Koi Suwannagate

NEW YORK, September 6, 2008
By Alison Baenen
"People see me as 'knit girl,' " said Koi Suwannagate backstage before her show. "I want to show them what else I can do." Luckily, that didn't mean a departure from her signature cashmeres—tees and rosette-studded vests still came in Suwannagate's favorite wool, but here she lined them with silk or jersey to keep them wearable. Delicately embellished dresses, meanwhile, assumed sheer and floaty, pleasantly summery forms.

Inspired by a vintage butterfly print, Suwannagate made that fanciful bug the mascot of her Spring outing, and it flitted around on hand-sewn Swarovski jewels and appeared in the fuchsia organza wings that flew down the back of an ivory cashmere cardigan. A collaboration with L.A.-based husband-and-wife artists Josh and He Yang led to a sherbet-hued fabric made from yarn with the texture of a cocoon; it was sweet enough on its own, but when combined with, say, a gauze top with butterfly embroidery, the effect was too overdone for Suwannagate's light and loose sensibility. On the other hand, the pair of floor-sweeping silk gowns that closed the show captured the fairy-tale spirit of her best pieces.

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