FIDM Fashion Week El Paseo

Fashion Week El Paseo 2015: FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising

Saxony Fashion Week El Paseo showcased the recent grads of FIDM and the future stars of tomorrow’s fashion industry in the designers’ 2015 debut

Michelle Roe Fashion Week El Paseo, Watch & Listen - Fashion Week

FIDM Fashion Week El Paseo

 

VIDEO: Watch the runway show of student designers from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising at Saxony Group Fashion Week El Paseo. Audio prohibited by copyright restrictions.

 

 

In a celebration of creativity and innovation, the audience for the evening’s fashion show — presented by Victoria and John Hill and benefitting Junior League Palm Springs Desert Communities — was filled with flamboyantly decked out supporters, as well as aspiring fashion models, photographers, and journalists.  

The premier couture collections designed by Anthony Herrera, Daniel Hansen, Dustin Mangan, Eric Leonides Garcia, Jette Kavanagh, Leetal Platt, Marly Kluge, Raul Magdaleno (LUAR), Samantha Sneed, Vanessa Puccini, and Martha Calderon revealed a very personal journey for each designer as they not only expressed their appreciation for the FIDM program but also emphasized the concepts of self expression and owning their personal creative perspectives.

 

A creation by FIDM student Daniel Henson.

 

Inspired by iconic fashion designers, historical cultural figures, vibrant vacation locales, elements of nature, industrial manmade structures, and film, each collection highlighted the diversity of the fellow artists.

Soft knits were the central focus of Martha Calderon’s progressive 3D shapes. Vanessa Puccini’s elegant and romantic gowns seemed to sail down the runway like ballerinas dancing on clouds kept afloat by a fluff of iridescent feathers. Marly Kluge took onlookers on a fantastic tropical tour featuring a bright citrus palette for the colors of the sun — fuchsia, lime, orange, and yellow.

 

FIDM student Vanessa Puccini’s elegant and romantic gowns seemed to sail down the runway.

 

Dustin Mangan boldly showed a collection solely dedicated to menswear in a street-meets-outdoors style that incorporated corduroy, denim, and stretch twill to create rugged, athletic functional garments for the modern guy.  

Graffiti and photographic montage references could be found in both Jette Kavanagh’s and Daniel Henson’s collections with Kavanagh’s inseam/outseam glen plaid shirting over pants evoking European inspired garments. Her paneled skirt with sophisticated red lining gave just the right pop of color.

 

FIDM student Jette Kavanagh's designs evoked European-inspired garments.

 

Samantha Sneed took inspiration from vintage equestrian classics alluding to the chic attitudes sported by Kathryn Hepburn and Coco Chanel. Rich jewel tones and fabrics added flair to her collection of traditional ladies riding attire with a contemporary twist, such as by hand-hammering as many as 108 grommets into a single piece.

Raul Magdaleno (LUAR), put forth a strong, powerful, and refined minimalist aesthetic using a variety of fabrics and techniques, including vinyl and hand-sewed webbing. Used as neck cuffs, bodices, and belting, the webbing added an avant-garde touch to his sharp-edged creations.

Anthony Herrera charmed the audience with his floral and lace overlays and intricate silver, white, and champagne garments that shimmered with opalescent wonder.

 

FIDM student Eric Leonides Garcia’s silhouettes were exotic and sensual.

 

Impressing spectators with a sense of the dramatic and mysterious, Eric Leonides Garcia’s silhouettes were exotic and sensual and evoked the Bond film genre. Metallic bronze and gold provided a luxurious note to the black , gold, and rust-colored collection of men’s and women’s looks in a tribute to the masterful, fictional spy.

Leetal Platt closed the show with an ode to mist and fog amidst modern bridge structures. Her hand-sculpted architectural concepts likened steel cabling to bridge support suspensions and combined with her film costume design influences. The complexity of Platt’s designs made for a striking finale. Liquid silk evening attire, light reflecting organza and an out of this world crown of PETG plastic brought the crowd to its feet.

 

FIDM student Raul Magdaleno (LUAR), put forth a strong, powerful, and refined minimalist aesthetic.

 

Standing ovations, cheers of delight, and enthusiastic high fives were a standard throughout the evening, which featured spandex, silk, velvet, and leather. Steel cabling, metal chains, neoprene, and PETG plastic elevated separates and dresses alike into wearable art, showing the expert craftsmanship of the FIDM designers.

Saxony Group Fashion Week El Paseo, a Palm Springs Life event, continues through March 28 under The Big White Tent on Larkspur Lane between Shadow Mountain and El Paseo. Visit www.fashionweekelpaseo.com for specific shows and event details.

 

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• Fashion Week El Paseo: The Stars of Project Runway

• Fashion Week El Paseo: Project Runway Trunk Show

• Fashion Week El Paseo: Michael Costello Couture Presents

 

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