Academy of Art University Xiang Zhang's Fall '12 Collection

photos courtesy of the Academy of Art University

 Students, people in the biz and celebrities, from Miss Jay Alexander to Real Housewives of NYC's Alex McCord, came out to Lincoln Center to see what 8 young designers from the Academy of Art University could really achieve.

 All of the collections were very distinctive from one another, but there were three things they had in common: all were very chic, clean, and modern. Jeanette Au was definitely the most free-spirited in that the materials used were quite unique with vine-like detailing all up and down the coats. 

Jade Juanyu Liu and Deanna Pei-Ju Lo on the other hand, both took a much more conservative-contemporary approach with the “woman going to work” styles. Liu had structured liner coats, white button downs, neutral colors, and long hemlines. Many of the designs had a very modern look with little slits in the front and back of the coats, tops, and dresses with copper lining slightly showing inside. Similar to Liu, Pei-Ju Lo had sharp shoulders, collarless coats with open plackets, knee-length hemlines, and a black/navy theme. 

Kate Y.K. Lee created a fantastic twist to the rest with her very strange yet intriguing take to parkas and puffer coats. Instead of using the very common materials like tricot and nylon, she used leather, yet still brilliantly created the inviting and warm look to a puffer coat.  

Donghyuk Dan Kim’s menswear was a fantastic add to the rest of the lines with long trench coats, plaid pants and shirts, and of course, fur and leather trimming on anything and everything. And that aspect mixed with the rich browns, black, and army greens created a sort of luxury goes hunting feel to it all. 

Wu Di’s approach to her designs was much more simplistic and geometric. With her use of simple colors like black, nude, beige and white, and the slicked back hair on the models, the entire line was very elegant. Similar to Di’s, Xiang Zhang’s collection was also elegant and sophisticated. It almost reminded us of Chloé’s spring-summer 2011 RTW collection in that it was simple with color using beige and nude, high collars and thin pleats. It almost had a ballerina effect to it. 

Amy Bond’s line was simple and involved mostly black and navy, with laidback, relaxed fits. The combinations were the perfect looks to take from day to night.

 The entire show was fascinating and all of the collections were impeccable! We're looking forward to what these bright, young designers do in the future!

Academy of Art University Deanna Pei-Ju Lo's Fall '12 Collection

photos courtesy of the Academy of Art University

Academy of Art University Jade Juanyu Liu's Fall '12 Collection

photos courtesy of the Academy of Art University