ALTER & KISS was the leading Central European fashion house that served the royals in the 19th century. It was founded in 1829 by Antal Alter from Vienna, and specialized in exquisite tailor-made gowns for the high society. The brand was revived in 2009 by Central St. Martins graduates Gabor Fabricius and Mei Mei Ding. Every season, ALTER & KISS invites young international designers from top fashion schools across Europe to to design for the collection. The SS 2010 collection was designed by London College of Fashion graduate Mojzes Dóra.
I received a lookbook in my inbox recently from Manila bases label Proud Race. Titled "93 to Infinity", the designers (Pat and Rik) name the 90s as their driving inspiration for this collection. Thankfully, they've channeled that inspiration into a feeling, rather than a look. Instead of ripped jeans and plaid shirts we're given beautifully draped jersey and rejuvenated classics.
Lately, my eye is increasingly drawn to a casual preppy look, something that Singapore based label Al&Alicia do very well. Designer Alicia Ong puts a feminine touch on masculine tailoring and menswear staples.
Sydney Rose and Ashley Munns are the charming design duo behind San Francisco based RosenMunns, a label garnering a lot of attention for their SS'10 collection titled "Year of the RosenMunns".
Another amazing collection by Complex Geometries. Am I surprised? No. I've come to expect stunningly beautiful work from Clayton Evans with every season that passes. It is nice to have a constant like that.
Brooklyn based designer Shabd Simon-Alexander has become known for her incredible fabric dyeing and painting techniques. When I laid eyes on the AW'10 collection, I was in awe of the minimal feminine shapes sculpted out of these brilliant hand dyed fabrics. I've had to keep the photos under wraps - until now! For one week only, Shabd is offering a special sneak peak of the AW'10 collection, plus the opportunity to pre-order select styles with 10% off.