Gen Art -- the Young 'Uns Have Their Say
By: By Karin Nelson
Photos by: Gruber-FWD
NEW YORK, Sep 26, 2002/ FWD/ --- For emerging designers there are only a few Midas-touch
fashion machines capable of launching careers.
One is, of course, Vogue, which each season takes a few fresh faces under their wing, touts
them as the next big thing, and overnight, they become household names.
Another is Gen Art, which in the past couple years has had its finger on the pulse,
sponsoring the shows of some of the design world’s strongest young talents.
For Spring 2003, Gen Art continued the tradition, with three international names:
Argentine designer Maria Marta Facchinelli, Israeli designer Rami Kashou, and Tawfik Mounayer,
a New Yorker.
For Facchinelli, her talents lie in her handmade detailing.
Whether it’s a black satin
ribbon that trims the collar of a crochet dress or finishes a lingerie-like ivory silk
jersey one, or the fine stitching that allows an organza skirt to sensuously saddle the
waists and hips before falling A-line to the calf, each of her 21 looks were meticulously
crafted in an old-world tradition that reflected her Latin roots.
As were her cuts.
Resembling that of a turn-of-century Argentine aristocrat, the clothing sensuously embraced
the figure without flaunting it: Fitted jackets flared a bit at the sleeve and softly swept
upwards at the waist; herringbone and tuxedo-embroidered trousers did just what they ought
to do -- hang long and straight, with just the right amount of flattering flare.
It’s all in the drape for Kashou.
The 25 year-old’s third collection consisted of 20 looks that hung and swept and swathed
the girls’ bodies in jersey and cotton rayon. He opened with a series of novel, Western
takes on the traditional Islamic sirwal, or undergarment.
A generous dark brown V-neck blouse was paired with butterscotch sirwals cropped to
the knee -- they hung low and loose, resembling a lush jersey skirt -- until you noticed
they were pants.
A dusty lavender tunic top merged with matching sirwals to appear as one gown.
Wrapping fabric up and around, fastening it with D-rings here, criss-crossing it with ties
there, Kashou revealed much talent in this collection, and with an evolving Hollywood fan
base that includes Shiva Rose, he has a good deal of promise.
Quiet and classic, Tawfik Mounayer’s collection was, unfortunately, overshadowed by the other
two.
Not that anyone can fault the clothing, as there’s really nothing wrong with a timeless
sand-colored shirt dress embellished with a trench-coat flap in back, or an ivory apron dress,
which had infiltrated many a collection this season.
His chic, safe separates are what many women end up buying when they go shopping
for something new.
But, except for the accessories – a stacked row of wooden bangles and cool wooden-heeled
sandals in sunflower and blood orange, the collection did little to quicken the pulse.
Click here for more photos.
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