Carmen Marc Valvo Mesmerizes Crowd with Fall 2014 Collection at New York Fashion Week

I’ve been looking forward to attending Mercedes Benz Fashion Week‘s Autumn/Winter 2014 collections for months.  This is my second visit to MBFW and my first show of the season was Carmen Marc Valvo‘s collection.  It was presented in the Theater, the largest runway venue in the tents at Lincoln Center, with seating for 1,100.

Security was much tighter than the Spring/Summer 2014 shows last September. Check in was at the main entrance and admission was only granted with a confirmed seat or priority standing ticket.  Knowing that security was tighter this year than in seasons past, I arrived 40 minutes prior to show time.  This gave me plenty of time to view the various sponsors’ displays and network in the lounge area. The dimly lit lounge, much like a nightclub minus the alcohol and loud music, was a hub of activity filled to the brim with photographers and videographers editing images as fast as possible between shows.

Seating for the show began about 10 minutes prior to show time. I had a priority standing ticket and patiently stood in the back hoping a seat would open up. Moments before the show was to begin, Carmen Marc Valvo‘s PR team released unclaimed seats to the priority standing guests and I was seated in the third row and midway down the runway.  A perfect spot to see the beautiful details of this stunning collection.

The run of show document stated “Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire and strong, proud, fearless warrior women” as the inspiration for this collection. The 41 looks featured cocktail and evening wear pieces with leathers, furs, shimmering metallic lace, and silk shantung with steel chainmaille accents.  I loved every look, especially the embellished tunics paired with buttery leather pants. My favorite piece was a sapphire blue silk shantung gown with steel chainmaille bodice accents.

Fashion photography credit goes to both Shannon Michelle and Megan Ryan of Shannon Michelle Photography.