NYFW: Mandy Coon Spring/Summer 2011

 At Mandy Coon's Spring/Summer 2011 show, the models, each wearing their jellyfish inspired bowl cut hair, looked as though they had just crawled out of the sea, after attending a futuristic black tie event under the sea that is. There was an element of raw design at work - the drapey fabrics looked freshly sewn, and the ripped helms added to this disheveled, unkempt vibe that lingered over the glamorous dresses, almost threateningly.

Mandy used a sort of jelly-like rubber material on many of the outfits: mostly as belts to add some texture and tie the collection together further. With a mix of materials from burlap to chiffon, it was the constrained colour palette of coral orange, grey and black, along with the layered, copy and paste idea that made this collection whole. Overall, it looks as though Mandy has begun to settle on her vision as a designer: and this collection was imaginative yet refined - a truly playful, zesty and innovative take, with an authentic, raw feel. Mandy's designs were innovative, but it was her focus on just a few key elements and concepts that brought this together as a whole vision worth more than the sum of it's parts.