Designer Jose Natori crossed continents while navigating a fashion career and creating her global brand, the House of Natori. She used her own name in various forms to extend her fashions through ready-to-wear, lingerie, home, bedding, fragrance and accessories. For spring, Natori’s cocktail dresses are simply cut with subtle, yet noticeable, details. She used neutral colors along with mint green, beige, black and white. Her collection was inspired by her close-knit family in the Philippines, where she was born and raised. “Women are encouraged to be entrepreneurs,” said Natori. Her grandmother always said, “Don’t put yourself in a position where you have to depend on anyone.”
Designer Erin Fetherston’s spring collection established her signature soft styles. Her looks are feminine, whimsical and romantic. Fetherston was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area and graduated from Berkeley before attending Parson Paris to study fashion. Her collection flowed beautifully down the runway. There were dresses for day and gowns for evening in floral prints and solids.
In her collection, there was also a reference of the new utility fashion trend that peeked out in many designer collections for 2016. The idea is to fuse fashion with function to create a clean, contemporary feeling. You will see this direction influencing beauty, home and lifestyle products. The combination of black and white usually shows up with a black skirt, jumper or pants worn with a white shirt. This look takes you right into fall 2016. It is also a unisex look that fuses practicality with sophisticated design. Key looks include clean-cut overcoats, relaxed suits (especially for men) and chic casual wear. Shades of khaki complement the fabrics that function well.
Beauty Note: For 2016, the beauty look (face/makeup) is to appear as natural as possible, with definitions, of course, but nothing is overdone. Focus is on the brow and bone structure of your face. Eye lashes are defined, showing off your feminine features Hair is pushed back and controlled. Lips have a semi-shine with rose-like tints of color.
Renee Minus White is the author of “Maybe: My Memoirs,” a story about her life as an original member of the Chantels, now available online at Amazon and on Kindle. For inquiries, email attstyle@yahoo.com.