ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories: Prabal Gurung

Saturday, 15 February 2014

Prabal Gurung Fall/Winter 2014/15

First things first: Yes, there was a streaker at Prabal Gurung’s fall runway show. Which wouldn’t necessarily be news if this were Europe, but it rarely happens in New York City. The merry mischief-maker wore a gold crown, a black trench, and very little else. He did a brief jig, a quick prance, genuflected, and then skipped off the catwalk as quickly as he snuck on.

So with that out of the way, let’s get on with it. Gurung’s collection reflected more fully on his Nepalese heritage than he’s ever explored in the past. Each year the designer travels back home, but his most recent visit, he said, timed with the fifth anniversary of his label, had a greater impact. As such, he tacked his mood board with glorious portraits of ordinary citizens in extraordinary clothes, plus a few abstract paintings by artist Cecily Brown, who’s become a friend. Gurung brought all this to life in a cozy and colorful collection that celebrated both comfort and that dash of hot city girl. Big, chunky turtleneck sweaters and thick scarves were paired with chiffon microskirts that were not much more than a wide sash draped around the hips. All were worn with strappy, embellished heels that jangled when the models walked.

This idea of things wrapping around the body extended from a cut-out blazer through which a luxe scarf was threaded to sexy, shoulder-baring tops, one of which was embroidered so that it almost looked as if marigold necklaces had been wound around the model’s torso. One of the most delightful things to see were the cocktail dresses: They mixed the sense of exoticism Gurung was inspired by this season, particularly with his trademark notions of sport and a party-ready feathered skirt.

Selections by ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories

Photo Credit/Source: VOGUE

Photos by Kim Weston Arnold / Indigitalimages

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'NYFW | Prabal Gurung Spring/Summer 2014'

For spring 2014 his muse was Marilyn Monroe. "It's a celebration of the elegant woman; she's becoming an endangered species," Prabal Gurung said before his show. "I wanted to put her in a modern context."

Sunday, 18 August 2013

Empowerment by Prabal Gurung F/W 2013/14

Military has long been a recurring theme in fashion, but it’s no surprise that it’s especially on everybody’s minds with the recent news that the ban has been lifted on American women serving on the front lines. Not only that, but female soldiers’ bulletproof vests are being refitted so that the shoulders are narrower with an adjustable waist. Now, after reading that in Time magazine, how was someone like Prabal Gurung who’s constantly considering the female form expected to not reflect on the silhouette he creates for his own army, as it were, of “confident, self-assured women,” as he called them.

Discover the Prabal Gurung F/W '13/14 fashion show at the end of this post!

LoL, Andrea

So, in his first look for fall, that’s much of what you see: an army-green top shaped like an inverted triangle paired with an exaggerated peplum and slim cargo pants. What followed were ranks of pieces just as commanding, if looser interpretations of the military theme, including a fatigue-colored fitted and flared skirt suit with an intricate brocade breastplate, smart navy coats, and olive cocktail dresses in wool and satin with strategically placed cut-outs. On other looks, accents were added to mimic harnesses.

Prabal Gurung continued: “The word empowerment kept coming up for me.” And when he dug deeper into his research, he discovered a Ukrainian group called Asgarda. These are women fighting a culture of human trafficking in their home country by teaching self-defense to their peers, and while doing so, they often wear long white dresses with folkloric embroidery. That’s where Gurung got inspiration for his swirling print in the latter half of the collection: silky, fluid, and fluttered satin cocktail frocks that felt signature to the designer tailored and sexy with a hint of softness.

For as much as fashion people love to reference the urban warrior and talk about dressing for the combat that can be daily life, there’s no arguing that models marching through a warehouse on Manhattan’s far West Side bear no resemblance to women living and working in a war zone. And yet, the quick pace and meticulous staging of Gurung’s tight show was done with military precision. This time of year, that can be half the battle.