Calla Fall 2013: Playful splashes of Technicolor

For the France-based Canadian fashion designer Calla Haynes, economics partially influenced a move from Paris to New York Fashion Week last year.  But it is now becoming clear that she and some of the other young designers showing at the off-site MADE Fashion Week present a compelling argument for attendees to ditch uptown in favor of the Meatpacking District.

The Fall 2013 presentation of Calla – Haynes’ namesake, self-described “casual luxury” label – not only reflects this up-and-coming talent, but rates several notches above some of this season’s shows at Lincoln Center.  With two sets of black and purple looks serving as bookends, the intriguing focus of this fun collection dared to challenge the long-held belief that white is inappropriate for the winter.

Haynes drew from a variety of retro technology references for her collection, such as old school video games and outer space imagery. Indeed, bright yellow and mint green fused into cardigans, a floor-length gown and sweaters boldly emblazoned with the designer’s name, in a couple of cases juxtaposing with sparkling black splatter paint prints.  Even the darker ensembles showed a light playfulness, with Tetris-inspired rectangular patterns cutting across stiff blazers and violet flower petals softly floating along flouncy skirts.