Ohne Titel

NEW YORK, September 12, 2009
By Laird Borrelli-Persson
It's Alexa Adams and Flora Gill's moment in the sun. As CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award finalists, the young Parsons grads have all eyes focused upon them. And today, with a confident and accomplished collection, they proved they can stand the heat, thank you very much.

Egyptian wall paintings from the New Kingdom were the designers' touchstone. This was most obviously reflected in the color palette of neutrals punctuated with black and red, and in the lace-up shoes by Cesare Paciotti (certain to be in high demand). Some of the graphic knit pieces featured intricate mummy bands; others had laced neck braces that marked another step along the dark bondage continuum that had colored Ohne Titel's Fall lineup. But as dramatic, well-constructed, and photogenic as these pieces are, they'll compete for editorial pages with other members of the body-con school, a class that includes Phi, Preen, Rodarte, and Joseph Altuzarra.

More interesting was the tailoring, which has been the cornerstone of the label since its launch. The imposition of draped asymmetries culled from the ancient Egyptians upon Adams and Gill's modern suiting produced phenomenal results. As seen on model Iris Strubegger, the final look—a silk blazer worn over a draped, embroidered, and feather-festooned dress that was nearly Belgian in its purity—had a romance and urbanity that belied the designers' age and experience.

Style.com

Style File Blog

february 09, 2010

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