Model: Kika Rose at Models 1
Creative Director and Stylist: Naomi Mdudu
Make-up artist: Maddie Austin
Hair stylist: Valerie Benavides
Photographer: Paul Whitfield
February 18, 2012
Colour, Sensuality And A Hint Of '20s At Maria Grachvogel
The twenties served as strong starting point for Maria Grachvogel for fall, but not in the literal way that we saw at the shows last season. This translated on everything from cropped sleeve gold tops and skirts to the streamlined silhouettes of dresses and the polished look of the hair. Though the designer turned to the decade for inspiration, as always, she did it in her own way.
Having such a distinctive point of view can stifle many designers but its something that Grachvogel has done so well over the years. For fall all of her signatures were there but in updated forms. The green tones that usually dominate on her classic prints gave way to volcanic tones that immediately felt winter-appropriate but vibrant at the same time. Colour was also introduced on the series of gold tops and red on dresses with shorter hemlines than we have seen from her in the past.
What really makes her clothes so special is their functionality. Grachvogel is a designer that is so well in tune with what women want that each season her collections straddle the balance of minimalism and functionality, which is key in these types of austerity, whilst also having the ability to make women feel incredibly confident and sexy. Take the dresses for example. This season several came in simple styles at the front but had cuts out like a big one on the back of one dress that felt more sensual than it did overtly sexual.
September 17, 2011
Maria Grachvogel S/S12, Animal Print, Confident Femininity And Prints, Naturally
It was business as usual at the Maria Grachvogel show. While prints are all the range this season and appeared in just about every collection in New York, this is something that Grachvogel has always done and mastered. Although the signature print appears season after season, it always managed to look fresh and interesting on her knee length dresses and maxi styles.
For S/S12 she also experimented with animal prints on floaty dresses and bags, which were not my favourite pieces from the show but it was good to see her try something new and experimental.
As always, the lines were long and lean but Grachvogel also offered a good selection of long floaty romantic maxi dresses and chiffon tops. But don't be fooled. The long dresses that caught the wind as the model walked were far from cutesy. Grachvogel's clothes are all about power and strength and combined with the strong jewelery from her current collaboration with Erickson Beamon, that message could not have been any more clear.
17 Photos: View as Gallery | View as Slideshow
June 10, 2011
The Fash Pack June Editorial: Colour Me Badd
Model: Bridgett @ Elite London and Nina @ Premier
Stylist and Creative Director: Naomi Mdudu
Hair and Make-Up: Lucie Oliver
Photographer: Joseph Sinclair
February 19, 2011
It Was Business As Usual At Maria Grachvogel
Images by Naomi Mdudu/The Fash Pack
The newly reopened Savoy hotel was the perfect backdrop for Maria Grachvogel's fall collection. As always, the Grachvogel woman subtly exuded power and commanded the room. The strength of the brand is always the ease in which the pieces are worn. You can throw on any of the printed dresses or draped styles without needing much else.
Season after season, lace crops up, but it's not often that it's shown in an interesting way. However, that's exactly what the designer offered us. Single-breasted black blazers were styled over lace tops (showing off a bit of skin) teamed with Grachvogel's much-celebrated nude miracle trousers and elegant statement necklaces; it also appeared on the sleeves on a black all-in-one.
September 17, 2010
Maria Grachvogel Shows Minimalism At Its Best For Spring
Phoebe Philo's effect on the spring/summer shows was the hot topic of conversation during New York Fashion Week. Designers clearly took inspiration from her designs at Celine, showing minimalist pieces with a predominantely neutral colour palette. Unlike others, Maria Grachvogel has been doing timeless minimalism for years. It's all about designing clothes that work hard for customers, she recently told me.
A caramel silk crepe blouse opened the show styled with relaxed fit shorts in caramel satin backed crepe, shortly followed by a simple but classic nude shift dress that you'll wear season after season. The colour palette was fresh mainly centring on nudes, caramels and off-whites but Grachvogel also played with bright yellow on a dramatic floor length dress - that came volumous at the top and beautifully fitted at the bottom - and slouchy pocketed silk crepe shorts styled with a silver chiffon blouse. "I was just inspired to play with colour this season," she said, which translated on bright oranges and greens, that were worked with black and greys on her signature hand-painted prints.
The collection was deceivingly simple warranting a closer look to appreciate the detail making it ever the more necessary to watch the models walk up and down the runway to avoid missing small details like an intricate drape on the back of a dress or the pockets of shorts. And that was intentional. "Everything doesn't always have to be so obvious," she said backstage.
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