New York Fashion Week F/W 2012: KAELEN

During New York Fashion week due to the influx of designers that want to be seen, as a stylist I spend way more time at presentations then actual runway shows.  Usually this is easy and efficient as it allows you to move freely from show to show.  In saying this, since there’s such a huge volume of presentations its easy to get lost in a foray of designer overload and things start to look more and more alike by the collection.  Personally I must say it was refreshing to view the Kaelen collection at Lincoln Center, even if it was an early morning show.

Kaelen offered a presentation of innovation, cohesiveness and ability that sometimes doesn’t get seen during the hustle and bustle that is Fashion Week. Her usage of metallic and sheer fabrics was so downtown it felt perfect for the brand.  The golden knee length dress and the metallic shirt that fell just above the waist in a boxy silhouette was perfection.  This gave artistry to the diagonal hem of the accompanying skirt. I loved that the metallic skirt that was worn with the inverted button down shirt had a fashion forward edge that gave great illusion on the perception to proportion.  These ideas led to the colour blocked segment pieces.  The lambswool shell worn with the season staple leggings was just as outstanding as the dress within a dress in all its illusion glory.

Not at all the one trick pony, Kaelen dappled into the print sphere with several outstanding pieces there as well.  The modern shoulder-less china patterned print dress that was adorned with a slight knotting of the material was SUPER dope!  While the knot was barely noticeable it was clearly an asset to the simple styling throughout the presentation.  The high and low hemmed dress was a pleasant surprise in its water print as was the familiar silhouette of this collection in the shoulderless pant suit done in the same print.  The print blocking that combined both prints in a tea length dress was amazing its its persistence to remain modern in its hem.  Lace was also shown a few times as well.  The lace shirt that had a great paneled collar was brilliant when worn with the soft charcoal suiting as it was in the V bottom hemmed LBD with its illusion panel piece in the mid section.

What I appreciated most about the collection was the element of surprise.  The sheer jumpsuit with the interlocking print was a very downtown hip twist on an otherwise avoided territory as was the boxy tweed suit.  Not too many women would agree to such boxy proportions but when done with exaggerated lapels and expertly cropped and sewn trousers, how does one say no to chic and the look that is now!?!? That’s right, you don’t.  Whether you choose to keep within the styling of the presentation with its black lip, fresh face and sporadic placement of bow-ties is purely personal, but one thing is for certain.  Besides Kaelen’s amazing ability to self edit, her consistent experimentation of playing with asymmetrical hemlines and her ability to redefine the button down shirt, she will continue to set herself far apart from her counterparts for many collections to come.