It was early February when I got an email from PLITZS Fashion Marketing PR team. It was a delightful invitation for PLITZS New York City Fashion Week Designer Showcase at the Warwick Hotel. The showcase featured 36 emerging designers on a two-day February 10 – 11, 2012. After a few email exchanges, we were ready to go there and cover the event (it’s been a while since we last came to NYC to cover the LES Runway show), but some urgent matters prevented us from actually taking the flight to NYC :(

Nevertheless, from the 36 designers that were showcased in the PLITZS NYC Fashion Week 2012, I narrowed down my favorites (after reading about their background and their past work) to 7 designers. Of course, with all the Fall Fashion Week frenzy in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, I couldn’t help but developing a specific preference of what styles I gravitate towards for the next fall season. I then asked for PLITZS’ permission to post my review (despite my absence) and send me the pictures of the designers’ work during the fashion show. And finally last week, PLITZS was really gracious on giving me the organized pictures (Tishema, you’re simply the best!) of the designers.

So without further ado, here are the highlights of 7 emerging designers that showed their collections on PLITZS NYC Fashion Week 2012:

*All pictures are courtesy of PLITZS Fashion Marketing.

Vanessa Mercedes:
To see the full Vanessa Mercedes presentation, please click here.

Ultra feminine. Flirty bombshell. Jazzy vixens. Hourglass silhouettes with cinched waist and a few flowy empire dresses conveyed the message she has in mind so clearly. Vanessa’s collection is filled with great party dresses for the popular, outgoing girls, but the one that caught my attention the most is a gorgeous coat (pictured left).

Personally, Vanessa’s collection overall isn’t my favorite, but I’m sure there’s a lot of women out there wanting to wear what she has to offer :)
Below are highlights from Vanessa’s collection:

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Pretty Pretty Rebel:
To see the full Pretty Pretty Rebel presentation, please click here.

Fashion designer Leah Delfiner stated clearly on her PLITZS NYC Fashion Week designer bio: “I want to paint the world pink!!”. And boy, did she just do exactly what she said she’d do. Not only there’s a lot of pink, but her collection is also filled with fun, funky, confident superwomen outfits. I might not wear her pieces ever, but seeing her collection just made me smile from ear to ear :)

The experience of her internship with Betsey Johnson shone through the collection, with all the crazy colors and out-of-the-box outfits that are sassy, bad-ass, but still very girly.

Seeing the outfits made me think that Leah had a lot of fun putting all of the outfits together for this showcase. Oh, good for you girl! Keep going in that fabulous road of yours!

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Provocation Design:
To see the full Provocation by Kristina Benshoff  presentation, please click here.

I like that Kristina Benshoff’s Provocation “Ophelia’s Soliloquy” collection explore diferent fabrics and techniques. This 2010 HATCH Asheville Fashion Groundbreaker award winner produced a collection that’s, for me, very exciting to watch. You’ll see my favorite look has yet to be mentioned, but Provocation Design has the best overall presentation in my book. I had a really difficult time choosing my favorite pieces, because I find myself liking a lot of them :)

The fact that Provocation by Kristina Benshoff was among Top 100 Designers to Watch by Us Trendy  is quite a no-brainer. Her designs are enjoyable and strike that perfect stance between expert DIY-er and aspirational high-end designer-in-the-making, the garments’ constructions look great, and the fit look nice, too. So here’s to Provocation Design! Keep going Kristina, you’re doing awesome!!

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Pretty Birdie:
To see the full Pretty Birdie presentation, please click here.

I always admire designers who are self-taught and worked their way up in the fashion industry. Stephanie Teague (from Charlotte, NC), the designer & seamstress behind Pretty Birdie showcased a diverse set of pieces that have the right amount of subtle spunk and personality, all the while being wearable and charming.

The collection gives a wide range of what Pretty Birdie fans can “eat up”, from separates, tunics, dresses, jumpsuits, outerwear that are available at Stephanieteague.etsy.com!

I love the vintage / modern mix vibe in her clothes, and my favorite outfit is the hemp denim blazer worn with matching hemp denim skirt and bustier. So cool and versatile; the possibilities of incorporating one’s wardrobe with those three pieces are endless. Fabulous!

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Unsung Productions:
To see the full Unsung Productions presentation, please click here.

Katie Dunn’s collection isn’t my favorite from the bunch, but it’s definitely feminine. There are some great pieces, especially the strapless nude floor-length gown, but even that appears to be a tiny bit too sheer (and the fact that the model’s wearing a black underwear didn’t help the presentation either).

I like the black sheer fabric layered on top of a cute bugundy-colored circle cocktail dress, but I had a difficulty finding a piece that I could really relate to. Aside from the overall color / fabric choices, I do respect the construction skills put into these garments because they look fantastic.

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Melancholic Design:
To see the full Melancholic Design presentation, please click here.

Jesse Thaxton graduates with BFA degree in Fashion Design from the University of North Texas. On her bio on PLITZS website, she expressed the importance of expression clarity in her design presentations. I sincerely think she showed her range in beautiful separates and dresses,

I have to say, I love this Melancholic Design collection. The outfit pictured left is hands-down my absolute favorite, out of all of the designers’ looks. And the rest of the collection has that vibe too, feminine without being girly, with a touch of masculine spunk and the right level of quirkiness.

Looking at her collection, the shapes (especially the outerwear), textures are clear and clean, the colors are well-defined. I enjoyed her collection and I see a great deal of potentials; she has so much room to solidify her stance as a true fashion designer. I sincerely wish Ms. Thaxton will continue pursuing her passsion in fashion!

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Mea Adams:
To see the full Mea Adams presentation, please click here.

A Columbus College of Art and Design graduate, Mea Adams gets her design influences from designers Betsey Johnson and Geoffrey Beene. The former’s vibe are apparent at times, but not in the too literal sense so that Ms. Adams’ own aesthetics show through.

Overall, I liked her collection a lot. Feminine, sexy, yet a bit cheeky. The garment constructions look great too!

From plunging V-neck jumpsuits, flowy separates, to body-hugging bodices, the silhouettes of the garments are crystal clear. There’s also that hint of poetry in the looks that subtly tells stories of which target demographic groups would gravitate towards which pieces in her collection.

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Congratulations again for all of the designers, hope you continue to pursue your passion in fashion!
I hope I can attend the fashion week in peson next time :)

Sincerely wishing all of them the best,
Musank