i hadn’t heard to christine alcalay before her fall show, but she has a long pedigree in fashion. she and her mother came to the u.s. from vietnam; her mother worked in garment factories and brought her young daughter along. alcalay attended parsons, where she studied abroad in paris working at christian lacroix, then opened a shop in brooklyn where she also sold custom designs.
for the fall presentation, a suite at the soho house was transformed into an edward hopper painting, with dramatic curtains and mirrors, and lush furniture. the models lounged about in silk draped blouses, crushed velvet dresses, pencil skirts, cigarette pants, and oversized collar coats. i loved the sophisticated color palette of bordeaux, charcoal, black, and navy, with touches of seafoam green and mustard yellow, and the jewelry by sarah adler. the clothing was feminine, sensual, and sophisticated without a hint of trendiness. after this stellar show, i’ll definitely have alcalay on my radar from now on.
