There were two events I received invitations for that I was very sad to miss as a result of going to NY after Fashion Week. The first was the InAisce F/W 11/12 presentation, which occurred the very same night that I was enjoying my much needed fix of folk metal. My inability to attend was partly made up by my ability to attend the InAisce sample sale the weekend I was in NY. Well, maybe 'ability' is too strong of a word, as the long trek from the Metropolitan Museum of Art down to Chrystie St. (followed by a trek back to Brooklyn, then back to Manhattan, and then back to Brooklyn to meet the lovely Patricia Ayres) pretty much did my foot in for the remainder of the week, meaning I did not do much exploring this time around in NY. Sigh. I was however rewarded with a most excellent InAisce jacket for only $90, which I'm sure will make an appearance in an upcoming post or two.
The second event I had to miss was a party put on in honour of Chromat, where Becca McCharen debuted her A/W 11 collection. For those of you that have met me, you know I'm not a big party goer, but Becca is one of the sweetest people I've ever met, and her smile is so infectious that I know I would've had a great time. Good thing that she didn't wait too long to post lookbook photos of the new collection, entitled 'Blood Sport'. I really love the mood of the photoshoot and the inspirations behind the collection, being "the royalty, athleticism and dark sexuality of Olympic athletes." I have long been a loyal fan of the Summer Olympics as I have had dreams of being a professional sprinter since my elementary school track and field days, but I've never seen the various sports quite like this. Indeed, I think this is the strongest Chromat collection thus far, especially as it contains both the show-stopping avant garde cage pieces I've come to expect from Becca (such as the perfect halo collar, shown above, and the cycling pannier skirt, shown below), as well as more wearable pieces for the more conservative dresser, such as the lifter sleeves (above), warm-up collar (vest-like piece above), shinguard cages (a perfect accessory for boring leggings!), and the cleat cages (a.k.a. sexy spats, seen below). I'm also a huge fan of the rings shoulders (below), which would look stunning over a simple black dress or a long strapless gown. Becca, I'm awarding you the gold medal for this collection!
(Photography by Gemma Fleming)
