Marchesa Ready-to-Wear Spring 2011 at New York Fashion Week

I love the times when fashion and art meet. These moments rarely occur in ready-to-wear and definitely hardly seen at New York Fashion Week. However, on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 this occurrence took place at the Marchesa show. My sketchpad and portfolio bow to Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, the heads of Marchesa, for this collection.

Marchesa Spring 2011: The Collection that Left Celebrities

Twitter was almost tweeted out yesterday during the Marchesa showing at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. Celebrities were tweeting their gushes over the collection hinting that Marchesa's spring 2011 collection was a favorite. Women's Wear Daily told the future of this collection's sales when they said, "Let the red-carpet bidding wars begin." I agree with this sentiment. Never before have I witnessed a collection that was both edgy and delicate. The largely oriental-inspired collection featured light as air gowns with origami folds, cascading folds and wind swept curves with sharp-like edges.

Dangerously Delicate at Marchesa Spring 2011

Luxurious fabrics such as silk tulle, chiffon organza and lace were draped and sculpted into such exquisite pieces as the champagne origami gown shown on slide 6, the strapless cocktail dress shown on slide 13 and the daring black and white elegance found on slide 4. Artistically detailed beading on garments like the lace number on slide 1 and the baby doll cocktail dress on slide 20 (check out the matching shoes). Draped folds with a hint of Grecian influence were seen in slides 8, 11, 16 and more specifically the silk drape of the gown shown on slide 3 that mostly resembles an ancient Greek costume.

The Best of Marchesa Spring 2011

I loved each piece in the collection even down to the urchin-look, laser shredded bubble of gown found on slide 27- the sheer technique to create such a gown with this precision is awe-inspiring - that is truly a costume piece not to be worn on the carpet (hint, hint). However, two gowns seared this collection into my memory forever for the fact that they literally made my heart skip a beat and brought tears of joy to my eyes.

The midnight blue piece of heaven with an asymmetrical bodice, hand-painted flower motifs and sharp, elegant cascading curves falling to the floor found on slide 14 took away my oxygen. I cannot even describe how beautiful this gown is. It feels like a modern-day Cinderella gown that would make the Prince take notice instantly. The second gown that brought tears to my eyes (actually, I did cry), is found on slide 17. This is the dream gown for a Black and White Ball. The black/white ombre color that falls in circular pleated folds to the floor, with a folded almost rosebud bodice in hand painted floral detail screams ballroom and red carpet.

Final Marchesa Musings

After seeing this collection yesterday, it is no wonder it was handled with such care and pomp. With Marchesa-branded Range Rovers arriving at the Chelsea Art Museum, where the collection was held. Range Rover sponsored the exquisite collection adding a little more depth to the automobile's appeal thanks to this collection.

To see the entire collection and the other collections from Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week, visit WWD.com or Style.com.