STLFW Emerging Designer Competition

In case you missed the entire extravaganza that happened during the #STLFW Emerging Designer Competition at Union Station (read: everything) here is what you need to know to talk about these 6 collections like a fashion connoisseur.

DANIELLA KALLMEYER

It takes an artist’s virtuosity to dress up the #girlgang models with the sobriety and nonchalance of boys. Against the music backdrop of throbbing drum rolls that reminds us of Stravinsky’s modern masterpiece Rite of Spring, Daniella Kallmeyer showed us how she collapsed the planes of primitive aesthetics and modern minimalism into this winning collection.

WAI MING

Emily Koplar’s celebration of romance flourishes through coral pink marble prints, draping silhouettes and hemlines that swirl around the ankles while her models sashay with the uttermost poise of a baroness. The Wai Ming SS15 collection brought onto stage an exodus of feminine finesse, one that exudes an air of effortless elegance her brand has long been famous for. Browse through her other collections at WaiMingStudio.com.

JESSIE LIU

The collection drips youthful exuberance, each look mesmerizes the audience with a mosaic of bold colors and natural forms that are distorted and looked at through a kaleidoscope. Jessie Liu’s looks burst forth with psychedelic dispositions, featuring vivaciously colorful, va va voom striped pants and raglan sleeve coats, all the while maintaining an almost perfect, Rorschach-inkblot symmetry. See more of her SS15 collections here or on Vogue UK here.

COLLINA STRADA

Started out designing the chic-est handbags you could ever spot at Coachella, Hillary Taymour a.k.a THE It-girl of Williamsburg won the hearts of all show-goers this year (I clapped fanatically for Hillary and her dog Pow Wow). Collina Strada’s collection blurs all borders between structured, sportswear-inspired outfits and bohemian chic dresses, combining leather with sheer, psychedelic print with minimal monotone while giving the collection a little luxe edge (think black leather bralette and sheer-back T-shirt dress). Get your cool-girl leather fix and shop her collection here.

REMI CANARIE


Just when we were all in awe at landscape prints, bold brushstrokes with various shades of blue and ornate embroidery, the collection brought forth clean, monotone outfits that are imbued with subtle innuendos in their sheer illusion details, bare midriff and bold cuts. Drop-dead gorgeous with her turquoise cat-eye makeup, the Remi Canarie woman lured us all with her seductive demureness. Click here to see more.

HARBISON

Harbison took the runway by STORM, evoking the most applause from the audience and eventually won the surprise Runner-up Award from STLFW. Twelve looks from his collection exude the aristocratic extravaganza that makes us all sentimental about the 60s (can we talk about the oh-so-tilted hats? And those red pairs of lips? And...). This Parsons graduate designer has gone a long way from his collection at STLFW last year, surprising us all by lacing the women’s structured suits with metallic zipper, crystals on floral 3D details and (gasp) oversized fur clutches...Indulge yourself.

All images courtesy of Brown Shoe Company.
A version of this article appears on GEMINIJUNEMOON on October 26, 2014.