A Cykic Review "The American Avant Garde"

Shane Gabier and Chris Peters of Creatures of the Wind showed their Fall 2012 collection last night at the Desmond Tutu Center in Chelsea. The Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund runners-up are not only thriving from their success as one of the ten finalists of the CFDA’s exceptional competition, but were validated through their distinctive aesthetic and knack for choosing diverse fabrics.  A-line skirts with stripes and chevrons, mohair sweaters, leather dresses, and button down embroidered blouses incorporated a subdued brightness.  This consisted of a black base paired with mustard yellow, blood red, sea foam green, and dull greys.  The Chicago-based duo attained inspiration from “The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies”, a seventeenth-century book.  Written by the Scottish Episcopalian minister Robert Kirk, he was known for collecting his parishioners’ tales of the supernatural. Even though I was disappointed not to find any sort of nymph or transcendental super-human prancing about the runway, it still felt ethereal and notably satisfying.