You know how you go shopping or flip through a magazine, and there is one piece you cannot get out of your mind? The one you keep thinking of, and obsessing over? Well here’s mine from the IADT Chicago’s Imagine 2010 Fashion Show. It’s by Chrystal Alexander.
Chrystal Alexander Woodstock
The decision to make a sleeve on a one-shoulder dress is brilliant. It balances the fullness of the dress below.
The colors are soft, and the palette is representative of desert hues – which then complements the Egyptian symbols.
To make the finishing touch of hieroglyphics, Chrystal created her own stencils, and then painted directly onto the fabric. The symbols she chose mean love, happiness, and rebirth. On the back of the dress, the symbols spell out Chrystal. (I like to think she did that to symbolize the passion put in to creating such a phenomenal dress).
Chrystal Alexander Petal to the Metal Collection
For the Subtle Shimmer segment, Chrystal created this 3 piece collection, Petal to the Metal. Here she focuses on uniting feminine and masculine influences – both with color choices and use of hardware.
In the gray shift dress, Chrystal uses zippers to create the seams. It gives the dress an urban edge, while the structure remains feminine. For the waist of the pink top, Chrystal opted to appliqué zippers using them as a masculine balance to the flirty shape. For the entire collection, she works the charcoal against pink showing like she did with the Woodstock dress, her awareness of the power of color.
Having just graduated from IADT Chicago this past week, Chrystal is working on expanding her web presence and is interning with Chicago lingerie designer Stephanie Kuhr of Dottie’s Delights (currently a Designer-in-Residence at Chicago Fashion Incubator).
My bet is that with Chrystal’s fantastic understanding of color, materials, and juxtapositions, we are going to be hearing a lot more from her.
