HONOLULU Visits New York Fashion Week Venue, The White Space

Fashion editor Brie Thalmann shares an inside scoop from New York Fashion Week.

Join our Managing Fashion Editor, Brie Thalmann, as she takes on New York Fashion Week. Brie will be on the scene, scoping out the runways and the streets for an inside look at the shows, crowds, trends and happenings, throughout the week. She’ll be joined by photographer Tommy Shih who will be snapping pics of some wild NYC street style, and stylist Summer Shiigi, whose fashionable findings, Best Of NYFW picks and fashion show highlights will be featured on the Lei Chic shopping blog.

The dazzling, high-glamour runway shows at Lincoln Center may be the main draw of NYFW, but the exorbitant costs associated with such huge productions are often out of reach for up-and-coming talents. Instead, smaller brands are opting to present their collections to buyers and editors in smaller, more intimate settings.

One such Spring/Summer15 venue is The White Space, organized and curated by stylist Alison Brokaw. Tucked away off a side street in Chelsea, the by-appointment venue is exactly as its name suggests, a simple, airy white studio with wood floors and white-washed walls (blank save for two vibrant paintings) which keep the focus squarely on the presenting designers’ wares.

I stopped by for a look at The White Space’s promising SS15 lineup. Here are a few of my favorites:

Arme De L’amour

Photos: Brie Thalmann

Serbia native Ivana Berendik studied interior and fashion design at Parsons School of Design before launching her Arme De L’amour jewelry line in 2013, a background which shines through in her signature statement cuffs and rings which mimic flowing ruffles. Done in sterling silver and gold-plated brass, her SS15 collection is chockfull of bold statement pieces, including sleek, finger-to-wrist bracelets, wide cuffs and my favorite of the bunch, stackable ring sets dotted with gold spheres. The line is currently available exclusively via luxury website Netaporter, but is surprisingly affordable, currently ranging from about $65 to $400 per piece.
 

Area

Area apparel designers Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg employ cutting-edge embossing techniques to create minimal, texturally intriguing garments. For SS15, the duo primarily explored a tiny, raised-dot finish which they used on everything from bonded cotton pocket tees and obi belts to leather bralettes and running shorts. Also in the mix are crisp Egyptian cotton shirts and flared, denim pants finished with what the pair calls “puff paint,” the byproduct of a printing technique used to create repeating, raised lines. The collection featured just one other graphic element, but it was a fun one, a cheeky outline of Leonardo di Caprio ala 1995’s Basketball Diaries, a nod to the designers current sportswear focus. Crystal stud closures and slim, metallic-paper chain straps finish off the collection’s slip dresses, epaulet-topped blouses and wrist cuffs.

Holly Fowler

London-based artist and designer Holly Fowler debuted her exquisite hand-painted leather jackets, dresses and shoes to rave reviews in 2013. This year, the Central Saint Martins graduate takes her eponymous line a step further by transforming her whimsical illustrations of glittering gemstones, peacocks and elephants into intricate digitized prints which adorned luxe silk caftans and floor-grazing kimono-style jackets. I especially loved her ever-so-noble rhinos bejeweled from head to toe.