Karen Walker Backstage to Runway

Thread’s Iris Chan attended the Karen Walker show at New York Fashion Week for Fall ’14 backstage to runway and brings us this runway report…

Thread’s Iris Chan attended the Karen Walker show at New York Fashion Week for Fall ’14 backstage to runway and brings us this runway report…

"Karen Walker brings a strong statement about the plight of the Suffragettes to her clothes. While the silhouette is classic Walker, there is a boldness in the statement of the clothes, both figuratively and literally.

This is a collection for the modern erudite woman who isn’t afraid to engage in the polemic." commented Thread’s reporter, Iris Chan, who was at the New York show today.

Below: Karen Walker backstage before the show.

Walker was subtle in her utilitarian influences in the collection – brushed cottons, drill and suede. The materials were strong, interwoven with more delicate embellishments. But she was blunt with her handbags. These were “metaphors for the modern woman.”

Walker has evolved to be a designer that is not afraid to use her craft as art. She explores ideas that interest her as a modern woman.

Benjamin Puckey for Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics took to Walker’s concept. He created a look that was bold with a heavy eye and a puttied lip look. It was difficult not to be captivated by the look. It called for attention, but not in the pretty way. Almost a jolie laide touch to it.

The hair was styled from Bumble and Bumble. It was a tousled but soft look. As if to say, “I don’t care” but in the most sumptuous of ways.

The press release states, “it is a celebration of the Suffragette, her subversion of beauty, rejection of traditional prettiness, and her ability to perfectly combine modernity and utility for the woman on the march.” But the pluralism in the collection makes it accessible for all women.

Below: runway photos by Getty Images. See more photos here on Thread, and watch our own video backstage at Karen Walker here.

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