[Images via Style.com]

Michael Angel

Light and dark, soft and hard, thesis and antithesis…having contrasts can be a great thing. They bring dimension and diversity, adding that Je ne sais quoi where it was previously non-existent. Michael Angel‘s Spring 2011 collection was full of them: hidden vs revealed, inspired by a recent trip to Rome, bursting prints vs matte, transparent latex, buttoned-up collars vs. skirts with daring slits. Throughout it all, the designer kept his trademark prints yet somehow managed to present a simple, minimalist collection that was at times, appropriately austere and lush.

[Images via Style.com]

Buckler

If the models on Buckler’s Spring runway looked like fresh-faced Eastern European athletes, that look was intentional. Designer Andrew Buckler, whose self-proclaimed design concept is “English bloke meets New York,” said he was inspired by Bauhaus, as well as the 1936 Olympics. “The guys have sort of just come in off the running field,” the designer shared with FPD in a quick post-show interview. There was a weathered elegance to the pieces, with a splash of sportiness and a pinch of rock and roll. I’d like to think that if Kafka was around, he might pick up a Buckler piece or two on the way to the library, or the gym.

[Images via thebudgetbabe.com]

Nautica

For Nautica, Spring 2011 is all about the water , the people and the places of the American Southern Coast: easy, charming, vibrant, authentic. A great showing of casual, yet put-together menswear echoed the sentiments of spring 2011: variations of khaki with a burst of color here and there is the way to go.

[Images via the Sally LaPointe Facebook page]

Sally LaPointe

“A mix of beauty and distortion, the collection is inspired by the intoxication of accepting madness.” This is the opening statement on Sally LaPointe’s Spring 2011 run-of-show. What followed was beautiful and distorted alright, with exaggerated shoulders and hips, and rose-embellished moon boots with billowing, amorphous dresses. It was foreign and bright, with lots of shimmering silver and patches of black, much like what you imagine a trip to the moon might be.

[Images via Kaci Hamilton]

Luis Valenzuela

Eco-friendly fashionistas out there, prepare to be blown away by Luis Valenzuela’s Spring 2011 collection. The artist and designer was inspired by, of all people, his grandfather, to create a women’s collection made from existing materials: a lamp shade, men’s trousers, an old chandelier. The result was a whole new take on “masculine” women’s wear. Valenzuela still managed to evoke Victorian drama even when you could see the waistband and belt loops of a pair of men’s pants as the back of a model’s dress.

-Kaci Hamilton

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-Kaci Hamilton

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If this week’s Brown Shoe Co preview is anything to go by, we have some beautiful footwear styles to look forward to this spring. Lots of color, laser and eyelet-inspired cutouts, and wider heels will make for very chic looks in 2011. The always classic Franco Sarto was on  hand, as well as eco-chic newcomers Naya, and lots of rockstar-inspired styles from Unity by Carlos Santana and Fergie.

Franco Sarto (who was actually on site!) showed a plethora of practical styles that will transition well from work to after-hours cocktails. Lots of mixed textures included suede with metallic, basket weave wedge heels, and simple stitching details.

Fergie channeled her time spent on stage right into her footwear collection, with funky lucite heels and ribbons of electric pink and green. Her Fergalicious line will also have all the same fun flirtatiousness for the wallet-pleasing price of under $200, with mass retailer distribution.

Unity by Carlos Santana is sticking to what works; instead of creating a bunch of new styles, the brand is revamping their best sellers, giving shoe mavens more texture and colors to their staunch favorites.

Newcomer Naya (launched in spring 2010) promises to make pounding the tough sidewalks a breeze, with arch support and cushy padding in eco-friendly ways. The brand’s mission is to constantly find and incorporate  ways to be earth-friendly: they use all natural materials, vegetable dyes, recycled cork and bamboo for their heels. Even their boxes are made from recycled materials and have less of all that wasteful paper stuffing.

-Kaci Hamilton

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For FPD’s eco-conscious readers who are consistently torn between saving the planet and doing it stylishly, you’re in for a treat. LooptWorks was launched in September 2009, when some apparel industry veterans merged Pacific Northwest eco-sensibilities with their love of fashion. The line takes the top-quality scraps from big fashion brands and creates cool, contemporary separates. The city girl with an outdoorsy heart can find sleek hoodies, menswear-inspired shirts, jackets with playful pops of plaid and whimsical graphic tees that retail from $24-$180. Done in half the time, with half the resources, the finished product is a hand-numbered collectible that’s one of about 500. Better yet, each piece is double-needle and triple-needle stitched to last way into next season.

There are some crafty accessories too, like laptop sleeves made from upcycled wetsuit material (a match for Ra’mon’s avant-garde neoprene dress from Project Runway’s Season 6, perhaps?)

LooptWorks has inspired us to coin a new adage: one man’s scraps is another’s sartorial savvy.

-Kaci Hamilton

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