Pamella Roland, SS15, NYFW 9/9/14
The second show I attended on Tuesday of NYFW was Pamella Roland at Lincoln Center. I was honestly not familiar with Roland's work before this season of NYFW, so before I arrived, I had done a little research on her. Roland debuted her first collection under her name in 2002. However, before that, Roland was a businesswoman! I love finding stories like these, especially for women. It seems that in society, we are pushed to try to find our lifelong career when we are in the throes of the approximate ages of 18-25, while we are still discovering ourselves and our passions. Why must we immediately decide what our future will be right out of high school? How can we know who we will be when we are 30, or 40, or 50? Roland is a fine example of how your life can always change, and does not have to be dictated by what degree you hold, or what degree you may not have ever even received.
Roland has been interested in fashion since her teenage years, but was encouraged to pursue business by her family. After about 10 years of working in business environments both big and small, Roland found herself in Japan, where she began supporting the National Art Show of the College Women's Association of Japan in the role of director of public relations. This no doubt helped bolster her involvement in the arts and her own interests with them. Taking her entrepreneurial talents to the next level, Roland launched her PAMELLA ROLAND collection in 2002. She managed the business efforts as well as took on a leading creative position behind the brand. She is well known for dressing celebrities now, has received awards, and was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2010.
I'm not going to lie, I creeped Roland's site, and her biography's description of her work nails it. I'd rather just share that with you than try to word it myself, because I'd just be saying the same things! From Roland's biography page:
"Pamella designs for a confident woman with exceptional taste - one who demands a versatile wardrobe in which she feels polished and impeccable without forsaking her sensuality and femininity. Pamella strives to create clothes that allow women to comfortably exude their strength and beauty, while projecting innate elegance."
The above two dresses were a little too bland for my personal taste, but I did really like the little details that kept them from looking too "officey." The first one had nice side panel cut-outs, and the second had two different textures in the fabrics, as well as that neat origami-like folding across the breast.
I really loved the above blue dress! I'm a sucker for colors I call "dusty," and this soft, floaty piece is definitely along the dusty lines. The under-boob cutouts have been very popular this year, but I think this one is an acceptable placement for my taste. Just a little peekaboo is good!
Ah, the ombre! The above dress was a classic black, strapless gown, but the backside had a beautifully dyed flowing accent. As the model walked, the lightweight material lifted up like wings and fluttered along. I could see myself wearing this dress. I'm not much of a dress-wearer, because I feel so blah in just one item, but this one has just enough funky added that I could rock it with a statement necklace or some glittery dangle earrings.
Okay, let's talk about the above dress right quick. Look at that! More semi-cape pieces, with a gorgeous, shimmery, textured fabrics. I don't know if the term "perfect" is ever appropriate in describing a look on a runway (I feel like Heidi Klum might jump out from behind a chair and hit me over the head after the years of Project Runway that I have watched), but I feel like this one is getting to that level. The wrapping of the fabric that is tight across the breast, but then free-flows into the caped shoulder pieces just screams "Wear me!" to me. I don't attend balls or galas, but if I did, I would definitely choose this dress for my next event.
Roland has been interested in fashion since her teenage years, but was encouraged to pursue business by her family. After about 10 years of working in business environments both big and small, Roland found herself in Japan, where she began supporting the National Art Show of the College Women's Association of Japan in the role of director of public relations. This no doubt helped bolster her involvement in the arts and her own interests with them. Taking her entrepreneurial talents to the next level, Roland launched her PAMELLA ROLAND collection in 2002. She managed the business efforts as well as took on a leading creative position behind the brand. She is well known for dressing celebrities now, has received awards, and was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2010.
I'm not going to lie, I creeped Roland's site, and her biography's description of her work nails it. I'd rather just share that with you than try to word it myself, because I'd just be saying the same things! From Roland's biography page:
"Pamella designs for a confident woman with exceptional taste - one who demands a versatile wardrobe in which she feels polished and impeccable without forsaking her sensuality and femininity. Pamella strives to create clothes that allow women to comfortably exude their strength and beauty, while projecting innate elegance."
I feel like that perfectly describes the work I saw at Roland's show a few weeks ago. Here are my favorite looks that I snapped with my camera. I don't claim to be a photographer by any means, so these aren't perfect. But, they were the looks I really loved! Plus, I really like being able to "people watch" the front row on-lookers in the background!
Capes! A couple of the looks had capes on them, and I would love to rock one this fall. Now, to just find one that doesn't look like a superhero's or just a giant blanket tied around my shoulders...
The above two dresses were a little too bland for my personal taste, but I did really like the little details that kept them from looking too "officey." The first one had nice side panel cut-outs, and the second had two different textures in the fabrics, as well as that neat origami-like folding across the breast.
I really loved the above blue dress! I'm a sucker for colors I call "dusty," and this soft, floaty piece is definitely along the dusty lines. The under-boob cutouts have been very popular this year, but I think this one is an acceptable placement for my taste. Just a little peekaboo is good!
Ah, the ombre! The above dress was a classic black, strapless gown, but the backside had a beautifully dyed flowing accent. As the model walked, the lightweight material lifted up like wings and fluttered along. I could see myself wearing this dress. I'm not much of a dress-wearer, because I feel so blah in just one item, but this one has just enough funky added that I could rock it with a statement necklace or some glittery dangle earrings.
Okay, let's talk about the above dress right quick. Look at that! More semi-cape pieces, with a gorgeous, shimmery, textured fabrics. I don't know if the term "perfect" is ever appropriate in describing a look on a runway (I feel like Heidi Klum might jump out from behind a chair and hit me over the head after the years of Project Runway that I have watched), but I feel like this one is getting to that level. The wrapping of the fabric that is tight across the breast, but then free-flows into the caped shoulder pieces just screams "Wear me!" to me. I don't attend balls or galas, but if I did, I would definitely choose this dress for my next event.
The closing piece was what appeared to be a wedding dress. I'm not the biggest fan of those off-the-shoulder bell sleeves, but then they turned into a cape, and I just professed my love for capes, so I guess they're all right... I suppose maybe I don't fully understand how shows work just yet, but I have to say that I was personally surprised to see a wedding-type dress close the show. I guess I would just think that wedding dresses would stay in wedding shows, but I'm probably totally wrong. This is all a learning experience, and I welcome being challenged!
Stay tuned for my next show recap as well!