Expressions of Peter Som’s Fall-Winter 2011

"It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure." -Coco Chanel

Fashion is a tool of my style, a superfluous skin that often expresses my state of mind and sense of humor. Fashion is also an important inspiration, helping me assemble concepts and details on various projects yet to come. No surprise to many people, us creative individuals dash through the velvet ropes of New York's Fashion Week. There are many purposes to attending the shows; however, for me it is to observe what other designer friends are presenting, to celebrate their creations, and support with my personal caring devotion to their passion.

Graciously, my dear friend Peter Som consistently invites intimate inner circle friends to his show, and this season is no exception. For us invited friends the preview is not only a chance to view Peter's designs, but also a bi-annual reunion amongst his friends. Standing back, we observe who walks in and frequently exchange warm greetings. As soon as Peter's family, friends, clients, and editors are seated-the latter clicking on their writing pens, while others getting their cameras and phones ready, the lights dim to dark.

Immediately following a hum of silence, the lights beam up and pound down upon the sandy taupe bordered pile runner. The forward, up-beat, and slightly edgy music ushers in piece number one of the collection and then one after another the other looks arrive, ever so timely queued. The production was flawlessly designed, with all senses sweetly dreamt of. 

As pretty and precisely feminine the looks are, each garment is constructed thoughtfully and thoroughly. This is consistent to Peter Som's aesthetic: perfectly pretty. The more I tender the designs of Peter's presentation, the more I find them most sensible and matured. The dresses are elegant and modern without being esoteric or academic--quite simply, they are wearable.

Collages of textures, colors, and patterns map out coats, pantsuits, dresses, caplets, blouses, and shoes, much like our environments. Peter Som certainly is a contemporary man and in touch with where we are, a globally inter-mixed society. His collection is as architectural as our urban landscape, intertwined with a variety of visual sources.

And, obviously, his designs express a fashion style, something with which one can both be expressive and live in comfortably.