Velvet, rich color dominate runways, capture fall 2005

The shows went on as Olympus Fashion Week continued in New York City. Designers' lines began to show similarity as Tracy Reese, Cynthia Steffe and Tamsen showed their fall 2005 lines. Velvet, embroidery and coat dresses dominated the Steffe and Reese runways, welcoming rich luxury for the cooler season. The erogenous zone for the fall will be the back as designers such as Reese, Kara Suan and Kimora Lee Simmons among others showed shirts and dresses with openings and deep v-necks in the back. Accessories were a significant part of all three shows as models on the Steffe runway wore necklaces with ribbon and fur tied around them, and Tamsen models wore big wooden beaded necklaces that resembled African jewelry. Though accessories caught the eye of many on the runway, it was the ornate detail of embroidery on Steffe's and Reese's clothing that blew away celebrities such as Mya and Nina Sky. \nTamsen\nThe Tamsen duo added a bit of mystery to the fall 2005 runway show coming in as unknowns to the New York fashion world. Designers Sue Firestone and Mimi Wolfe showed their first collection aboard their family yacht and decided to create a line out of chiffon tops and silk sarongs. The runway was covered in dried flower petals with a colorful backdrop. The organic patterns were translated from the artwork of R.W. Firestone into a collection that embodied New York's edginess with tight black satin genie pants, oversized blouses, black charmeuse bubble skirts and black charmeuse crop pants. Looks included a brown landscape dress with suede lace-up front, a black T-back dress with blue waterfall back swag and colorful printed sheer tunics that gathered and tied at the waist. One of the most memorable pieces was a turtleneck with a back swag and waist tie that revealed the small of the back. The show included many pieces that can move from day to evening, and the watercolor-like patterns helped express a feminine look with a serious edge. It was a show that stuck out at Fashion Week, signaling the unique flavor of the Tamsen duo. \nTracy Reese\nThe Tracy Reese show was nothing short of spectacular as she stuck with her traditional routine of feminine glamour with an elegant air. Reese included embroidered coat dresses with full skirts in her collection, along with dresses with dropped waists. Many of the pieces were sheer and resembled lingerie, but instead of lace Reese used beading and ruching as decorative elements. The show was ultra-feminine with flouncy knee-length skirts and dresses. The looks presented included a flouncy brown floral tea dress, a pink flower corsage beaded dropped shoulder dress with a dropped waist, a camel coat with a fur collar and sleeves over a nectar gold film embroidered frock. \nR&B Duo Nina Sky, clad in Reese's designs, were among the guests.\n"We really liked the stuff, we will definitely be wearing it again," said Nicole of Nina Sky. "I also liked the dresses especially the beaded ones. They were really nice." \nOther looks included a lavender poiret posy dropped-waist frock with a low v-neck back and a lilac velvet coat over a poiret posy tea dress with gathered detail on the collar, a black velvet ruched cami dress and a cherry deco tiered slip. \n"I was inspired by the '20s and '30s and the old Victorian era, actually all my favorite eras," Reese said. "I took inspiration from the past and thought, 'How do I make it right for now?'" \nMany in the industry call Reese the premier black designer, and with a company worth more than $20 million, who can deny it? Vogue Editor-at-Large Andre Leon Talley had nothing but good things to say about Reese backstage after the show. \n"She makes it youthful, wearable and saleable; it is her best collection yet," Talley said.\nReese is swiftly climbing the high fashion ladder and will soon cater the consumer with elegant taste on a smaller budget with her second line, titled Plenty. \n"The second line is a little more casual; it is our other baby," Reese said. "It's less expensive and funky. It is a little more downtown." \nCynthia Steffe\nSteffe also had a very feminine show, but with a theme of royalty and warmth. Models marched down the runway in velvet coat dresses in deep shades of garnet and blue. The blue velvet circle skirts with gold embroidery, a garnet crushed-velvet trench coat over a porcelain blue poet blouse and bordeaux doll dress with a fur trim collar were all inspired by Russia. Most of the dresses were adorned with gold embroidered waistbands. \n"I loved it," said singer-songwriter Mya. "It was young with a bit of royalty. I liked the rich reds and dark blues. I loved the black military jacket." \nThe show was heavily influenced by the Russian empire and included a black Vladimir coat, a mink-collared pink champagne duchess coat with brown buttons and a Prussian blue-velvet Anastasia jacket over a gold-embroidered Donegal skirt.\n-- Contact Asst. Arts Editor Patrice Worthy at pworthy@indiana.edu.