Saint Louis Fashion Week
“I get inspiration sometimes at Home Depot,” joked jewelry designer Lisa Freede, as models walked the runway in her glittery chain necklaces during the October 9 fashion chat and presentation at CUSP by Neiman Marcus (Plaza Frontenac, 314-567-9811).
Freede, who resides in Houston, was one of three designers from around the country to participate in the St. Louis Fashion Week kick-off event. She was joined by New York-based fashion designer Jonathan Simkhai and California-based Frank & Eileen founder Audrey McLoghlin, who also showcased their fall collections.
Long, layered necklaces; easy-care poplin and flannel shirts; and white, crocodile-skin print leather were a few of the designers’ must-have looks for fall.
During the presentation, Simkhai shared that the inspiration behind his crocodile-skin print pieces came from a vintage cigar box he found while shopping in the West Village of Manhattan.
“I envisioned this very sexy but masculine, powerful person who owned this cigar box,” he said. “I wanted to give women and my customer that power and that intelligence. That’s kind of where the pinstripes and the suiting elements came into play, and the cognac leather. It all came from this library feeling.”
Simkhai said he strives to create dresses and separates that are versatile enough to transition from day to night.
“Women are always on the go, especially in cities,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s 15, 16 hours before you’re home again. So I just really wanted to give women the chance … to be able to layer the outfits in a way that they can take it from office to oysters.”
For McLoghlin of Frank & Eileen, the important thing is for her company’s shirts to be comfortable and easy to wear.
“It’s a ‘no iron allowed’ look. All of our shirts have a permanent crinkle,” she said, noting that everything from Frank & Eileen is preshrunk and prewashed.
Her company—which is named after her grandparents, who were married in Ireland in 1947—uses fabrics from Italy that are brought to California for manufacturing.
“I think Frank & Eileen gives you the opportunity to have so many different personalities with the same shirt,” she said. “So it depends on your mood, or really what your sense of style is. You can dress it up or down.”
As for Freede, she said she finds inspiration in architecture and form. Her designs feature a lot of layers, and she likes to mix materials like pearls, metals, wood and micro pavé.
Freede offered advice to the would-be jewelry buyer, encouraging her to invest in staple pieces that can be worn different ways.
“I might do a piece that’s got what looks like micro pavé diamonds in it that you can add to your pearls and double over,” she said. “Not something that’s big and bold and trendy, because that’s here today and gone tomorrow. Keep it simple with a little bit of a twist, and it will always look good.”
Items from the three designers are available at CUSP, a shop-in-shop concept that opened at Neiman Marcus Plaza Frontenac in March 2013.
