffon. However most of the looks included quiet button up rompers in nude crinkle cotton and a flowy draped pocket dress in cream crushed velvet, with a couple of louder looks like the pleated disco dress in white sheen ossido, and the blazer and slouch shirt in seafoam inkblot. The inkblot was incorporated into a few outfits as well.

While most of the collection was cohesive, the blazer and slouch pant in striped cotton, as well as a t-shirt looking-dress with a slit down the side called to mind pajamas. And then, once the image of pajamas struck my mind, I couldn’t help but think that, perhaps most of Kaelen’s collection could pass for pajamas: some looks were sexy, “my-boyfriend’s-coming-over” pajamas; some were casual and covered up, “I-haven’t-shaved" pajamas; and some were “whatever, I don’t give a shit” pajamas, that can be worn as clothes as well. With that said, I really did like the relaxed look of most of Kaelen’s pieces and think that the loose and flowy fit makes them comfortable to wear, while making the person look and stay cool.

Teen Vogue Fun at Fashion Week

Teen Vogue was there Too!

New York City Ten Years Later: 9/11/11

I had the opportunity to visit Ground Zero during the tenth anniversary of 9/11. While it is difficult to put into words the somberness of this day, above are some photos I took of the site, which includes St. Paul's Church (also damaged ten years ago),the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, the construction of One World Trade Center and more.

Lela Rose at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week NYC

I’m writing from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City right now, and I’m finding it quite hard to tear myself away from fashion events and sites to sit down and write. Yesterday I checked out Lela Rose’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection; she is a noteworthy designer not only because she is from Texas—Dallas, that is—but because of her eclectic inspirations. Her inspiration for this collection came from the neon sign graveyards of Vegas and the amusement park of Coney Island.

At first, the words “graveyard” and “amusement park” didn’t ring romantic in my mind and I began to wonder whether or not zombie brides and ten-year old girls eating hotdogs would emerge onto the brightly lit runway. But once the show started, the audience, and myself, were captivated by the nostalgic representation of the “burnt-out bulbs, electric and playful spirit” Rose envisioned. Her collection told a story about time, fading light, life, and a longing for “what was.” The story was told with bleached metallic tweeds, striped paint twill, and washed out voile. Blocked silhouettes, cyclone prints, chipped embroidery and carnival stretched cotton were other components of the collection creating a romantic and nostalgic vibe. I cannot wait till this collection is available for purchase. Previously, you have found Lela Rose at a local Nordstrom’s, Neiman Marcus, or online. However, you’ll want to check out the Lela Rose for Payless Spring ’12 shoe collection.

Celebrities in attendance included Susan Sarandon with daughter Eva Amurri, Mandy Moore, famous stylist Robert Verdi, and Desiree of Gal about the Globe, to name a few.

Underage Fashion (and sex) at Katy Perry Last Night.

“So, how do I look?” I asked my one-and-only before heading to the Katy Perry concert at the AT&T Center last night. “Like all the other soccer moms who’ll be accompanying their 14-year-old daughters,” he jokingly replied. “Stop,” I began, “her lyrics are way too explicit for kids.” I was certain that not only would the show be an adult concert, but that to fit in with the trannies and drag queens whom happen to follow Kitty Purry (her alter ego in which she actually dresses up as a kitty and looks like a drag queen herself), I’d need to improvise my fashion a bit. I wore a translucent red top with a black lace bra, copper and gold sky-high heels, a pair of gaudy earrings I bought in Portugal, and stonewash jeans that were so tight I couldn’t look down while seated. I felt like one of those pregnant women who can’t see their feet after seven or eight months—except way hotter, obviously.

However—and how does everybody get the memo on these things but me?—I was not savvy enough to wear a bright blue or pink bee-hive wig (as a tribute, I’m assuming) to Perry last night. Upon arrival to the AT&T Center, my girlfriend and I noticed all the wigs running around us; wigs that were finished off with outfits like leopard-print pants, sparkly dresses and candy-cane tops that were so unbelievably fitted they looked painted on. Upon closer inspection, and much to my dismay, we noticed that many of the wigsters were actually 14-year-old girls!

“Candice,” I said to my fabulous friend just featured as NSIDE Magazine’s Style and Substance—shameless plug—“how can parents let their daughters come to a Katy Perry concert? This is Katy Perry, not Britney Spears circa 1999.” She replied, “Wow, I don’t know,” reciting their lyrics, “that one song, I kissed a girl and I liked it? Really, Mom? Maybe their parents just don’t know what the songs say.” As we made our way to our seats, I thought, even though I’d just jammed out to Perry’s Teenage Dreams CD in my car that afternoon, and even though California "Dreams" also happens to be the name of the tour, and would obviously feature such songs from said CD, that perhaps I was overreacting. “Well, maybe they’re not that bad.” I couldn’t quite recall the lyrics anyhow in that particular moment due to drinking a double vodka tonic without eating dinner (FYI: if you want to lose weight for fashion week, vodka tonic has almost no calories).

When the concert started, Perry opened with “Teenage Dream”—a song that wasn’t actually all that bad, if the adult in you could forget the allusion to sex, “I’m a get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight. Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight.” But it was all downhill from there, from her ballad of “I kissed a girl and I liked it, I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it,” to “You’re so gay and you don’t even like boys,” and also, “I want to see your Peacock, cock, cock, your Peacock, cock, cock.” It was in this “cock” moment that I heard Candice state a ghastly, “Oh my God, she’s making a motion like she’s jerking off her microphone!” I, however, disagreed with Candi, how could she think something like this? “Candi, no. She’s giving the microphone a blow job, hello? That swift motion is a pop-culture connotation for blow jobs.”

“God,” she said, “I’d really hate to be here with my daughter right now.” Not that either of us has a daughter, but were glad that we didn’t.

If you could get past the fact that you were sitting next to a bunch of kids last night, and could refrain from trying to cover their eyes (unlike Candi), the concert was actually one of the best ones I’ve been to in a long time. I’d put it up there with Ani Difranco in Rome and Pearl Jam in Chicago. If you’ve always wondered— like I did—whether Perry was one of those Hollywood sell-outs who only sounds good in the recording studio, then wonder no more. She really does have a great set of pipes and not only rocked the house with them but serenaded us on her glittery guitar from a cotton candy-cane cloud above. She’s also a great entertainer with unique fashions and props that set her apart from other acts. I will say one thing though: Perry’s success seems to lie in the fact that, most of her songs are filled with catchy but trite sayings and other over-used and overtly sexual metaphors. It’s very beginning songwriter-ish, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she actually did get help from a 14-year-old daughter while writing them.