Post date: Feb 11, 2013 7:57:52 PM
Designer Carolina Herrera creates an elegant mood for Fall 2013 with colors from soft to bright jewel tones for evening gowns and daytime clothes. Beading, fur and 1940s lines added an old Hollywood feel to her runway show set to original music she commissioned for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 11, 2013) (REUTERS) - A romantic fantasy set to music came alive at designer Carolina Herrera's Fall 2013 show on Monday (February 11) at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York.
The Venezuelan-born designer, known for her elegance, created evening gowns and daytime clothes in colors that ran from soft pinks, tans, grays and other neutrals for the first looks and then progressed to deep jewel tones of ruby, sapphire and emerald green. She also showed gowns in black and white.The models walked the runway to an original musical score called "Capriccio for Carolina." The designer collaborated with composer Tom Hodge and producer Javier Peral to create the music. The original music, inspired by Beethoven's "Kreutzer Violin Sonata," was recorded by the London Contemporary Orchestra.
Herrera talked about the inspiration for the music and how it connected with her fall collection.
"The music is a very important part because this collection was inspired by the sonata by Beethoven for piano and violin. And it was a part of the creation of the whole collection, which is a collection with a touch of the 1940's for 2013. It has a lot of drama, a lot of romance, and it has a little bit of melancholy," she said.
"It starts off with subtle colors and then it goes into a crescendo just like the music. And then we end with very strong colors for the night. Also whites and blacks, greens, all these colors," she added.
Tiny waists, shaped sleeves and lean skirts with a flare near the hem or a flowing train evoked the 1940s styles of Old Hollywood and its leading ladies. Beading shimmered under the runway lights. Some of the fabrics - silk, chiffon, satin and velvet - looked almost liquid as the models moved.
Fur trimmed many looks, including a pink silk blouse with fur sleeves and a maroon fur-trimmed jacket and skirt.
During a pre-show interview Herrera talked about her custom made prints, which are part of her style signature.
"I have a print that I like very much that is the dahlia," Herrera said. "Then I have geometric prints at the beginning. And then I have these colors which I love, bright colors for the evening. I start in a very small way, and then it goes in crescendo for the evening."
A gown in a dahlia print of sapphire and ivory looked dramatic with a red sash.
The designer, who is a favorite of movie stars including actress Renee Zellweger, offered several looks that could turn heads on the red carpet. A bright red sheath gown took the plunge with a V neckline cut almost to the waist.
Herrera also created some unforgettable looks in black and white.
A black gown with sequined long sleeves could command center stage at an event like the Oscars or a royal gala.
A white evening gown with a black belt looked ready for a charity ball or a bride with a refined sense of style.
Emerald green, which Pantone has declared as the color of the season, took a star turn on Herrera's runway with her finale look: An emerald green satin gown with a high neck in front and a scooped-out back framed in dyed green sable.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will run in New York through Thursday (February 14). Over 90 designers are scheduled to show their Fall 2013 collections at Lincoln Centerand in other venues around the city.