Elisa Palomino Fall 2010
Words - Bobby Mozumder, Photos courtesy Dan Lecca for Elisa Palomino
Spanish designers were a major presence for this fashion week in New York. The most interesting of these was Elisa Palomino, who debuted of her own collection at the General Society Mechanics and Engineers Library. I honestly had no idea who she was coming into the show (it's how we roll at FutureClaw), but with some major audience members in attendance, including Diane von Furstenberg sitting right across from me, something special was up.
A finely crafted runway show followed, with the theme revolving around very feminine 1920's era flappers mixed with soft Japanese inspiration. Hanging paper lanterns and live operatic singers transformed the tight library into a classically romantic moment. Models entered with stunning geisha-inspired makeup and elaborately decorated hair-dos. All the looks were beautiful-sexy, from the opening see-through tulle cotton flapper through dresses comprised of velvet, suede, and chiffon. Embellished puffer tops and fox stoles added a bit of formality to all the sheer sex appeal. The most eye-catching looks included a flower-embellished velvet magenta dress with matching 80's hot-pink hair-do, but fans of vintage wear would feel right at home in this otherwise beautiful collection.
After the show I wondered who is Elisa Palomino? It looks like she graduated from Central St. Martins with a class that includes Hussein Chalayan and Alexander McQueen as her classmates. Ok. She started her career in Europe as designer for Moschino's Cheap and Chic line, then went on to work in top positions at John Galliano, Dior, and Roberto Cavalli. She then came over to the US to become the VP of design at Diane von Furstenberg, explaining her presence at the show.
It's obvious that we at FutureClaw will have to pay more attention to Elisa Palomino in the future.
