Skaist Taylor Ready To Wear Spring Summer 2013 New York

An al fresco rooftop setting at the Skylight at the McKittrick Hotel in Far West Chelsea set the scene for the sophomore Skaist-Taylor collection. McKittrick Hotel? Come again? Turns out Pam Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor craftily turned their venue into a “fake” hotel, even going as far as to set up their temporary space with Twitter and Foursquare accounts.

Set on a humidity-free, breezy day, the rooftop was morphed into an English-garden-meets-Wild-West desert/rodeo where fringe, macramé and thin tweeds were showcased on models sporting big bouffant “power hair” and flat, over-the-knee, lace-up gladiator boots that, according to Nash-Taylor, “deliberately grounded the collection” and which allowed masculinity and femininity to play out harmoniously.

Aside from the boots, there was a deep-reaching empowering quality to the collection, from a cream caplet dress with leather harness neck detail and long colorblocked skirts and printed sweaters worn with tribal jewelry to a maxi babydoll dress with bird print and grommet detailing at bottom and signature “glammy” furs. “Freedom, baby, freedom,” Nash-Taylor cooed. “When we put something together, it’s always what we’re wearing.”

As California eccentrics, the designers were inspired by a documentary they saw on the iconic Troubadour club in West Hollywood, which, since its 1957 opening, has help launch the careers of such greats as Elton John, James Taylor and Tom Waits. “It was an amazing age in L.A. then,” said Nash-Taylor. “You had this moment where Bowie was all the rage in London but in L.A. you had this marijuana-loving, singer/songwriter love fest.” With one half of the “girls,” as they’re fondly referred to in the industry, married to Duran Duran’s John Taylor, music played a key role in the clothes. Mr. Taylor composed the score, comprised of such legends as James Taylor, Crosby Stills & Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Patti Smith and Carole King.
 

-  Jim Shi