Jane Siskin’s spring presentation at the Beekman Hotel’s rooftop penthouse was a whimsical fete. Aerial performers were sprinkled among a series of model groupings, twirling through hoops and telling the story of an Italian carnival. Siskin was walking a piazza in Italy last year when she stumbled upon a portrait of a circuslike female character, paving the way for a story about traveling performers roaming village to villa. She wanted to evoke that essence in the clothing, and certainly did so with the presentation.
Save for the feathered stoles, the tether to the theme was light, showing more of the quirky feminine spirit inherent in the brand. A sense of lightness, fantasy and drama, along with an air of familiar approachability, drew you in. There was romance in the ethereal dresses toughened up with cropped jackets, and fluidity in loungewear-inspired sets that could transition from day to night. Many of the looks had that transitional quality: the black-and-white grouping with pretty lace and tulle were sleekly European, but even a blue printed robe coat was arguably dinner appropriate. The collection was made more inviting with its playful mashup of texture, fabrics, weights and prints that never once felt privileged. Some of

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Brock Collection designers Laura Vassar and Kris Brock set out this season to inject an air of mystery into their lyrical vernacular. “We always take this path of this raw romanticism, and this season we wanted to put an edge on it,” Brock said backstage before the show.
As edges go, this was a gentle one, the models working a slightly undone, tousled beauty as they walked a floor strewn with gardenia petals and leaves that imparted an element of lovely, wistful decay. A lingerie focus formed the collection’s core; slip, nightgown and romper shapes in intricate laces and gentle florals seemed to be culled from a grandmother’s attic treasure chest. These were worked into looks more diverse than the motif might suggest, some of the diaphanous fare cut with natural waists, some Empire-style with alluring wayward sleeves.
The most literal rendering of the intended dark romance came in the group of exquisite black lace gowns with a touch of the glamorous storybook widow to them. But what gave the collection its soupçon of essential grit was the savvy integration of tailoring with a Forties attitude, crisp and smart coats, skirts and trousers, some integrated with lingerie pieces. Cases in point: A

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Oh, the joys and relative freedom that must come with being independent designers who know and embrace their nicheness. Julie and Jason Alkire’s spring collection was filled with the kind of refreshing nuance and measured creative risks that belong to designers who answer only to themselves and their loyal customers. The designers wanted to express the brilliant scenery, vivid colors and graphic signage that so impressed them during a trip to Verbier, Switzerland, in early June. One dress, which Jason described as “the literal expression of what we were studying color-wise,” was printed with grids of Pantone chips in blue, purple, magenta and green. A neat miniskirt done in hand-woven black and white ribbon, a detail that was repeated on the collar of an ivory linen coat with faded blue stripes, represented Swiss street signs. And one of the collection’s most enchanting details was an incredible photo print of wildflowers the Alkires collected and pressed that appeared on dresses and an elegant draped swath of an evening top. There wasn’t an iota of generic in the house, yet everything felt sophisticated and real.

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Laura Taylor and Ryan Holliday-Stevens have always expressed their affinity for New York, so it’s no surprise when they decided to show Solace, their London-based collection, here. “It s been a lifelong dream for us, to be able to come here and do a show,” said Holliday-Stevens backstage at their show location in a Mercer Street gallery. “It was interesting, not that we did anything differently, but we did think of how the clothes would move in a show format. But what we really wanted was for it to be bright and bold and all about colors and prints,” he explained. Mission accomplished. The lineup definitely stood out for its unapologetic use of color and geometry. The duo kicked things off with a yellow-belted PVC coat worn over slinky knitted pants with big red earrings, followed by a cool dual-tone-blue belted PVC mid-length skirt that later reappeared in a yellow and cream version. Floatier options included silk one-shoulder drapey numbers in a Scrabble print and big flouncy tiered tops and dresses.

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“The automobile has become our national sex symbol,” wrote William Faulkner in a lengthy evidentiary musing on sex and cars in “Intruder in the Dust.”
Faulkner had but words and wits — and whiskey — to make his point. On Tuesday, Ralph Lauren will support a similar thesis with evidence of a more tangible sort when he shows his fall wear-now collection in the upstate garage that houses his world-class car collection. Three hundred guests will be transported by car — alas, those of the traditional car service variety, no vintage red Ferraris — to the event in Bedford, N.Y., 40 miles north of Manhattan. The collection has been seen before, in museum exhibitions in Paris and Boston. But this is the first time Lauren will open one of his properties for a fashion show.
Asked about the dramatic change of venue, Lauren told WWD that, in considering fashion focus on “experiences,” he thought this would make an interesting tie-in to his fashion perspective. “When someone gets into a beautiful car, it enhances their world. If you get into a racing car, it’s sexy.”
WWD: So Ralph, why Bedford?
Ralph Lauren: It’s one of those things. I was working on my collection and I

