Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week -Maria Grachvogel- Spring 2010

British designer Maria Grachvogel brought a bit of the UK to her show on Sunday, September 12, 2009 at the Altman Building. Attendees were treated to tea, complete with crustless sandwiches, scones and clotted cream.

The presentation was set up like an old fashioned department store tea room fashion show. Attendees were seated at round tables bedecked with a lt candle and a floral bouquet. A truly civilized way to watch clothing parade down the runway. And parade it did; the show ran continuously from 2 pm - 4 pm.  The way it was run, it really afforded the viewer to study the collection as you could see a dress twice.

Grachvogel is well known in the UK; not only for her line of day and evening wear, but also for her line of bespoke bridal couture. Angelina Jolie. Yasmin Le Bon and Marie Helvin are just a few of the celebrities who wear her clothing.

And oh the clothing! Sinuous, sensual in idea and made with simple clean lines that enhance the wearer. Think Marlene Dietrich. Zac Posen, pre-war movies from the 40's and smoldering sexuality, and you've hit the nail on the head for this collection. The basic colors were black , taupe,  with occasional blasts of white and red. Grachvogel had two floral dresses;  one in red and one in yellow. A huge Georgia O'Keefe type flower adorned the front and back of the dress. There were abstract print tops,small hounds-tooth print taffeta dress, and a gown that had a feathery abstract print down the front hand-painted by Maria.

 

If you'd like to be center-stage in the movie of your life, oh this is the wardrobe for your starring role.