NYFW S/S ’14 – Emerson spring/summer 2014

On a cool September Sunday night, designer Jackie Fraser-Swan presented her Emerson line for the fifth time at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. This season, Fraser-Swan imagined that “a group of punk rock kids crashed a private garden on the Upper East Side where the Ramones were playing a secret show”. True to the signature aesthetic of the Emerson collection, Fraser-Swan mixes punk elements with the contrast of elegant femininity, the ultimate clash of two worlds.

The spring 2014 collection features three custom designed prints: Garden Gate, Allium Flower Field and Painted Hounds Tooth. The Garden Gate is the main focal point of the collection inspiration and comes in both light-weight silk/cotton and a bottom-weight silk crepe; styles include pleated dresses, a shift dress with exposed side zippers and two-way centre back zipper, straight leg pant with contrast side panels, a bomber jacket and a gorgeous full-length pleated gown with a fuchsia satin face organza combo.

A stunning purple laser-cut leather Ivy Leaves group is shown in several silhouettes, including a moto jacket, t-shirt, three-tier skirt, asymmetrical two-layer skirt, and dresses. The colour palette consists of black, white, purple, fuchsia, sky blue, greens and yellows. New featured styles include the “Emerson Punks” hoodie, pant, bomber jacket and skirt. These pieces are unique and special because the fabric is a cotton/cashmere blend “sweat shirt” material in purple and black – custom embellished with the “Emerson by JFS” “E” logo, and Ralph Waldo Emerson Quote “Punk Patches”.

Fraser-Swan’s favourite flower-inspired the Allium Flower Field, a whimsical and fun print in a light-weight silk/cotton, often combined with sheer black organza in a “panelled” effect. The Painted Houndstooth  group features a silk crepe fabric with white as the background, layered with black and purple, designed in fun silhouettes including a button-down sleeveless shirt with bottom hem tie, a halter dress, a one-shoulder effect draped dress with sheer black organza combo, a maxi dress with drawstring waist and a tiered gown with sheer black organza panels, which was the stunning closing look at the show.

Showstoppers include the Sasha Dress, featuring a foundation of black organza with ivy covering only a small amount of the dress, and the Katy full-length gown with a custom cut ivy covering the bust, purple silk chiffon making up the fullness of the skirt and ivy leaves hand-sewn onto the skirt.  

Gillian Horsley

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