Falguni Shane and Peacock Fall 2013

This husband and wife design duo was one of my favorite discoveries this past NY Fashion week.  They got their start making custom pieces for India's elite.  Now their dramatic, luxurious pieces have made their way into international boutiques and celebrities like Jennifer Lopez. 

The prints, the elaborate embroidery, the cyber-futuristic corseting had a dark and edgy feel.  Fierce and glamorous, I would love to strut down Gotham streets or a red carpet in any of these Falguni and Shane Peacock looks.  

Sergio Davila's Steampunk Muse

Most people love Steampunk as an aesthetic, but see it as a costume.  How do you bring a sense of romance and vintage appreciation into every day sportswear?  Peruvian designer Sergio Davila seems to have solved this question at his recent Fall 2013 fashion show.

Using a love of natural fiber fabrics and classic tailoring techniques, he created a collection for men and women with a vintage color palette of brown, grey, tan and black.  While the inspiration was retro, he updated the styling for more modern tastes.  Leather and brass hardware are nice details to trim shaped collars. Slicked hair for the gents and pin-up girl waves brought back the look of groomed days past...

See the full collection here. 

Betsey Johnson - 40 Years of Lolita Fashion

Fashion icon Betsey Johnson has been making Lolita-friendly, whimsical frocks for over 40 years.  Tuesday night at a Manhattan nightclub, there was a runway show/birthday party/concert in her honor.

I have to say it was one of my favorite fashion events that I have ever attended as my childhood pop icon, Cyndi Lauper opened the show performing Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and True Colors.  She was dressed on a Gothic/punk Lolita outfit of black tulle skirt, swiss dot bustier and studded leather jacket.

Next, the models danced down the runway in outfits that spanned from Betsey Johnson's 1960's looks all the way through current seasons of 2012.  Pink champagne, pink popcorn and pink cupcakes were served to guests who danced the night away until the sun came up!

Norisol Ferrari - Bespoke Punk Goth

I met my new fashion heroine last week.  Her name is Norisol Ferrari.  She is a strong, Amazonian woman who makes no excuses for her super luxurious sable coats and makes no compromises in her quality and fit. She is often compared to Alexander McQueen, which she does not agree with, except to say they both are inspired by mens' tailoring and military uniforms.  Instead, she cites more historical references like Dior's New Look that she finds to be a muse, except she updates it with modern materials and some edgier gang references.  

She has very strong opinions on how many designers try to infantilize women.  She builds clothes for a woman's shape with an almost warrior-like passion.  Norisol has images of Frida Kahlo and Louise Brooks on her office wall.  She has trinkets and carved skulls from her travels and a wall of taxidermy to show her darker influences.  Her collection for Fall 2012 was drawn from a classic Jean Harlow meets Tina Turner of Mad Max as her muse.

Norisol proudly produces her collection with trusted artisans in New York.  She refuses to sell out or tailor her label to anything less than what truly inspires her, regardless of cost.  In this day of outsourcing and penny counting, her fashion manifesto is a career to look up to.

Check out our exclusive interview by Mdivani Monroe:

Maria Pryor - Argentine Fashion Designer in NY

Can it be called Gothic fashion if it isn't black?  What if the entire palette is ghostly white (the collection was for Spring 2011)?  

Maria Pryor showed her runway presentation as part of the Argentine Designers show at New York Fashion week at Lincoln Center last week.  Her grouping of dreamy, edgy dresses were my favorite of the bunch.  There were corset details, trailing fronds, a few bondage and medieval elements.

The designer studied art and fashion design in Milan and has been awarded multiple prizes, including the Moet & Chandon prize, and Best of Miami Fashion Week by E! Entertainment television.

Temperley and Alice Spring 2011 Collections

When you think of Spring, does the theme "getting Medieval on your ass" come to mind?  Me neither.  The Temperley "Guinevere" collection and the less expensive "Alice by Temperley" collection held their presentation for NY Fashion Week on Tuesday.  

One collection featured some innovative (but surprisingly wearable) variations on chain mail.   Leather corset vests, armor-inspired necklaces embedded into ladylike dresses.  Another showed soutached black lacy embroidery.  A simple t-shirt print had Gothic cameo motifs with chandeliers and ravens.  

Street Style at NY Fashion Week

Hello darlings.  I did not abandon you... I have been deeply buried at Lincoln Center in NYC to cover fashion week for our sister site, Ms Fabulous.  As they are showing collections for Spring 2011, I am not seeing a lot of dark and seductive clothing.  A few exceptions have been Concept Korea's Resurrection show and Manuel De La Cruz.  I will post photos and reviews of those later...

For now, I just wanted to show you a few street style snaps of the fashion fans I found around the runway...

NY Fashion Week: Severe, Dark and Stormy at Chado Ralph Rucci

This Fall 2009 show by Chado Ralph Rucci seemed to have a strict, severe, dominatrix in mind. A woman who demonstrates she is boss by any means necessary, but still needs feminine, mainstream clothes for the day to day. This beautiful collection had very wearable clothes for civilians, but with some subtle edgy details. Leather straps braided into a web-like top to frame the body of a black widow. Asian gargoyles and statues printed on black sheer fabrics to tease the onlooker. Slashed soft fabrics to mimic a decaying iceberg that is breaking apart. The makeup was dramatic. Eyes were done in dark, heavy eyeliner for a smouldering effect. Hair was slicked or pulled back severely. Message here: Don't mess with Chado Ralph Rucci's divas.

NY Fashion Week: Black Satin and Leather at Cynthia Steffe

The Courtesan usually loves to follow her favorite edgy and dark chic designers every season here at Fashion Week in NYC. One designer who surprised me quite a bit this season, was Cynthia Steffe. I remember meeting Ms. Steffe back in her heyday, voted by People Magazine as one of the most beautiful people in the world. She was designing ladylike, refined collections for ladylike refined women. This collection however, showed some sharp, dramatic, hard rock and roll looks, with some seriously sexy outifts and soaring stiletto heels. Look for deep burgundy lipstick, tough expression, leather, satin, sheers, crushed velvet and lush peacock prints come Fall 2009. See more photos here.