Watch out Seventh Avenue.
.
Manhattan isn’t the only place where fashion’s creative juices
flow these days. Some of the most creative designing minds have
roots – or homes – in Brooklyn. Some say it’s the special feeling
of community that keeps them inspired, others believe it’s the
sense of tranquility you feel when you leave the bustle of Manhattan
behind. So here’s a look at three designers’ most recent collections
and what inspires them.
Paul Carroll emerged on the design scene two years ago, with
his first ready-to-wear collection. When he told his partner’s
sister, a New York City police officer, that he was thinking
of moving to Brooklyn, she suggested Brooklyn Heights as it is
reminiscent of his former Victorian neighborhood in Boston.
"My apartment was the first one I looked at and when I pulled
up in my car, I knew I would take it," says the designer.
"It had that real neighborhood feeling I love, away from
the fray of Manhattan. And the people are friendlier here than
in my neighborhood in Boston. I know the dry cleaner, the laundry
guys, the newspaperman and the people at the video store.
"I take my sketchbook to the promenade. That’s my favorite
place to go and hang out and sketch. It’s a wonderful place and
so relaxing. Lots of people have lunch there and bring kids to
the playground."
In between design seasons, Carroll also finds time to enjoy some
of the other amusements Brooklyn has to offer. "I go to
the Brooklyn Museum as often as possible and to the Botanic Garden,
which is incredibly inspirational to me," said Carroll.
"It’s like stepping into a another world, like a lush, beautiful
countryside. You can’t believe you’re in Brooklyn."
Carroll is currently in the throes of designing his fall 2002
collection. "It’s going to be tailored with lots of very
pared down luxury," said Carroll. "I’m using a lot
of really cuddly, warm fabrics since, especially in times like
these, people want to feel cocooned and warm. I’m working on
some fuller, romantic skirts. I like the idea of a romantic skirt
that moves when you walk, and I am designing more day clothes
and sportswear."
This designer must be doing something right. Actress Kate Capshaw
and CNN morning anchor Paula Zahn have expressed interest in
his designs, and he’s dressed daytime drama TV personalities
like Laura Wright and Victoria Platt of "The Guiding Light."
His fall collection will be completed by February, but if you
want a sneak preview, head over to Noodle Pudding, an Italian
restaurant on Henry Street at Cranberry Street.
"I’m famous for going down there and drawing on the tablecloth,"
Carroll says. "It’s a very comfortable, homey kind of place.
I’m known for saying, ’I have an idea. Get me a napkin!’"
Like many New Yorkers, Mathew Nowomlynski [NO-MA-LIN-SKEE], designer
of his own line called Polish, moved to Brooklyn for more practical
reasons. "The rent was cheaper and the spaces were bigger,"
he says. "Besides, it was nice to get out of Manhattan for
a change."
Born and raised on Long Island, Nowomlynski first considered
becoming a designer when his mom bought him an issue of Vogue
at age 12.
"It just clicked," he says.
He lived in Chelsea while attending the Fashion Institute of
Technology in Manhattan, then moved to Park Slope, which is now
home base for his design studio. It’s here that he creates Polish,
a line whose name is meant as a humorous take on his heritage.
His first runway show, held last February, showcased his fall
2001 collection, during the esteemed "7th on Sixth"
shows that make up New York’s fashion week. Called "Like
a Virgin Suicide," it took place in a school in Chelsea
and was all about the destruction of a young high school girl’s
life.
"There was a lot of ’80s influence, from short skirts to
lots of lace and leather, different wools in colors like navy
blue, black and red," he says. "The show was about
a teenage socialite – debutante – and everyone’s jealous of her
and these fabulous outfits, and she’s very suicidal. My favorite
piece is the ’Suicide Dress.’ It’s a sweatshirt dress, and I
decided to paint her suicide note – a note to the world on how
depressed she is – around the dress in red, to look gorey or
bloody."
Nowomlynski won’t talk much about his fall 2002 collection but
promises a "very bluesy, jazzy theme."
Though he admits to staying close to home most of the time, Nowomlynski
has visited the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Botanic
Garden, Prospect Park and plenty of local flea markets from which
he gets some of his ideas.
"Park Slope is becoming a very trendy area," says the
designer, who has considered selling his clothes in some of his
favorite stores, such as Bird on Seventh Avenue and Butter on
Jay Street.
One of Nowomlynski’s most creative works includes a patriotic
bra he designed for Sandra Bernhardt to wear when she performed
at a concert in New York. How did he come up with the idea?
"Everyone has their own flair," he says. "I get
inspired wherever I am."
Shoe virtuoso Clint Alan really knows what women want. That’s
because he’s spent the past 11 years listening to every need
and desire women have when it comes to their shoes. This year,
with his first-ever retail line and a brand new luxury shoe salon
in Tuscon, Ariz. and another to open on Madison Avenue, The Park
Slope native is giving Choo and Blahnik fans a run for their
money.
In business for more than a decade, Alan’s work has been limited
to designing custom-made shoes, a craft he perfected under the
guidance of a cobbler in Hong Kong, where he was sent by his
father after high school for a dose of discipline after consistently
acting up.
After falling in love with the craft, Alan returned to the States
where he met Martine Gomez, an Argentine from a family of seasoned
cobblers, and perfected his skills while quickly developing his
own signature look.
Alan’s designs were recognized by fellow fashion designers Chanpaul
and Geova Rodrigues who asked him to design shoes for their Fall
2001 runway shows. And recently, Alan was honored in Sportswear
International’s "Who’s Who 2002" issue. But his claim
to fame to this day is making every woman’s dream come true –
designing one-of-a-kind shoes just for her.
"The only way for women to show their own identity – instead
of the identity of the designer – is to wear custom shoes,"
he says. "It’s a way to add your input to what you want
to wear and show your own individual style.
"In addition, women get to work along with me," says
Alan. "They choose the fabric and the detailing, and I provide
my expertise. If they want to add a gold buckle, I let them know
if it will work with the design. If they want artwork done on
the shoes, I find the artist to do it."
His new retail line is a logo-driven leather collection with
patriotic style in red, blue and cream colors with his own signature
heel.
"I use Italian leathers and perforated leathers with my
initials in patterns developed overseas in the same factories
that produce Gucci and Prada shoes," says the designer.
"There are slip-on mules, mid-calf boots, classic sling
backs and strappy sandals."
With a style all his own, it’s often difficult to determine what
will appeal to his clients. "My mistakes have been my blessings,"
says Alan. "What I thought wasn’t going to work ended up
being the one style that did. I never thought the camouflage
leather stiletto boot would be a hit, but it was. I wasn’t sure
about the beige-and-black perforated boot or the Cleopatra shoe
[a thong], but editors call me for them all day long.
"In fashion, you just never know. What you least expect
is what people want – you just go with what you feel at the time.
It’s just like a hit record – sometimes you feel it, sometimes
you don’t."
