Leifsdottir
Type of Place: Designers
Description:
I am a big fan of fashion shows. I love their excitement and artistry, their music and lighting, their drama. I love how so many varied elements of presentation combine to express a designer's vision. It's a beautiful and a fascinating thing.
But I'm far from the only one out there who loves these shows; and that fact means fashion-show lines and fashion-show crowds that can at moments make a thrilling display feel a bit reminiscent of a packed 5 train. So a 2-hour open-house presentation, like the one last week from Anthropologie offshoot Leifsdottir--with drinks, snacks, and come-and-go-as-you-please attendance--was a soothing and utterly civilized antidote to the normal Fashion Week routine.
I was charmed from the moment I arrived. The theme for Spring '09 was "Mer-Chic," and the showroom was beautifully decorated with sea-related props, including a plaster-cast octopus chandelier from artist Adam Wallacavage.
It happens that I find nirvana on just about any beach; but I think I'd have loved these fresh, feminine, and flat-out lovely clothes even if that weren't the case. Among the many highlights: a sleeveless blouse in blue or pink with soft (but not childish) ruffles; a white skirt with sculptural white embroidery; a pink, white, and orange striped dress that I would have loved as a child but loved just as much now (the model wearing this in the showroom held a shell to her ear and play-chatted on it--hmm, a "shell phone"?); a sleevelss coral and white scalloped dress; a sheer cream-colored blouse with subtle dots and rich flower detail; an equally creamy blouse with a starfish print; a pink skirt with pink sewn-on flowers layered lushly above the hem; and shell-and-seahorse-printed capris. Womanhood, these clothes say, need not be a solemn affair; and whimsy can join up with pretty and sexy any time.
Limited-edition organic-cotton t-shirts gently point up the perils now faced by various sea creatures, aiming to raise awareness about ongoing threats from global warming. Proceeds from these shirts will benefit the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Altruists and ocean lovers, designing immensely appealing and wearable clothes and presenting them in a viewer-friendly manner: It was Fashion Week bliss. I wandered around in a happy trance and hated to leave. Eventually, though, it was time to move on; but I'll look forward to seeing these clothes in stores (and, I hope, in my own closet) come spring.
- Pamela Grossman; Sept 15, 2008
Leifsdottir
New York, NY
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