Daily Front Row

2011 February 11

New York Fall 2011: Vena Cava, Lyn Devon, Steven Alan

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Vena Cava Fall 2011
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(NEW YORK)

Vena Cava

Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock revisited a sleek, flannel-free version of the nineties for the Vena Cava lass, rife with sharp cutout detailing and long silhouettes in lots of rust and gray hues.  “It’s the fashions we loved in junior high,” Buhai said of the collection’s homage to designers like Donna Karan, Armani and Alaïa circa 1992 to 1994. To complement the theme, the cohesive spate of looks was accompanied by a soundtrack of Garbage, Nirvana and the Pixies, prefaced by a faux thunderstorm. Buhai and Mayock culled from their personal photos and relics from two decades ago to create “ ‘Zina Cava,” a particularly era-emblematic set of liner notes. As accoutrements to the “elegant” and grunge-averse clothes, the girls doled out generous rimming of gunmetal glitter on the eyes, flat center-parted waves and lots of berets.

Lyn Devon

For fall 2011, the Lyn Devon woman is a modern traveler, juxtaposing paisleys and polka dots without a worry. But Devon’s line is not just about bold, purposeful mismatching. With a running palette of marigold and a brilliantly bright blue plus a hefty selection of rich grays, her tweaks on classics really pop. “I see a polished lady hopping on the Orient Express,” says Devon. “She’s stopping along the way and sleeping on the train between stops.” A drop-waist silhouette reigns throughout the collection, often featuring leather drawstrings in contrasting colors. Other standouts included oversized knits in popcorn cashmere and a shift dress crafted in textured, sheer black and undulating embroidered stripes.

Steven Alan

Languid ‘60s music piped through the Pier 59 studio at Steven Alan's sophomore presentation of coed looks, offering a decidedly mellow way to kick off the week. Alan's delicious medley of oatmeal knits, subdued kitschy chic florals and subtle pops of sienna and hunter green were inspired by a vintage tome, Yosemite In The Sixties. "It was about these guys who camped and hiked around the Berkeley area," Alan said. "It was before the whole technical outerwear boom and it just seemed kind of earthy." Hence the pitch-perfect jackets in the collection, including an olive poncho and a boxy camel coat a la Ali MacGraw. Alan's background in menswear led him to design for the ladies as theoretical girlfriends of the typical Steven Alan man. "I envisioned the women as the Berkeley students who would be dating these guys." The ruggedly cool attendees taking in Alan's cranberry and mauve velvets numbers, structured honey leather purses, bevy of
fedoras on both genders and mountaineer man boots were donning as many pairs of horn-rimmed glasses and Steve Zissou-style beanies as were the models.