Collina Strada NYFW : A Largely Genderless Collection

The Collina Strada NYFW presentation was presented at Pier 59. This ready-to-wear brand founded by Hillary Taymour presented a fluid and largely genderless SS 2017 collection. This wave-inspired collection of shapes, lines, and textures was also punctuated by the curious addition of “Call Mom” on several of the items. After speaking with Hillary Taymour, she noted that it was a result of her forgetting to call her own mother for “for like four weeks” so she “wrote it down on a pair of pants and still forgot”.

Hillary Taymour has an Associates degree in Product Development and a Bachelors degree in business management from The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. The first Collina Strada NYFW show was presented for Spring / Summer 2015. In her interview, Hillary mentioned she is doing a whole range of color blocking this season. This technique is when contrasting colors are used in the same garment. Taymour now sells her collection internationally, and mentioned that Market Week and trade shows in cities such as Paris helped her significantly expand her international presence. One piece of advice she had for young designers looking to break into the level of presenting at NYFW was “just be true to yourself” and that “you have to be really strong with your own vision.”

Indeed, her vision was front and center at the presentation itself. The models were all bathed in designs coming from a projector. This made the presentation stand out among the many that we attended during Fashion Week. Also present was a table was selling her “Call Mom” hats and her sweaters. The A/C was blasting and the relief from this unseasonably hot Saturday was present in the onlookers faces upon entry to the presentation, but once they saw the collection and had a real reason to be impressed.