ROOTS IN TEXAS, A STYLE THAT IS ALL NEW YORK

In the interest of full disclosure, I had more heard about Cesar Galindo than actually seen his designs before seeing his Fall/Winter 2013 runway at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.  But I’d heard enough to know that this was a show I wanted to see.

At 9AM on Day 2 of Fashion Week, I was seated in the room when I caught sight of what I can only describe as something disturbing: a man (my research tells me he calls himself Marcus the Creature) pierced from head to toe with all kinds of objects, seated in the front row directly across from me.  I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.  Add to that the fact that one of Galindo’s sponsors was the new AMC show, “Immortalized”, a competition program about taxidermists, and all I could think was, oh no.

Well, it turns out odd was decidedly not the theme.  It was just one of those strange Fashion Week sightings, you see them all the time.  Galindo’s looks are the opposite of strange or disturbing, and not at all reminiscent of stuffed dead things.  What he creates are beautifully tailored, perfectly draped clothes for the truly sophisticated woman.

His use of color, always refreshing in Winter looks, was one of the impressive aspects of his collection.  Oh, yes, there were the requisite blacks and grays, but the looks popped with peacock blues, glimmering silvers and bright reds.

The lines were clean, the clothes elegant, classy and very wearable.  There wasn’t an overabundance of embellishments.  The looks stood on their own.  Even his outerwear was sleek and classic.

He called his show “La Vita Immobilizzata”, or “Life Suspended”, meant to suggest that we all slow down and enjoy what is in front of us.  I’m so happy I took the time to savor Cesar Galindo.  I can’t wait to see what he’ll do for Spring.

Photography: Anton Brookes