Ivana Helsinki
Neighborhood: West 70s
Type of Place: Designers
Description:
Welcome to America...now here's a lawsuit. Ivana Helsinki, the first Finnish fashion label to show in New York City's fashion week, is being sued by used-to-be clothing designer Ivana Trump. Ivana T. claims that the label's name leads customers "into the erroneous belief" that it is "connected in some way" to her work or to her. The label—helmed by designer Paola Ivana Suhonen and her sister, marketing director Pirjo—points out that the other Ivana gave up her clothing line several years ago and that, in any case, her line "had sold exclusively on home shopping networks." They add that "given the quality of the IVANAhelsinki line and the sophistication of its purchasers and devotees, there is no likelihood that anyone in the relevant consumer group will, for even a moment, suspect that there is any affiliation with Ivana Trump." Yikes! It appears that this Finnish duo can give as good as it gets.
There was nothing contentious about the very pretty clothes in the Ivana Helsinki Spring '11 collection—except, perhaps, the name of the collection. "Where the F**k Is My Sailor" is what the Suhonen girls chose to call this gathering of chic-but-nostalgic outfits, mostly dresses. The feel here is of sea-loving women waiting for their equally ocean-bound mates—maybe waiting for specific men to return from sea, or maybe wishing they'd simply to turn up already in the crowd of less interesting suitors.
These girls, and their outfits, looked gorgeous, and one would expect they would not have too much trouble finding boyfriends, nautical or otherwise. In fact, these outfits would be fabulous on dates, just about all of them; the shorter dresses for casual affairs and the gowns for black-tie.
My standing-room vantage point at the show was not ideal for photos, but I managed to get shots of some stand-outs. As described in the program: "white and blue striped knitted dress with shoulder details; white hat" (adorably jaunty); "knitted dress with anchor motives; red hat with pompom" (the hat is a great touch!); "cotton jersey striped dress with button detail in the front; tricolor vest with fringes, black sailor hat" (hippy-sailor chic!); "shirt dress with puff sleeves" (in a lovely coral shade); and the very gorgeous "long silk dress with hand-printed sailor motives and rope deco neckline" (a smashing yellow and white gown).
Winsome and pretty as these all were, I sensed some tough-girl grit as well—in the name of the show, in the models' level stares, and in the models themselves. As my friend Ivy (my date for the evening) and I said goodbye at the subway entrance, one of the models also said her goodbyes. "So I'll see you...next week?" the young man she was speaking to asked. "You'll see me when you see me," the girl replied—then turned and disappeared down the stairs. - Pamela Grossman; Oct 7, 2010
Ivana Helsinki
58 W 72nd St (Suite 3A)
(The King Collective)
New York, NY 10023
(212) 787-0821
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