Designer Spotlight: Katie Ermilio

Katie Ermilio is my new favorite up-and-coming designer. Her clothes are incredibly simple, but beautifully made and insanely chic. I love the feminine but still conservative cuts and little details, like unexpected pleating and cut-out backs. The bright bursts of colors don’t hurt much, either, and she works almost exclusively with black, whites, navy, hot pink, red, and bright blue. Indeed a very bold but chic color palette.

Katie Ermilio

My favorite thing about Katie’s designs is that you can see the care and craftsmanship that went into every single piece. They are as simple and bare as can be, yet they still manage to be totally original and fashion-forward. Her clothing is like modern art. It also really speaks to my style — I love sequins and pretty add-ons as much as the next girl, but my favorite pieces are all super simple and versatile. But they still stand out.

I think there’s a quote floating around somewhere about how clothes don’t wear the woman, the woman must wear the clothes. (I might be making this up, but it still works nonetheless…I think.) I feel like this rings especially true for Katie Ermilio’s clothing. The styles are minimal and the attitude of the wearer really shines through. Confidence makes these clothes (or rather, the wearer) beautiful.

Some looks from her fall 2011 ready-to-wear collection:

I have heard some fantastic things and some not-so-fantastic things about Katie’s work, but I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I, for one, am very attracted to her clothing and find it very chic and beautiful. As I briefly mentioned in this post, I rarely wear prints or patterns — much of my wardrobe is full of solid basics that I layer and combine in different ways. So I find her take on ready-to-wear very appealing: a simple color palette (with some fun colors to add a playful touch…can you imagine how boring these clothes would be if they were all black, white, and gray?) and plenty of chic but flirty silhouettes.

Katie Ermilio, only 25 years old and already on the fast track to becoming the next big designer, was originally hoping for a position editing a fashion magazine, with internships at both Teen Vogue and Vogue under her belt. But she began sewing dresses to wear to work and soon was accepting custom orders from colleagues who wanted chic frocks of their own. She also sold many of her dresses in her father’s storefront for extra money. Before she knew it, she had become a self-professed “accidental designer.” You can read the rest of her interview with fashionista.com here!

Who are some of your favorite fashion up-and-comers?

{Sources: Images via katieermilio.com, fashionista.com, and style.com}

couture 2010: christian dior

Saving the best for last … say hello to my favorite Fall 2010 couture collection. Actually, I’m fairly certain it’s almost everyone‘s favorite. And how could it not be? Although the floral-inspired ball gowns seemed as though they would fit in better on a Spring couture runway, the show was inspired, original, and classic over-the-top Galliano. It at once embodied everything couture should be: outrageously fabulous and extravagant, with exaggerated feminine silhouettes. The bright colors, miles of ruffled organza and taffeta, were a fun and refreshing break from the muted hues and minimal silhouettes on practically every other runway.

Missed the other posts? See all the couture collections here.

{ Source: Images via Coutorture.com. See the full collection here. }

couture 2010: valentino

The Valentino couture show was yet another example of the minimalist, recession-era approach to couture (as minimal as you can get with couture, at least). Designers Chiuri and Piccioli named their 2010 collection “The Dark Side of First Love” — a title that seems to me quite complex to articulate through clothing. But they seem to have pulled it off nonetheless. With classic couture silhouettes, a moody color palette, and details that included bows and cage-like contraptions alike, the show was full of simple, feminine pieces. I have to admit, this show was not one of my favorites this year — perhaps because it seemed a little basic and a little uninspired than what I would have expected from haute couture — but it was most definitely a subtle, classic collection.

Click to enlarge.

{ Source: Images via Coutorture.com. See the full collection here. }

couture 2010: elie saab

Like most of his fellow designers, Elie Saab kept superfluity in smaller-than-usual-for-couture doses this season, but without sacrificing any of the luxe. Gorgeous dresses with rich details sprung up in abundance on the Elie Saab runway in muted fall tones as well as bold crimson. And, to my immense delight, there was no shortage of sequins or sumptuous fabrics.

Click to enlarge.

My favorite look from the collection has to be the first image I’ve posted here. The strong shoulders juxtaposed with the otherwise feminine silhouette and red sequins is a simply divine combination. I also love the muted green dress towards the bottom (fourth row, on the right) – the color is perfect for Fall and, admittedly, a little revolting, but here it looks so elegant. The cut of the dress is just perfect (again, with the shoulder detailing!) and sexy without being overly revealing. Opting to show glimpses of the leg and shoulder (and back for that matter) is always a bit classier and more sophisticated than the usual décolletage.

{ Source: Images via Coutorture.com. Click here for the full collection. }

couture 2010: chanel

“Karl Lagerfeld is a genius.”

Sometimes I get sick of hearing it, but even when I have reached the peak of my annoyance I can’t help but admit it: it’s every bit true. This guy is absolutely brilliant. Besides being the face behind the creation of some of the most coveted clothing and accessories on the planet, he isn’t a bad photographer either — I loved his Fall 2010 campaign (with Abbey Lee and Frida, mmhmmm). Yet again, he has produced a gorgeous haute couture collection for Chanel — this time, its all about jeweled details and subtle elegance, with a darkly romantic fall color palette full of rich navy and crimson accented with plenty of shimmery metallics and sequins (and I have a certain, er, weakness for sequins).

Click to enlarge.

Wonderful structured winter coats and the plethora of sequins aside, the beauty from this show was quite possibly my favorite out of all the couture collections. Natural and elegant with bold red lips and that hair. Perfectly tousled and undone, yet still polished and playful. See more beauty details here!

If there’s one thing I don’t love about this collection, it’s the boots. The style is a little strange and awkwardly leg-shortening, somehow. But the colors are fabulous! Anyone agree/disagree?

{ Source: Images via Coutorture.com. Click here for the full collection. }