PINK TARTAN MAKES ITS MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK DEBUT

If you hate pink, and tartan plaids are not so much your thing, it’s ok, you can still wear Pink Tartan.  The line, designed by Canadian Kimberley Newport-Mimran, made its New York Fashion Week debut in a presentation in The Box at Lincoln Center.  I was expecting something so painfully young and cute, and teeth-achingly pink.  I was wrong.  Pink Tartan is a line that is, I’ll say, young at heart, but kind of ageless, in its way.

The pink in Pink Tartan was actually inspired by Newport-Mimran’s little girl.  She told me, “I thought about my daughter, Jacqueline, when I was thinking of a name for the company.  She loves pink.”  The line itself has a certain elegance and sophistication, from the leopard-print tops to tailored dresses.  There is an adorable, horizontal-striped summer dress you don’t have to be afraid to wear.

There’s a real mod touch to the collection, with blocked black and white dresses, tapered slacks and little pops of color.  But there is nothing derivative here, it’s so authentic, some of it could almost be vintage, but it’s all brand new.  “Before I start a collection, I do a lot of research,” she told me.  “I want everything to be right.”  And it is.

There is actually a bit of a Canadian fashion dynasty going on here.  Kimberley Newport-Mimran is married to Joe Mimran, of Joe Fresh fame.  But Pink Tartan is a line that stands on its own, and I hope we see more of it in Fashion Weeks to come.

Photography:Anton Brookes