As the elevator doors opened to the penthouse floor of the Nomad Hotel, I felt as if I was about to walk into a dark and twisted fantasy land, filled with gold appliqué, rich black satin and ivory chiffon. The 25-year-old designer Katarina Grey has displayed, yet again, that her conceptual skills and unique voice in the fashion world transcend her age in her Fall/Winter 2013 collection. There is a definitive macabre feeling to Katarina Grey’s designs, yet this darkness does not overpower the beauty of each piece; the details, the fabric choices and the cut all fit together perfectly.
Theme: “Decadent Opulence” was the title of Katarina Grey’s collection, and these were no doubt the words that first came to mind when taking a glance at each piece. And upon closer inspection, those words rang truer still: the fabrics in cashmere, satin, leather and wool and the details of embroidery, gold appliqués, keyhole decorations and even bullet casings. The color palette was kept to black, gold, ivory and rich red keeping the collection looking very luxurious and serious. Yes, it was indeed decadent and opulent, with a sinister edge.
Elements: Breaking down the looks, the elements that stood out the most were the keyhole decorations expertly placed to reveal beautiful patterns, the cut-outs with shot gun shells and the pleated cashmere.
Beauty: Minimal face with a dark plum lip and a voluminous sleek updo with metallic gold at sides.
Stand-outs: The “Agatha”: a leather dress with an exaggerated opera sleeve and a sleeveless black mini dress doused in gold decorative keyholes.
By Whitney S. Williams
Photos by Whitney S. Williams
