Like an Egyptian Queen, Mara Hoffman's models strode down the runway in long, draped silhouettes. The designer is known for showing ethnic prints in modern colors at New York Fashion Week. What I never expected to see was so many looks that were solid black or solid white.
Don't get me wrong, the majority of the outfits had patterns drawn from Egyptian motifs, Moroccan textiles and the artisans of North African. Prints executed in black and white or a rich mix of blue tones, hot pink and even gold. Long, regal dresses and skirts that bared arms and shoulders up top or through strategic cut-outs through the middle. The solid black looks mixed sheer and solid or extreme textures as an alternative to Mara Hoffman's signature brights.
Jewelry was simple. Basic gold bands that were worn at different levels of the arm. The hair was smooth and combed down. There was one-off sweatshirt with a tongue-in-cheek camel print that had me chuckling (maybe it will be this year's "owl" trend).
There were loose, billowing caftans and related outerwear paired with pants. Still, all the skin exposed was a stark contrast to all of the fur and layered looks I observed on other runways. Then again, North African winters are not nearly as snowy as Northeast winters. Mara Hoffman was clearly giving those of us shivering in the ice lots of wishful thinking. |
| photos by David TW Leung |
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