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CFDA & Lifewtr presented on Thursday to a packed house at Chelsea Piers that included Katie Holmes, the collections of three emerging designers and graduates of the CFDA+ accelerated educational program: Adam Dalton Blake, Tiffany Huang and Ghazaleh Khalifeh.
“I’m looking forward to the exposure,” said Dalton Blake, whose Fifteen Love collection was inspired by tennis uniforms from the Eighties. The designs were reminiscent of the outfits worn by Ben Stiller and Gene Hackman’s “Royal Tenenbaum” characters, especially the quirky factor. A photo of Dalton Blake’s father is printed on the back of some of the garments.
Khalifeh was inspired by different cultures, seen through the lens of an Iranian nomadic woman — the designer — crossing borders. “With so much material in our world, the garment industry should up-cycle,” said Khalifeh, whose beautiful and exotic pieces had metallic filament woven through fabrics, including old Afghani rugs.
The collection of Tiffany Huang explores fears and superstitions with help from virtual and artificial reality. For example, a sandwich boardlike blue tunic is covered with painted eyes that are sad when it rains. “Each garment is embedded with technology,” said Kai Lu, who worked on the tech. “Once you enter the world of the clothes,

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IMG SIGNS ELSON: Karen Elson, the 38-year-old model/Nashville-based singer, has been signed by IMG Models. Most recently, she was represented by The Lions.
IMG will represent the British-born Elson for modeling as part of its women’s board.
Elson had her first success when Steven Meisel shot her for the cover of Italian Vogue on her 18th birthday. She has since appeared on the covers of more than 30 issues of international Vogues, as well as W, Elle, Numero and Harper’s Bazaar. She has also walked the runways for such designers as Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Gucci and has appeared in campaigns for Burberry, Lanvin, YSL Opium, Louis Vuitton, St. John, Trussardi and Roberto Cavalli.
She is currently the face of the campaign for Anna Sui x Macy’s INC International Concepts capsule collection. Elson, in fact, performed Wednesday night at The Heath at The McKittrick Hotel to celebrate the collaboration.
Elson’s musical career has been building over the past several years. She most recently released “Double Roses,” which came after her debut album in 2010 titled, “The Ghost Who Walks.”
In a WWD interview in April, Elson said, “This month has been madness. I’m really keen on just selling [the album] at this

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MARTHA’S NEW QVC WORLD: When Martha Stewart took the mic Wednesday night at her launch party to introduce her new QVC products, she pointed out that she and Karen Murray, chief executive officer of Sequential Brands Group (parent company of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia) were wearing the same blue top from the new line.
“She probably looks better than I do, but my jeans look better than yours,” said Stewart. Her new QVC products, which range from fashion and beauty to gourmet foods and gardening tools, were artfully displayed at MSLO headquarters on West 26th Street. Dylan Lauren, a friend of Stewart’s, was spotted admiring some of the colorful gardening tools.
Stewart’s fashion ranged from striped tops and jeans to shawls, embroidered shirts and denim jackets. Retail prices in the September offering are from $35 to $65.
As reported, Stewart will appear on QVC tonight at 10 p.m. along with models, to give a first look at select items. She’ll show the entire collection on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. She has several more appearances planned throughout the fall for her other categories. When she appeared on QVC on Aug. 13, the shopping channel sold out of all 20,000 of her “Slow Cooker” cookbook.
 

Martha

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WINE AND FASHION: In addition to showing  her fall see-now-buy-now collection Saturday at her Greene Street store, Rebecca Minkoff, Chandon California brand ambassador, will unveil her latest designs for the wine maker’s inaugural Winter Collection.
For the first time in the winery’s history, Chandon California’s sparkling rosé will be offered with the traditional Chandon California Brut. The bottles combine traditional winter white and navy with gold and pink metallic, featuring a holographic foil.

Rebecca Minkoff’s 2017 Chandon California limited-edition rosé bottle. 
Courtesy Photo

In addition, Minkoff has designed a limited-edition #ChandonSquad Leo clutch. It carries the words, “I’d Rather Be in Napa,” and has #ChandonSquad hand-painted in navy by artist Brian Kaspr on opal iridescent leather. The clutch will be available starting Saturday for retail purchase exclusively on Chandon.com for $95. The wine sells for $24 a bottle and is available throughout the season at retailers and distributors.
Minkoff, a leader in the see-now-buy-now concept, will have a two-part experience Saturday: an intimate runway show for 40 industry insiders, celebrities and top customers at her 96 Greene Street flagship store at noon, followed by a consumer event at the store at 1 p.m. (Fans are encouraged to get to the store at 10 a.m.).
Minkoff’s fall

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Old Forester’s annual Birthday Bourbon is aged for 12 years, but distilled in a single day.