NYFW Leanne Marshall AW18

The always anticipated Leanne Marshall New York Fashion Week runway show brought romantic elegance with a hint of edge to Spring Studios this Valentine’s Day.

The newly engaged fashion designer highlighted Cupid’s day by placing a custom-made Valentine by Lovepop on each and every seat with a Fall/Winter sketch and love note to her fans. Hundreds of industry experts instantly felt a personal connection to Leanne opening and closing their interactive pop up cards as they took their seats and waited for the show to begin in the gorgeous light-filled gallery overlooking the Hudson River.

Moody melodies overtook the space, and the first model took to the catwalk in a trendy wet hair look by Aveda and an uncharacteristic structured navy sheath dress. Audience heads began to turn with delight as chunky knitwear pieces, subtly striped separates, and oversized jackets passed through the runway threshold.

Leanne Marshall stunned today with a vibrant runway dripping with gorgeous gowns and sweatered separates. Her palette consisted of charcoal, midnight navy, dusty rose, metallic bronze, citron, and cyan. The unexpected color combinations flowed gorgeously from one capsule to the next with her signature silk chiffon silhouettes, wool shift dresses, and organic cotton outerwear.

Waved and scalloped cutouts added a touch of drama and served as a departure from her usual penchant for flowy fabrics. Each piece in the collection was crafted sustainably, whether from leftover, hand-dyed bridal materials or organically sourced cottons.

The show also featured a bevy of beautiful faces in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Forty models strutted the runway, many of whom were plus sized and real sized, echoing the designer’s desire to dress all women. Flaunting the beauty of every body, Leanne chose to steer away from the norm and feature fitted, body-hugging silhouettes.

In true Leanne Marshall fashion, the runway show closed with a stunning, voluminous gown. This season in a statement making citron, the drop waist showstopper featured lace illusion and crinkle silk organza details. The designer’s sweet fiancé Remy made his first catwalk appearance handing over a lovely bouquet of festive red roses to his bride to be as a loving “aw” trickled throughout the crowd.

What was your inspiration behind this collection?

The inspiration driving this collection was one of reuse, repurpose, and regeneration. A lot of the items are made of regenerated textiles or stainable textiles. A lot of the gowns were actually formerly wedding gowns that I personally hand dyed, so you’ll see some variations in tonality cause it’s impossible sometimes to get from one shade to the next with different textiles. It was a lot of experimentation. Zero-waste cutting processes all to try to minimize any amount of waste. The fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to waste in our world and the magnitude of the problem is just enormous and I think people really aren’t aware…the consumer I don’t feel like it is quite there yet. I think as an industry even, there are some people who are still in the dark about it, but I think it’s something that all designers going forward really…we all have to keep it in mind when creating something new. We can’t be contributing to this incredible problem.

How do you feel like your style has evolved since your Project Runway days?

A lot has remained the same, but it has gotten refined over the years. Still, architectural details combined with movement and fluidity.

Do you have any pre-show routines?

No. I mean not eat, not sleep enough, stress out. After the show though, yeah. I always go get a drink.

You just got engaged in December. Congratulations! Are you planning on designing your own dress?

Of course! Oh yes. Of course!

Can you give us a sneak peek of any ideas you have for the dress?

I still have no idea. I will probably have to have three of them because I’m really indecisive when it comes to what I personally wear.