It was a hip scene last night at Milk Studios, where two-year-old label, Suno, gave a knockout presentation of cheerful, zig-zaggy pieces to a crowd of familiar fashion editors and downtowny faces. Even Ms. Wintour made her way through the Heineken-sipping crowd, which parted like the Red Sea to make room for her bob. If you haven't already heard of Max Osterweis--the charming Brooklyn-based designer responsible for all the hubbub--we guarantee you will come August, when sidewalks are crowded with his beaded belts and bold ikat dresses.
We've always wondered why Africa isn't mined for style inspiration more often (aside from "Safari" attire, which crawls out of its grave every two years), so we're thrilled that a cool, NYC label has taken the initiative.
"The inspiration for Fall 2010 came from, of course, the African prints we'd been using before, Turkish textiles, early '70's American interiors and...Klimt, the painter," explains Osterweis.
The models, sporting pointy giraffe-like braids poking straight up from their heads, were all having a blast in Osterweis' brighter-than-bright collection, bopping to the music and tapping their beaded platforms.
Fun and blast-having are exactly the moods that Osterweis' collection conveys: this is joyful, energetic and totally unpretentious fashion at its finest. Were we to coin a phrase, "ecstatic dressing" comes to mind.
