A.W.A.K.E. RTW Fall 2019

It started off strongly with beautifully structured pieces, yet arced off into a poorly developed story line when creative designer Natalia Alaverdian split her collection into three narratives. In the first chapter, which was reminiscent of Phoebe Philo’s Celine, neutral palettes and chic silhouettes highlighted the designer’s deft hand at tailoring.

Skirts were cut asymmetrically and held together by a deconstructed waistband and these pieces were shown in a variation of black leather, gray wool and beige cotton options. Leather looks stole the show, a pair of high-waisted trousers stood out sharply and elsewhere, a high-shine skirt ensemble popped.

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Just as suddenly as it started, the music stopped and the stage was plunged into darkness with many wondering if Alaverdian had presented a very short yet sweet collection — which would have been ideal.

Then the second section began with a tartan square-neck dress, a jarring departure from the brown pleated coat that was just shown before. “The second part was very me, what I have inside, just crazy. It’s a little bit of Scottish Highlander and Tudor-y,” Alaverdian said.

She played with necklines from an off-the-shoulder top cut with a sweetheart neckline to a darted white top with a u-shape neckline. She went as far as to lower the neckline of an otherwise beautiful navy blue dress, so that the model’s breasts hung out, which left many scratching their heads wondering for what occasion one would ever wear such an outfit.

There was another blackout and just as audience members were ready to applaud, another round of looks came out. There were some corduroy pieces scattered among more tartan looks. Alaverdian decided to throw in some volume for good measure, which came in the form of a cocoon-shaped quilted coat.

“I wanted it to seem like it was different realities within each other,” she said. While it was a commendable undertaking, Alaverdian would have benefited from grounding herself to one of her many worlds.

Launch Gallery: A.W.A.K.E RTW Fall 2019

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