Alon Livne Celebrates Art Nouveau with Moroccan Imperialism-inspired Collection for Fall 2014

Alon Livne’s Autumn/Winter 2014 collection was shown in The Hub at the Hudson Hotel, an off site venue for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week presentations.  This venue was several blocks from the tents at Lincoln Center and a free shuttle was available for transporting guest back and forth. Commuting between venues can be a huge inconvenience, especially when the streets are filled with slush and snow, but Alon’s collection was worth the trek.  His show was my first time attending a MBFW presentation and I was thoroughly impressed.

The Hub is a large open space that accommodates about 200 guests. Pushing and shoving, the photographers were let in first as they all tried to get the best shots of the 20 looks on display.  Stunning models with center parted hair pulled into sleek low chignons wore luminous natural make-up. They stood perfectly still in 6 inch stilettos on the 3 tier riser stage with black backdrop while a blend of world and techno music thumped from the speakers for 90 minutes. The scene was abuzz with guests and media members networking between getting shots of the collection.

The run of show stated that the collection was inspired by “themes from George Melford’s epic silent film, “The Sheik”” and “early imperialism in Morocco, when the privileged of the world – and their beautiful daughters – journeyed across the sea, armed with trousseaus, on an oceanic pursuit of culture and romance.”  This fashion presentation provided guests with an up-close view of elaborate hand-embroidery and intricate beadwork on exquisite silks in shades rich mauve, amethyst, royal blue and cloud gray. Alon’s collection also featured stunning and dramatic handcrafted Swarovski crystal headpieces by jeweler Efrat Casuto.

Alon Livne has a loyal celebrity following. Art curator and couture collector Stacy Engman arrived during the final 30 minutes of the show along with famed Heiress Paris Hilton, both wearing pieces from Alon’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection. Their attendance created significant buzz as guests and media members scrambled to get a shot of them with the designer in front of the stage. The initial excitement of Paris and Stacy’s arrival took the attention off the fashion for a few minutes, but once everyone got the shots they wanted, the focus was back on the glamorous clothes.